AMERICAN SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN RECEIVE VETERANS PREFERENCE
FOR SOMALIA SERVICE

Washington, D.C. -- The Office of Personnel Management today announced that servicemen and women who provided humanitarian assistance in Somalia and nearby regions during Operation Restore Hope are eligible for veterans preference in federal employment. Eligibility for veterans preference entitles individuals to five additional points in their overall ranking, guaranteed placement on hiring registers, and extra protection during reductions-in-force (RIFs).

"The extended, humanitarian service our nation's brave men and women provided on foreign soil, frequently under dangerous conditions, has been applauded by the world community of nations," said Office of Personnel Management Director Jim King. "We shall continue to show them our support with certain rights and protections reserved for those who have served and are making the transition to civilian life."

To be eligible for veterans preference, servicemen and women must hold the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and have a discharge from the armed services under honorable conditions, or suffered a service-connected disability. The expeditionary medal was granted to military personnel who were assigned to Operation Restore Hope December 5, 1992, or later.

In recent years, veterans preference in federal employment also has been awarded to members of the armed forces who served in southwest Asia during Operation Desert Storm, and to those who served in Grenada and Panama.

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