October 28, 2015
In assessing issues under USERRA, employers should consider the following factors:
a. Did the service member give advance notice of military service to the employer?
b. Did the employer allow the service member a leave of absence?
c. Upon timely application for reinstatement, did the employer timely reinstate the service member to his/her escalator position?
d. Did the employer grant accrued seniority as if the returning service member had been continuously employed?
e. Did the employer delay or attempt to defeat a reemployment rights obligation by demanding documentation that did not then exist or
was not then readily available?
f. Did the employer consider the timing, frequency, or duration of the service member's training or service or the nature of such training
or service as a basis for denying rights under this Statute?
g. Did the employer provide training or retraining and other accommodations to persons with service-connected disabilities? If a disability could not be accommodated after reasonable efforts by the employer, did the employer reemploy the person in some other position he/she was qualified to perform which is the “nearest approximation” of the position to which the person was otherwise entitled, in terms of status and pay, and with full seniority?
h. Did the employer make reasonable efforts to train or otherwise qualify a returning service member for a position within the organization/company? If the person could not be qualified in a similar position, did the employer place the person in any other position of lesser status and pay which he/she was qualified to perform with full seniority?
i. Did the employer grant the reemployed person pension plan benefits that accrued during military service, regardless of whether
the plan was a defined benefit or defined contribution plan?
j. Did the employer offer COBRA-like health coverage upon request of a service member whose leave was more than 30 days? Upon
the service member's election, did the employer continue coverage at the regular employee cost for service members whose leave was
for less than 31 days?
k. Did the employer discriminate in employment against or take adverse employment action against any person who assisted in the
enforcement of a protection afforded any returning service member under this Statute.
l. Did the employer in any way discriminate in employment, reemployment, retention in employment, promotion, or any benefit of employment on the basis of past or present membership, performance of service, application for service or obligation for military service?
m. Did the employer satisfy the burden of proof where employment, reemployment or other entitlements are denied or when adverse
action is taken when a service connection is the motivating factor in the denial or adverse action? Did the employer provide
documentation that the action would have been taken in the absence of such membership?
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