“The State of Connecticut Department of Administrative Services has rendered useless the statutory hiring preference for veterans and disabled veterans that may seek entry level state jobs. By eliminating written examinations, DAS has nullified the additional 5 points for veterans and 10 points for disabled veterans by CGS 5-224. No written exams = worthless points. I have significant documentation that supports these assertions, much of it obtained under the CT FOI statutes. State Senator Duff and Honig are aware of these circumstances. In at least one case, they have been misled by state officials after making inquiries on my behalf. These circumstances need to be exposed to daylight instead of the CT DAS propensity to operate in the darkness.”

These words come from Barry Natale, a retired U.S. Coast Guard Chief
Boatswain Mate, former United States Navy fast-attack submariner, local
business owner, and veteran advocate. Natale served in the Coast Guard
with distinction, including deployment to Iraq as a senior member of the
Redeployment Assistance and Inspection Detachment. His prior service
includes a 4-year enlistment in the United States Navy submarine
service. Today, he remains deeply engaged with his community—former
owner/operator of Sound Navigation, LLC, a Norwalk-based lighthouse tour
company, volunteering at the Westport VFW, and administering state
mandated boating safety courses at Post 399, for the Norwalk Seaport
Association, and at Norwalk Community College. His background in
military service, entrepreneurship, and public boating safety
instruction gives weight to his concerns about how Connecticut treats
its veterans in employment practices.

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Veterans’ Preference in Connecticut

Connecticut General Statutes § 5-224 provides additional points for competitive state employment examinations:

• 5 points for veterans
• 10 points for disabled veterans

These points are intended to give veterans a measurable advantage in the competitive hiring process.

However, the elimination of written examinations for most entry-level positions by DAS effectively nullifies these points. Without an exam score to which they can be applied, the statutory preference becomes inoperative.

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Chronology of Correspondence

1. Barry Natale to Senator Honig (April 11, 2025)

Dear Senator Honig,

I am a disabled veteran seeking entry level employment with the State of Connecticut. So far, I have been unsuccessful and have become concerned that the state’s statutory hiring preference for disabled veterans has been gutted by the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services (CT DAS).

This hiring preference is enumerated in Connecticut General Statute 5-224, Chapter 67 of the State Personnel Act. CGS 5-224 provides for an additional 5 points for veterans and 10 points for disabled veterans but its application is nonexistent due to the elimination of written examinations for entry level state positions by CT DAS. This state agency recently advised me that such exams were eliminated during 2017.

Without written exams for entry level state positions, additional points are worthless. While I am not an expert on such matters, it appears to me that this is a case of an agency of the Executive Branch establishing a policy that negates the intentions of the Legislative Branch of our state government.

I request that the Committee on Veterans’ and Military Affairs consider legislation that will reestablish the Constitution State’s statutory hiring preference for those that have served in our nation’s military.

Please know that I am standing by to provide additional detail if requested.

Sincerely,
Barry Natale
Norwalk, CT

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2. Response from Jim McNealey, Legislative Aide to Senator Honig (April 15, 2025)

Good afternoon Barry,

I looked into this situation and DAS assured me that although the points-based system is not best reflective of the hiring process, veterans are provided an opportunity to submit their credentials and this is factored into the final decision. We are certainly open to reviewing the statutes to clarify the process, although this would be something we would have to do in a future legislative session since the committee stage has now concluded for the 2025 session.

Jim McNealey | Legislative Aide
Office of Senator Honig

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3. Natale’s Commentary on Legislative Responses

The points-based system is not best reflective of the hiring process? What a joke.

After requesting their assistance, I have concluded that neither Senator Duff nor Senator Honig have been forthright with me. As a result, I have concluded that they both have an agency bias but I cannot figure out who they are protecting.

Their denying me information that they obtained resulting from inquiring on my behalf has necessitated my submitting CT FOI requests to their respective offices. I am awaiting disclosure of documents from Senate Democrats Attorney Joe Quinn.

Joseph P. Quinn, Jr.
Of Counsel, Senate Democrats
LOB, Room 3300
Tel. (860) 240-8600

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4. CT DOT Principal Attorney Sexton Email

With regard to your status as a disabled veteran, it’s not clear to me if that was asked on your applications. It would make sense to me that it was not asked about because neither of the two positions for which you applied qualify for any credit for disabled veterans. I looked at the application you filed for the Registered Apprentice position (which I transmitted to you as part of an earlier FOIA request) and note that there was no question asking about veteran status, let alone disabled veteran status.

This email confirms that for the positions Natale applied for, the application process did not even collect veteran status information, leaving the preference points functionally useless.

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The 2016 DAS Process Improvement Event

The Statewide Human Resources Management Examination Process Improvement Event (May 2–6, 2016) provides critical context. Internal documentation shows DAS implemented a comprehensive restructuring of recruitment and examination practices.

Team Leadership:

• Leaders: Mike Cosgrove, Francine Dew
• Champion: Director Nicholas Hermes
• LEAN Coordinators: Jason Crisco (DAS), Michael Bright (DOT)
• LEAN Team Sponsor: Commissioner Melody Currey
• Team Members: Devin Marquez (DAS), Lori Violette (DAS), Matt Cronin (DAS), Kathy DeBoer (DAS), Debra Mainville (DAS), Cathy Riberio (DOC), Deb Lyons (DPH)

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Project Objectives

• Streamline recruitment and examination processes
• Make the application process user-friendly, clear, and practical
• Reduce manual labor and paperwork
• Automate for the future and provide centralized applicant tracking

Key Highlights:

• Emphasis on paperless processes and electronic retention
• Recognition that “Agency does not use or care about the scores”
• Benchmarking against other states
• Lessons learned included re-evaluation of the State Personnel Act and modernization of procedures

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ATS Launch (October 30, 2017)

The Online Applicant Tracking System (ATS) consolidated applications and exams for nearly all positions:

• Introduced a “Master Application” for repeated use
• Eliminated paper-based forms (CT-HR-12)
• Consolidated job postings and examinations
• Retained examinations only for law enforcement and correctional positions
• Automated application tracking, feedback, and notifications

These changes further diminished the functional application of statutory veterans’ preference points for nearly all entry-level positions.

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Implications for Veterans

• Veterans are disadvantaged because preference points no longer translate into a scoring benefit
• Administrative changes removed the requirement for applicants to declare veteran or disabled veteran status for most positions
• FOIA documentation and internal DAS records validate Natale’s concerns

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Conclusion

Barry Natale’s advocacy, supported by FOIA evidence and internal DAS documentation, highlights a systemic issue affecting Connecticut veterans seeking state employment. The combination of eliminated examinations, non-collection of veteran status, and administrative restructuring has rendered statutory preferences ineffective.

The Connecticut Veterans Bulletin will publish this article in the coming days, giving full visibility to the situation and ensuring the voices of Connecticut veterans are heard without political influence.

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