75-2955. Veterans' preference. (a) In establishing certified pools of eligible candidates under this act, veterans' preference shall be given to:

(1) Any person who entered the armed services before October 15, 1976, and separated from the armed services under honorable conditions, if such person served: (A) On active duty during any war (the official dates for war service are April 6, 1917 through July 2, 1921, and December 7, 1941 through April 28, 1952); (B) during the period April 28, 1952 through July 1, 1955; (C) in any campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge or service medal has been authorized; or (D) for more than 180 consecutive days since January 31, 1955, excluding an initial period of active duty for training under the "six-month" reserve or national guard program;

(2) any person who entered the armed services on or after October 15, 1976, and separated from the armed services under honorable conditions, if such person was awarded a service medal or campaign badge;

(3) any person who separated from the armed services under honorable conditions and has a disability certified by the United States department of veterans affairs as being service connected, has been issued the purple heart by the United States government or has been released from active service with a service-connected disability; and

(4) any person who has voluntarily retired with 20 or more years of active service.

(b) To qualify for the veterans' preference, a person described in subsection (a) also shall meet the requirements of the vacant position. However, under no circumstances shall veterans be accorded any less preference than existed prior to July 1, 1995. The secretary of administration shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this section.

History: L. 1941, ch. 358, § 31; L. 1945, ch. 301, § 10; L. 1951, ch. 429, § 9; L. 1957, ch. 446, § 1; L. 1959, ch. 335, § 2; L. 1969, ch. 400, § 2; L. 1978, ch. 332, § 25; L. 1988, ch. 339, § 1; L. 1993, ch. 72, § 1; L. 1995, ch. 213, § 13; December 17.