N.Y. Civil Service Law § 85 – Additional credit allowed veterans in competitive examinations; preference in retention upon abolition of positions

1. Definitions. (a) The terms "veteran" and "non-disabled veteran" mean a member of the armed forces of the United States who was honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from such service including (i) having a qualifying condition as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and receiving a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service, or (ii) being a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and receiving a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service, who is a citizen of the United States or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States and who is a resident of the state of New York at the time of application for appointment or promotion or at the time of retention, as the case may be.
(b) The term "disabled veteran" means a veteran who is certified by the United States veterans' administration or a military department as entitled to receive disability payments upon the certification of such veterans' administration or a military department for a disability incurred by him or her in the course of his or her service and in existence at the time of application for appointment or promotion or at the time of retention, as the case may be. Such disability shall be deemed to be in existence at the time of application for appointment or promotion or at the time of retention, as the case may be, if the certificate of such veterans' administration shall state affirmatively that such veteran has been examined by a medical officer of such veterans' administration on a date within one year of either the date of filing application for competitive examination for original appointment or promotion or the date of the establishment of the resulting eligible list or within one year of the time of retention, as the case may be; that at the time of such examination the disability described in such certificate was found to exist; and that such disability is rated at ten per centum or more. Such disability shall also be deemed to be in existence at such time if the certificate of such veterans' administration shall state affirmatively that a permanent stabilized condition of disability exists to an extent of ten per centum or more, notwithstanding the fact that such veteran has not been examined by a medical officer of such veterans' administration within one year of either the time of application for appointment or promotion or the date of filing application for competitive examination for original appointment or promotion, or within one year of the time of retention, as the case may be.
(c) The term "time of application for original appointment or promotion" shall mean the date of the establishment of an eligible list resulting from a competitive examination for original appointment or promotion, as the case may be, which date shall be the date on which the term of such eligible list commences.
(d) The term "time of retention" shall mean the time of abolition or elimination of positions.
2. Additional credits in competitive examinations for original appointment or promotion.
1. (a) On all eligible lists resulting from competitive examinations, the names of eligibles shall be entered in the order of their respective final earned ratings on examination, with the name of the eligible with the highest final earned rating at the head of such list, provided, however, that for the purpose of determining final earned ratings,
  1. (1) Disabled veterans shall be entitled to receive ten points additional in a competitive examination for original appointment and five points additional credit in a competitive examination for promotion, and
  2. (2) Non-disabled veterans shall be entitled to receive five points additional credit in a competitive examination for original appointment and two and one-half points additional credit in a competitive examination for promotion.
2. (b) Such additional credit shall be added to the final earned rating of such disabled veteran or non-disabled veteran, as the case may be, after he or she has qualified in the competitive examination and shall be granted only at the time of establishment of the resulting eligible list.
3. Application for additional credit; proof of eligibility; establishment of eligible list. Any candidate, believing himself entitled to additional credit in a competitive examination as provided herein, may make application for such additional credit at any time between the date of his application for examination and the date of the establishment of the resulting eligible list. Such candidates shall be allowed a period of not less than two months from the date of the filing of his application for examination in which to establish by appropriate documentary proof his eligibility to receive additional credit under this section. At any time after two months have elapsed since the final date for filing applications for a competitive examination for original appointment or promotion, the eligible list resulting from such examination may be established, notwithstanding the fact that a veteran or disabled veteran who has applied for additional credit has failed to establish his eligibility to receive such additional credit. A candidate who fails to establish, by appropriate documentary proof, his eligibility to receive additional credit by the time an eligible list is established shall not thereafter be granted additional credit on such eligible list.
4. Use of additional credit. (a) Except as herein otherwise provided, no person who has received a permanent original appointment or a permanent promotion in the civil service of the state or of any city or civil division thereof from an eligible list on which he was allowed the additional credit granted by this section, either as a veteran or disabled veteran, shall thereafter be entitled to any additional credit under this section either as a veteran or a disabled veteran.
(b) Where, at the time of establishment of an eligible list, the position of a veteran or disabled veteran on such list has not been affected by the addition of credits granted under this section, the appointment or promotion of such veteran or disabled veteran, as the case may be, from such eligible list shall not be deemed to have been made from an eligible list on which he was allowed the additional credit granted by this section.
(c) If, at the time of appointment from an eligible list, a veteran or disabled veteran is in the same relative standing among the eligibles who are willing to accept appointment as if he had not been granted the additional credits provided by this section, his appointment from among such eligibles shall not be deemed to have been made from an eligible list on which he was allowed such additional credits.
(d) Where a veteran or disabled veteran has been originally appointed or promoted from an eligible list on which he was allowed additional credit, but such appointment or promotion is thereafter terminated either at the end of the probationary term or by resignation at or before the end of the probationary term, he shall not be deemed to have been appointed or promoted, as the case may be, from an eligible list on which he was allowed additional credit, and such appointment or promotion shall not affect his eligibility for additional credit in other examinations.
5. Withdrawal of application; election to relinquish additional credit. An application for additional credit in a competitive examination under this section may be withdrawn by the applicant at any time prior to the establishment of the resulting eligible list. At any time during the term of existence of an eligible list resulting from a competitive examination in which a veteran or disabled veteran has received the additional credit granted by this section, such veteran or disabled veteran may elect, prior to permanent original appointment or permanent promotion, to relinquish the additional credit theretofore granted to him and accept the lower position on such eligible list to which he would otherwise have been entitled; provided, however, that such election shall thereafter be irrevocable. Such election shall be in writing and signed by the veteran or disabled veteran, and transmitted to the state civil service department or the appropriate municipal civil service commission.
6. Roster. The state civil service department and each municipal commission shall establish and maintain in its office a roster of all veterans and disabled veterans appointed or promoted as a result of additional credits granted by this section to positions under its jurisdiction. The appointment or promotion of a veteran or disabled veteran as a result of additional credits shall be void if such veteran or disabled veteran, prior to such appointment or promotion, had been appointed or promoted as a result of additional credits granted by this section.
7. Preference in retention upon the abolition of positions. In the event of the abolition or elimination of any position in the civil service, any suspension, demotion or displacement shall be made in the inverse order of the date of original appointment in the service subject to the following conditions: (1) blind employees shall be granted absolute preference in retention; (2) the date of such original appointment for disabled veterans shall be deemed to be sixty months earlier than the actual date, determined in accordance with section thirty of the general construction law; (3) the date of such original appointment for non-disabled veterans shall be deemed to be thirty months earlier than the actual date, determined in accordance with section thirty of the general construction law; (4) no permanent competitive class employee subject to the jurisdiction of the civil service commission of the city of New York who receives an injury in the line of duty, as defined in this paragraph, which requires immediate hospitalization, and which is not compensable through workers' compensation may be suspended, demoted or displaced pursuant to section eighty of this chapter within three months of the date of their confinement, provided that medical authorities approved by such commission shall certify that the employee is not able to perform the duties of their position; provided further, that such three-month period may be extended by such commission for additional periods not to exceed one year each upon the certification of medical authorities selected by such commission that the employee is, as a result of their injury, still not able to perform the duties of their position. An injury in the line of duty, as used herein, shall be construed to mean an injury which is incurred as a direct result of the lawful performance of the duties of the position. In determining whether an injury was received in the line of duty, such commission shall require the head of the agency by which the employee is employed to certify that the injury was received as a direct result of the lawful performance of the employee's duties; and (5) the spouse of a veteran with one hundred percent service connected disability shall be deemed to be sixty months earlier than the actual date, determined in accordance with section thirty of the general construction law, provided, the spouse is domiciled with the veteran-spouse and is the head of the household. This section shall not be construed as conferring any additional benefit upon such employee other than a preference in retention. Such employee shall be subject to transfer upon the abolition of their function within their agency or department.
7-a. For the purpose of subdivision seven of this section, the terms "date of original appointment" and "date of original appointment in the service" shall mean, for persons subject to subdivisions one-a and one-c of section eighty of this chapter, the date of original appointment on a permanent basis in the grade or title in the service of the governmental jurisdiction in which such abolition or reduction occurs.
8. Penalty for denial of preference in retention. A refusal to allow the preference in retention provided for in this section to any veteran or disabled veteran, or a reduction of his compensation intended to bring about his resignation shall be deemed a misdemeanor, and any such veteran or disabled veteran shall have a right of action therefor in any court of competent jurisdiction for damages and for righting the wrong.