Preference eligible
Preference eligible means a veteran, disabled veteran, sole survivor veteran, spouse, widow, widower, or parent who meets the definition of preference eligible in 5 U.S.C. 2108.
(1) Preference eligibles other than sole survivor veterans are entitled to have 5 or 10 points added to their earned score on a civil service examination in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3309.
(2) Under numerical ranking and selection procedures for competitive service hiring, preference eligibles are entered on registers in the order prescribed by ยง 332.401 of this chapter.
(3) Under excepted service examining procedures in part 302 of this chapter, preference eligibles are listed ahead of persons with the same ratings who are not preference eligibles, or listed ahead of non-preference eligibles if numerical scores have not been assigned.
(4) Under alternative ranking and selection procedures, i.e., category rating, preference eligibles are listed ahead of individuals who are not preference eligibles in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3319.
(5) Preference eligibles, other than those who have not yet been discharged or released from active duty, are accorded a higher retention standing than non-preference eligibles in the event of a reduction in force in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3502.
(6) Veterans' preference does not apply, however, to inservice placement actions such as promotions.