Civil Service Points — 5 for Veterans, 10 Needs a Campaign Medal
Competitive civil service entrance exams add 5 points to a passing veteran's score. The 10-point disabled tier requires more than a rating: a WAR veteran — campaign ribbon or expeditionary medal — with an honorable or general discharge and a service-connected disability.
Verified August 20, 2026
What this benefit is
Competitive civil service entrance exams add 5 points to a passing veteran's score. The 10-point disabled tier requires more than a rating: a WAR veteran — campaign ribbon or expeditionary medal — with an honorable or general discharge and a service-connected disability.
What it's worth: 5 points on a passing entrance exam score; 10 for war veterans with a service-connected disability
- Points apply only after you pass the exam on your own score.
Who is entitled to it
- You are a veteran under the statute's definition.
- You are a resident of this state.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
How to claim it
- 1Claim the preference with the exam application: 5 points on a passing competitive entrance exam score.
- 2Veteran status has three routes: 30+ days of active duty (training does not count) with an other-than-dishonorable discharge, discharge for a service-connected disability, or a National Guard / Reserve retirement with 20+ years.
- 3The 10-point tier is narrower than most states': it requires a WAR veteran — a campaign ribbon or expeditionary medal from a conflict, undeclared war or contingency operation — with an honorable or general discharge and a physical VA service-connected disability. A rating alone does not reach it.
- Form
- Civil service exam application with preference claim
- File with
- Division of Human Resources, with the exam application
- Documents you will need
- dd214 · va benefit summary letter
- No renewal
- Once granted it does not need renewing.
Sources
- authority · published policyOffice of Veterans Services — State Veterans' Hiring Preference (RIGL 36-4-19)
Why only one source type: The state veterans office's own page states the points, both definitions and the passing-score rule; the statute server refuses connections.
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.