Employers and deployment

Under federal law, no employer, of any size, can discriminate against an employee because of service in the National Guard or military reserve.

Employees who are deployed for military service have a right to:

“ Time off without pay for the deployment, in most cases up to five years.

“ Prompt reinstatement when they return from service.

“ Continued health care coverage for the first 30 days of deployment. After that, military health benefits kick in.

“ No waiting periods or exclusions from health coverage when they return.

“ Accommodation and retraining if needed.

“ An opportunity to make up missed payments to pension plans, and treatment in the plan as if there was no break in employment.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor