Entitlement to preference does not guarantee a job, and preference you are entitled to but do not document does not exist. The single most common failure is an eligible veteran submitting an application without the SF-15 — see the documents.
I The four categories
| Code | Who | Points |
|---|---|---|
| TP | Active duty in a qualifying period, honourable discharge, no service-connected disability | 5 |
| XP | Service-connected disability rated below 10% — including a 0% rating — Purple Heart recipients, and certain derived preference | 10 |
| CP | Compensable service-connected disability rated 10–29% | 10 |
| CPS | Compensable service-connected disability rated 30% or more | 10 plus protection |
Sole survivorship preference exists as a separate category for someone released under a sole survivorship discharge.
XP includes veterans rated at 0 percent. A zero percent service-connected rating is not compensable, but it still moves you from 5-point to 10-point preference. If you have any service-connected rating, you are not a TP. That distinction is worth chasing a VA claim for on its own, before considering what a compensable rating adds.
II What preference does in hiring
It depends entirely on how the agency ranks applicants, and the two systems behave differently.
| Numerical rating and ranking | Category rating | |
|---|---|---|
| TP and XP | 5 or 10 points added to a passing score | Placed above non-preference eligibles within their category |
| CP and CPS | 10 points added | Top of the highest category |
That second row is the one that decides outcomes. Under category rating a compensable disability of 10 percent or more does not merely improve your position within a tier — it puts you at the top of the highest category on the referral list. There is an exception for scientific and professional positions at GS-9 and above, where all eligibles are listed in order of rating as augmented by preference.
Note also that disabled veterans receive 10 points on open competitive examinations but 5 points on promotion examinations — preference is weaker once you are already inside. Application mechanics are in USAJOBS strategy.
III The documents that decide it
This section is short and it is the one that costs people jobs.
| Claiming | You must submit |
|---|---|
| 5-point (TP) | DD-214 Member Copy 4, showing character of discharge |
| Any 10-point (CP, CPS, XP) | DD-214, plus the SF-15, plus VA or service documentation of the rating |
The SF-15 is required for every 10-point claim. Without it the preference does not count, whatever you are entitled to. Check Block 24 of your DD-214 for character of service, and upload the documents to your USAJOBS profile once so they are available to attach to every application.
Under 5 U.S.C. 2108a an active duty member expecting an honourable discharge may claim preference before separation — which matters, because hiring timelines rarely align with a separation date. File the VA claim early enough that a rating exists when you apply. See military to civilian pay transition.
IV Preference Standing Calculator
Your category, what it adds in hiring, and what it is worth on a retention register alongside your ratings.
Where Does My Preference Put Me?
Estimates only. Eligibility turns on your service dates and discharge — confirm your category with the agency.
V What changed in a RIF
Under 5 CFR 351.504, effective 2 September 2026, preference is applied as points added to your performance credit:
| Who | Points added | Register subgroup |
|---|---|---|
| Preference eligible with compensable disability of 30% or more | +5 | AD |
| Every other preference eligible | +3 | A |
| Non-preference eligible | 0 | B |
The subgroups survive as identifiers on the retention register, but they no longer function as tiers you are sorted into ahead of everything else. The ordering changed: performance credit is computed first, preference is added to it, and tenure and length of service are reached afterwards.
A rating level is worth two to four points. Preference is worth three, or five at 30 percent. So a preference eligible with three Fully Successful ratings scores 12, while a non-preference colleague with three Exceeds ratings scores 15. Under the old framework the veteran was in a subgroup ahead and the comparison never arose. It arises now. The mechanics are set out in RIF retention standing, and how to protect the ratings themselves in maximizing your performance rating.
VI Pass-over protection
The strongest single protection in the system, and it attaches only at CPS — a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more.
An agency must obtain approval from OPM before passing over such a veteran to select a non-preference eligible. It does not make a pass-over impossible. It requires the agency to justify it in writing and have that justification reviewed by someone outside the agency.
That is why the 30 percent threshold matters well beyond the extra RIF points: it is the line at which someone outside your agency has to agree before you can be passed over, and it is also the line for the 30 percent or more disabled veteran direct hire authority, which carries no grade cap.
VII Retired military, and the limitation
A retired member of a uniformed service is not automatically preference eligible for retention purposes. Under 5 CFR 351.504(b) you count only if you meet at least one of three conditions:
- Military retirement based on a disability that either resulted from injury or disease received in the line of duty as a direct result of armed conflict, or was caused by an instrumentality of war incurred in the line of duty during a period of war; or
- Retired pay not based on 20 or more years of full-time active service; or
- Continuous employment in a covered position since 30 November 1964 without a break of more than 30 days.
Someone who retired at the rank of major or above, or equivalent, is preference eligible under part 351 only if they are a disabled veteran as defined in 5 U.S.C. 2108(2) and meet one of the three conditions above. And someone eligible for retired pay under 10 U.S.C. chapter 67 who retired at major or above is preference eligible only at age 60, and only if a disabled veteran. If you are a military retiree in federal service, establish which of these applies to you before a RIF is announced, not after.
VIII The playbook
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Applying to a federal job | Claim the highest category you qualify for and attach every document. |
| Claiming any 10-point preference | The SF-15 is mandatory. Without it the preference does not count. |
| No VA rating yet | File the claim. Even a 0% rating moves you from TP to XP. |
| Rated 29% | The 30% line brings pass-over protection and +5 in a RIF. Worth pursuing. |
| Still on active duty | You may claim preference before separation under 5 U.S.C. 2108a. |
| Application shows no preference | Contact the servicing personnel office. Usually a missing document. |
| Already a federal employee | Preference is weaker on promotion exams — 5 points, not 10. |
| Facing a RIF | Preference is now added after performance. Know your ratings score first. |
| Military retiree | Check 5 CFR 351.504(b). You may not be preference eligible for retention. |
| Retired at major or above | Additional limits apply. Establish your position now. |
Establishing where you stand
- Identify which preference category you actually qualify for.
- Check Block 24 of your DD-214 for character of service.
- If claiming 10-point, complete the SF-15 and attach VA documentation.
- Upload all documents to your USAJOBS profile once, for reuse.
- If you have no VA rating, file a claim — any rating changes your category.
- If rated just under 30%, understand what the threshold brings.
- Score your last three ratings before assuming preference protects you in a RIF.
- If you are a military retiree, check which condition in 351.504(b) you meet.
- Confirm your subgroup identifier on any retention register you appear on.
- Verify preference was actually applied on any application you submit.
Frequently asked questions
Four that matter most. TP is 5-point preference, for veterans who served on active duty during a qualifying period and separated honorably with no service-connected disability. CP is 10-point, for a compensable service-connected disability rated 10 to 29 percent. CPS is 10-point, for a compensable disability rated 30 percent or more, and carries additional protection. XP is 10-point, for a service-connected disability rated below 10 percent including a zero percent rating, for Purple Heart recipients, and for certain derived preference for spouses, widows and mothers. There is also sole survivorship preference.
It depends on how the agency ranks applicants. Where an agency uses numerical rating and ranking, 5 or 10 points are added to the passing score of an eligible applicant. Where an agency uses category rating, preference eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more are placed at the top of the highest category on the referral list, with an exception for scientific or professional positions at GS-9 and above, while XP and TP eligibles are placed above non-preference eligibles within their assigned category.
Preference stopped being a category ahead of everything and became points added on top of a performance score. Under 5 CFR 351.504, effective 2 September 2026, a preference eligible with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more receives an additional 5 points added to their performance credit and is identified in Subgroup AD on the retention register. Every other preference eligible receives 3 points and is identified in Subgroup A. Non-preference eligible employees receive zero and are identified in Subgroup B.
In a reduction in force, yes, measurably. Performance credit is now computed first from your three most recent ratings of record at 7, 5, 3 or zero points, and preference is added afterwards. Because a single rating level is worth two to four points, three points of preference can be outweighed by roughly one rating level across a record. Preference still counts and still moves people up the register, but it no longer sits ahead of performance the way it once did.
For 5-point preference, the DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing character of discharge and qualifying service. For any 10-point claim — CP, CPS or XP — you must also submit the SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, together with supporting documentation from the VA or your service branch establishing the disability rating. Without the documentation the preference does not count, regardless of whether you are entitled to it. This is the most common way eligible veterans end up with no preference on an application.
An additional protection attached to CPS preference, meaning a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more. An agency must obtain approval from OPM before passing over such a veteran to select a non-preference eligible. It does not make a pass-over impossible — it requires the agency to justify it and have that justification reviewed. It is the strongest single protection in the preference system and it is one reason the 30 percent threshold matters well beyond the extra points.
Only in defined circumstances. Under 5 CFR 351.504(b) a retired member of a uniformed service counts as preference eligible for reduction in force purposes only if the military retirement is based on a disability resulting from injury or disease received in the line of duty as a direct result of armed conflict or caused by an instrumentality of war during a period of war, or the retired pay is not based on 20 or more years of full-time active service, or the employee has been continuously employed in a covered position since 30 November 1964 without a break of more than 30 days. Further limits apply to those who retired at the rank of major or above.
Yes. Under 5 U.S.C. 2108a an active duty member expecting an honorable discharge may claim preference before separation, which matters because federal hiring timelines rarely align neatly with a separation date. The practical corollary is to file your VA disability claim early enough that a rating exists when you apply, since the difference between no rating and any rating is the difference between 5-point and 10-point preference, and the difference between 29 and 30 percent brings pass-over protection with it.