The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the Jerome County Sheriff’s office, saying it violated the employment rights of an Army National Guard member. Mervin Jones, a corporal for the sheriff’s office, suffered a knee injury while deployed to Iraq in 2004, and later aggravated it during Guard training in 2008. The sheriff’s department is accused of refusing to accommodate him as he recovered from knee injuries in 2009, and then firing him.

“Members of the Army National Guard sacrifice time away from their jobs to serve their country,” said U.S. Attorney for Idaho Wendy Olson. “USERRA (the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994) ensures that they are not discriminated against after they have returned and their employment rights are protected. We are committed to vigorously enforcing USERRA’s protections.” You can read the U.S. Attorney’s full announcement here.