An official State of Texas website.
HHS is committed to hiring veterans, service members, and their families and creating a work environment that values and retains the skills service members bring to the job.
State law requires agencies to give veterans, surviving spouses of veterans, spouses of current active duty members of the United States Armed Forces or Texas National Guard, spouses of certain disabled veterans and orphans of veterans a preference in the selection process. We specifically encourage managers to consider the skills and experience obtained through federal government service.
Military Preference in Employment
An individual who qualifies for a veteran's employment preference is entitled to a preference in employment over other applicants for the same position who DO NOT have a greater qualification.
Military employment preference means if two applicants are finalists for a position, and equal in all respects, the qualified military employment preference applicant would be offered the job. However, the Military Employment Preference statute does not guarantee the applicant eligible for the preference a job. In order to be considered for an interview, all applicants must meet all required qualifications and the initial selection criteria, as specified in the job posting.
Federal Laws
The Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA) protects civilian job rights and benefits for veterans and members of Reserve components and provides protection for veterans with disabilities.
Veteran Hiring Resources
- Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms (PDF)
- Employees Retirement System of Texas: Purchasing Service Credit for Military Service
- Texas Workforce Commission Military Jobs Translator
- Texas Workforce Commission Tools for Transitioning Service Members
- Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve
- Texas Veterans Commission
- Texas Veterans Portal
- U.S. Department of Labor Hiring Veterans Toolkit
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs eBenefits
App for Veterans
HHS has developed a mobile phone app to give Texas veterans quick access to crisis hotlines and resources for veterans. The app can be downloaded by using the search feature in the Google Play or Apple stores: