Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That §2.2-2903 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§2.2-2903. Grade or rating increase and other preferences for veterans; surviving spouses and children.

A. In a manner consistent with federal and state law, if any veteran, or surviving spouse, or child, applies for employment with the Commonwealth that is based on the passing of any written examination, the veteran's grade or rating of the veteran, surviving spouse, or child on such examination shall be increased by five percent. However, if the veteran has a service-connected disability rating fixed by the United States Veterans Administration Department of Veterans Affairs, his grade or rating shall be increased by 10 percent on such written examination. Such increases shall apply only if the veteran passes such examination.

B. In a manner consistent with federal and state law, if any veteran, or surviving spouse, or child applies, applies for employment with the Commonwealth that is not based on the passing of any examination, such the veteran, or surviving spouse, or child, shall be given preference by the Commonwealth during the selection process, provided that such the veteran, or surviving spouse, or child meets, meets all of the knowledge, skill, and ability requirements for the available position. Additional consideration shall also be given to veterans who have a service-connected disability rating fixed by the United States Veterans Administration Department of Veterans Affairs. The Department of Human Resource Management shall develop and distribute guidelines as an addendum to the Hiring Policy for Executive Branch agencies to provide guidance to agencies to comply with the veterans' preference requirement of this section.

C. If any veteran, or surviving spouse, or child, is denied employment with the Commonwealth, he shall be entitled, to the extent permitted by law, to request and inspect information regarding the reasons for such denial.

D. For purposes of this section, "veteran" As used in this section, unless the context requires a different meaning:

"Child" means any surviving child or children under the age of 27 years of a veteran as defined herein who was killed in the line of duty.

"Surviving spouse" means the surviving spouse of a veteran as defined herein who was killed in the line of duty.

"Veteran" means any person who has received an honorable discharge and has (i) provided more than 180 consecutive days of full-time, active-duty service in the armed forces of the United States or reserve components thereof, including the National Guard, or (ii) has a service-connected disability rating fixed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.