Veterans Priority of Service: What It Means and Who Qualifies

How Priority Works in Practice

Priority of service applies from the moment someone walks in the door through enrollment in a program. Specifically:

• If there's a waitlist for a training class, veterans and eligible spouses move to the top.
• Once a non-covered person has been approved for funding and enrolled in a class, they cannot be displaced — priority applies up to the point of enrollment, not after.

Who Qualifies?

Veterans Anyone who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and was discharged or released under any condition except dishonorable discharge. This includes Federal activation of Reserve Components (but not active duty for training only).

The U.S. Armed Forces includes: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and all Reserve Components.

Reserve Components (those performing a minimum of 39 days of active duty training annually) include:

• Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve
• Army National Guard, Air National Guard

Eligible Spouses A spouse qualifies for priority of service if they meet any one of the following:

• Their veteran spouse died of a service-connected disability
• Their spouse is on active duty and has been listed for more than 90 days as: missing in action, captured by a hostile force, or forcibly detained by a foreign government
• Their veteran spouse has a total disability resulting from a service-connected disability, as evaluated by the VA
• Their veteran spouse died while a service-connected disability was in existence\

At Intake: What Staff Need to Know

Staff should have a process in place to identify veterans at intake. If a veteran or eligible spouse cannot provide documentation at the time of enrollment, they should still receive priority access to all available services while verification is pending. The only exception is services that require an outside funding commitment — like classroom training — which do require prior verification.

Key Definitions at a Glance

Priority of Service — A covered person receives access to employment, training, and placement services before a non-covered person, either earlier in time or instead of them when resources are limited.

Covered Person — A veteran or eligible spouse of a veteran.

Eligible Veteran — To meet the specific reporting requirements under Wagner-Peyser and Veteran Grants (Title 38, U.S. Code §4211), a veteran must meet at least one of:

• Served more than 180 days on active duty and was discharged under other than dishonorable conditions
• Was discharged due to a service-connected disability
• Served on active duty as a Reserve Component member during a period of war or authorized campaign and was discharged under other than dishonorable conditions

Qualified Job Training Program — Any workforce preparation or development program directly funded in whole or in part by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL). Note: USDOL cannot mandate priority of service for programs funded by non-USDOL sources, though all One-Stop Center partners are encouraged to prioritize veterans as a standard practice.

Definitions are based on WIOA §134(c)(3)(E), WIOA §680.600, TEGL 19-16, A 12-12.4 Veterans' Priority of Service, and the NY State Plan.