ASSEMBLY MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS
COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
ASSEMBLY, No. 854
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: JANUARY 23, 2023
The Assembly Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee reports
favorably Assembly Committee Substitute for Assembly Bill No. 854.
This substitute broadens the eligibility for certain veterans'
benefits by eliminating the requirement that a veteran serve during
specific wars or other periods of emergency, and, in certain
instances, that a veteran serve in a war zone. Instead of service
during specific dates or in specific locations, the bill requires a
veteran to serve for at least 90 days, exclusive of certain types of
initial training, in order to be eligible for any of the veterans'
benefits identified in the bill. The bill also requires a veteran of a
Reserve Component of the United States Armed Forces, including
the National Guard, to serve the entire period to which called to
federal active service, exclusive of training, in order to be eligible
for the veterans' benefits. A veteran who is discharged as the result
of a service-connected disability will be eligible even if the veteran
has not completed the 90 day service period or the period to which
called to federal active service.
The benefits that an eligible veteran could apply for are (1) a
civil service hiring preference under Title 11A of the New Jersey
Statutes; (2) a veteran's retirement allowance under the Teachers'
Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) or the Public Employees'
Retirement System (PERS); and (3) the purchase of additional
military service credit in the Police and Firemen's Retirement
System (PFRS), TPAF and PERS. In addition, the surviving spouse
of a veteran or of a member of the Armed Forces of the United
States or a Reserve Component thereof killed while in active
service is eligible in certain instances for a civil service preference.
The bill also provides that an active service member of the
United States Armed Forces or a member of a Reserve Component
thereof, including the National Guard, who has not been discharged
from service is eligible for the civil service hiring preference
provided that the member otherwise qualifies as a veteran.
Eligibility for civil service hiring preference is contingent upon
voter approval of an authorizing amendment to the State
Constitution.