With the announcement today that the last U.S. combat envoy has officially left Iraq and that another 6,000 troops will exit soon, employers will soon be faced with veterans returning to the workforce. What do you do?

First, click here for our handy USERRA (Uniformed Services Employment and Reemploment Rights Act) cheat sheet. Then, click here for a summary of FMLA rights related to military service members and their families.

You can also click here for a wealth of compliance assistance resources from the Department of Labor, including fact sheets, FAQs, e-tools and other helpful materials.

So, what are the basics of USERRA? Here you go:

• 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 continously 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

The Bottom Line: Welcome returning service members home, thank them for serving our country and always always always follow the law.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 19th, 2010 at 9:27 am and is filed under Employment Law News, Service Members, USERRA, Veterans. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.