More than 113,000 military veterans work for the United States Postal Service. The military veterans and their spouses, mothers, widowers, or widows are given preference for the postal service jobs. Veterans can earn extra credit that depends on their previous work history.

The process of hiring military veterans is slightly different from hiring other individuals. Here we will shed light on the USPS’s hiring process and requirements for military veterans.

Applying for US Postal Service Job

Military veterans have to fulfill certain criteria for applying for a US postal job. You need to prepare and pass a postal exam 473 for regular jobs and postal exam 916 for Maintenance Custodian job. The federal government’s postal company gives preference to military veterans for the Maintenance Custodian jobs.

After clearing the exam, military veterans are given preference over other applicants in respect of the valuable contribution and sacrifice they make for the country. In addition, the military veterans are assigned points based on certain criterion.  Veterans with higher points have better chances of being hired for a particular position:

• 30 percent Compensable service connected disability—10 points
• 10 percent Compensable service connected disability—10 points
• Disability—10 points
• Mother, Spouse, Widow, or Widower of military veteran—10 points
• Veterans that served in a war—5 points
• Veterans on active duty for more than 180 consecutive days other than training—5 points
• Veterans of Gulf War—5 points
• Veterans who served in campaign that resulted in an award—5 points

Eligibility Requirements for USPS Jobs

If you are a military veteran who wants to apply for a USPS postal service job, you should submit Certificate of Discharge from Active Duty, DD Form 214, or any other form that states that you have been honorably released or discharged from duty. The discharge should be no later than four months (120 days) after submitting the application for the US postal service job.

In addition, you need to submit proof for the points that you want to claim. The application and the claim of preference points will be reviewed by the HR department during the hiring process.

Other requirements for applying for a USPS job include:

• Above 18 years at the time of making an application
• Above 16 years for veterans with a high school diploma
• Permanent resident US citizen, or citizen of American Samoa, or other US territories
• No Criminal record
• Safe driving record if required for the position
• Registered with the Selective Service if required for the post

In addition to the above, the HR department will review recent employment application, and ask the applicant to submit a medical assessment and drug screening report.

Working for the USPS provides various benefits for the military veterans. Apart from job security, the federal job offers competitive salaries for different positions.