Marcus Bonds seeks review of the final decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board dismissing his appeal under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1988 (“VEOA”), Pub.L. No. 105-339,112 Stat. 3182 (Oct. 31, 1998), for lack of jurisdiction. Bonds v. Dep’t of the Treasury, No. DC-3443-02-0315-1-1 (M.S.P.B. Apr.16, 2002). We affirm.

We must affirm the final decision of the board unless we conclude that it is arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law. 5 U.S.C. § 7703(c) (2000). Whether the board had jurisdiction to hear Bonds’ appeal is a question of law that we review de novo. See Butler v. SSA, 331 F.3d 1368, 1371-72 (Fed.Cir. 2003). Under VEOA, *346the board has jurisdiction over an appeal alleging a violation of any right under a statute or regulation relating to veterans preference. 5 U.S.C. § 3330a (2000). In order to establish jurisdiction in such cases an appellant must show, among other things, that he is a preference eligible veteran. Id. Bonds contends “VEOA extends to a larger population than ‘Preference Eligibles’ for which remedy is contained in 5 C.F.R. § 1208.25.” The route of redress that Bonds has chosen to pursue —filing his complaint with the Secretary of Labor under 5 U.S.C. § 3330a(a)(l) — requires that a veteran be preference eligible, and section 1208.25 does not support his broad proposition. Bonds was not preference eligible under 5 U.S.C. § 2108(4) because he retired at the rank of lieutenant colonel and was not disabled.