Hiring Preference

Priority Consideration for Initial Appointment to a County Merit System Position.

Priority consideration is given to the following persons in the following order:
  1. a veteran with a disability
  2. an equal preference for a veteran without a disability and for a person with a disability.
Hiring Preference Requirements for a Veteran with a Disability:
  1. Must be rated and placed in the highest rating category on the eligible list;
  2. Must be a veteran rated by the Department of Veterans Affairs with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more;
  3. Must have been honorably discharged from a branch of the United States armed services; and
  4. Must not have used veteran’s credit to receive priority consideration for appointment to a Montgomery County position.
Hiring Preference Requirements for a Veteran without a Disability:
  1. Must be rated and placed in the highest rating category on the eligible list;
  2. Must have been honorably discharged from a branch of the United States armed services; and
  3. Must not have used veteran's credit to receive priority consideration for appointment to a Montgomery County position.

Prior to appointment to a Merit System position, eligible veterans will be required to submit a copy of form DD 214 for verification of military discharge information.

Hiring Preference Requirements for a Person with a Disability:
  1. Must be rated and placed in the highest rating category on the eligible list;
  2. Must have a developmental disability, severe physical disability, or a psychiatric disability within the meaning of 5 CFR 213.3102(u), the criteria used by the Federal Office of Personnel Management for noncompetitive appointment to Federal merit system positions under its special hiring authority; and
  3. Must be certified by the Maryland Department of Education Division of Rehabilitation Services or equivalent out-of-state vocational rehabilitation agency as meeting the above standard of disability. 

If you wish to claim any of the above preferences for a Montgomery County merit system position, you must answer the Hiring Preference online questions as part of your application.  These questions can be found in the Equal Employment Opportunity Section (Step 2) of the application process.  If you are placed in the highest rating category on the eligible list for positions that you apply for, you will be contacted to obtain the required confirmation documents.  Please email the Office of Human Resources at [email protected] if you have any questions. 

This information is voluntary but must be provided in order to claim employment preference.  It will be kept confidential and will only be used during the hiring process to apply employment preference and will not be used in evaluating your application.

Montgomery County Government is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity.  Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law.  Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources and request a Human Resources Specialist at 240-777-5199 Voice or 240-777-5126 TTY for assistance and guidance.  You may also request a reasonable accommodation for the selection process via email to [email protected].  Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.