WASHINGTON — Veterans honorably discharged after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks started getting a hiring preference Tuesday for jobs in the federal government.
As part of a defense spending bill, Congress earlier this year voted to extend the veterans' preference to all military personnel honorably discharged after serving at least 180 consecutive days on active duty with any part of that service after the 9/11 attacks.
The preference gives qualified veterans extra points on federal employment exams and requires federal agencies to hire a qualified veteran over non-veterans with similar test scores and qualifications.
Before the rules went into effect Tuesday, the only veterans who qualified for the hiring preference were those who received a campaign medal for combat service or those who served during a major conflict designated by Congress. The last time Congress had extended preference to all who served during a particular time was for Desert Storm in 1990-91.
"This now gives veterans' preference in hiring to individuals such as reservists and members of the National Guard who were called to active duty with the Armed Forces, whether or not they served in country," Veterans Affairs spokeswoman Jo Schuda said.
Congress acted after Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio, heard about former soldiers who were told they were not considered "veterans" under the hiring preference definition.
"There were units deployed for one year, two years, who had to leave their families," said Mark Bell, a Tiberi aide who served in Afghanistan as a reservist. "The least we could do is give them a leg up when they apply for federal jobs."
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