Priority of Service for Veterans and Eligible Spouses
Priority of service means, with respect to any qualified Department of Labor employment and job-training programs, that Veterans and Eligible Spouses shall be given priority over non-Veterans for the receipt of employment, training, and placement services, notwithstanding any other provision of the law.
Each of our VEC Local Offices has staff to assist Veterans and Eligible Spouses. Among the many services they provide are:
- Career and job counseling
- Providing Labor Market Information on the jobs and employers in this area.
- Assistance in tailoring skills and abilities to the job market.
- Assistance with locally listed jobs.
- Help using the Internet to expand your job searches.
- Recommendations for training and education to qualify for better jobs and careers.
- Information on Veteran job programs and training.
- Assistance and instruction in use of the Resource Room facilities.
- Resume preparation and critique.
- Developing jobs for those Vets with barriers to employment.
- Providing referral information on social service and family support.
- Linking Vets with Department of Veterans Affairs medical and benefits information.
In addition, our staff will file search all new job orders to see if any Veterans and Eligible Spouses in our files qualify for the position and contact them immediately. Our aim is to get the best-qualified Veterans and Eligible Spouses to employers as quickly as possible. You can call for an appointment or stop by any Local Offices for additional information. Please be aware that some programs may have additional eligibility requirements.
Definitions
- Veteran: a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released there from under conditions other than dishonorable. Active service includes full-time duty in the National Guard or Reserve component, other than full-time duty for training purposes.
- Eligible Spouse: the spouse of any of the following:
- Any Veteran who died of a service connected disability;
- Any member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty who, at the time of application for priority, is listed in one or more of the following categories and has been so listed for a total of more than 90 days:
- Missing in action;
- Captured in line of duty by a hostile force; or
- Forcibly detained or interned in line of duty by a foreign government or power;
- Any Veteran who has a total disability resulting from a service-connected disability, as evaluated by the Department of Veterans Affairs;
- Any Veteran who died while a disability, as indicated above in section (3), was in existence.