Veterans who have recently left the military received hiring preference for federal government jobs Tuesday, allowing them to join their brethren from previous military conflicts.

Congress extended the veterans' preference to all personnel who were honorably discharged after serving at least 180 consecutive days on active duty with any part of their service after Sept. 11, 2001.
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The preference gives qualified veterans extra points on federal employment exams and requires federal agencies to hire a qualified veteran over anybody with similar test scores and qualifications.

Before the new 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 Operation 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,"? said Jo Schuda, a spokeswoman for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

This is a pretty big contrast to say, the Vietnam War when nobody wanted the vets around. The Government is doing the right thing here. Our soldiers gave up their time and end up behind their peers in the job force when they get home. Hopefully this will help balance that out.

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