In honor of this auspicious occasion, I thought it might be helpful to remind everyone of workplace requirements in place to protect all of our wonderful veterans and those currently serving in the military:
- A good place to start is here, where there is a wealth of compliance assistance resources from the U.S. Department of Labor, including fact sheets, FAQs and e-tools.
- Here’s a handy set of FAQs on USERRA (Uniformed Services Employment and Reemploment Rights Act).
- Here’s the Blawg’s official USERRA cheat sheet.
- Here’s a summary of FMLA rights related to military service members and their families.
- Here’s the EEOC’s guide to handling veteran disability issues under the ADA.
USERRA: Basics of the law
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act is an oft-misunderstood law. Here are the basics that every employer should know:
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- All employers are covered by USERRA regardless of size.
- USERRA provides that an employee who is absent due to service in the uniformed services is entitled to reemployment into the same or a comparable position as though s/he had been continuously employed.
- In addition to reemployment, service members are entitled to certain benefits and retention rights and are protected against retaliation.
- Potential penalties for noncompliance include reinstatement, back pay, attorneys’ fees and other damages.
This was originally published on Manpower Group’s Employment Blawg.
