As a current or former U.S. military member, the last thing you should ever expect is to face employment challenges with the federal government. If you do find that your federal employer is discriminating against you or is retaliating against you based on your service, you have rights. Contact an experienced USERRA Uniformed Discrimination lawyer from the Bell Law Group, PLLC, for help advocating for your federal employment rights.
USERRA: Employment Rights for Armed Services Members | A Lawyer Can Help When facing Uniformed Service Discrimination
USERRA stands for the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. This act exists solely to protect the employment rights of current and former members of the United States military. All employers, ranging from the federal government to private employers, must comply with USERRA’s protections, which include:
- Freedom from discrimination in all employment actions
- Reemployment rights
- Reasonable accommodations
- Health and pension plan coverage
- Job retraining upon reemployment/reentry into the workplace
- Access to seniority-based benefits
- Protection from at-will termination for a specific time period (based on your length of employment leave)
Specific Protections Against Discrimination and Retaliation
One of the stated goals of USERRA is to protect service members from discriminatory acts on the part of all employers in the United States. This means that a federal employer cannot discriminate against you or take negative employment action against you on the basis of your membership in the uniformed services, your service record or your obligation for service in the future. If this has happened to you, a USERRA Uniformed Discrimination lawyer from our firm is here to help.
Examples of unsanctioned actions under USERRA include:
- Denying you access to employee benefits, including healthcare
- Refusing to provide you with annual pay raises or promotions you would have otherwise received had you not been away on active duty
- Failing to provide you with reasonable accommodations for your service-related injuries or disabilities
- Firing or demoting you if you were attempting to help another colleague enforce his or her rights under USERRA
- Releasing you from employment on an at-will basis within the protected “for cause” timeframe
If your government employer took an action like those listed above, do not waste time in pursuing your rights under USERRA. While there are no time limits to filing, the longer you delay the greater your risk is of losing sensitive information that can help your case.
Contact Bell Law Group to Discuss Your USERRA Claim
You stood up and protected this country. You deserve respect, equal treatment, and reasonable accommodations for your service. If you feel your federal employer is not respecting your USERRA rights, call one of our experienced federal employee rights lawyers today at 855-566-2355 or contact our firm online. We will discuss your concerns with you in a free strategy session.
