http://www.infinisource.net/Rss/USERRA.ashx USERRA - News & Review 10 In the five years since 9/11, about half a million Americans in the military reserves have served on active duty. This means that more than half of all eligible reservists have had call-ups. And with the prospect for more call-ups, this can mean only one thing for employers, large and small: they must understand the rules for military leaves under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). http://www.infinisource.net/Infinisource/News_Review_Articles/news_review20070312-4.aspx More military personnel are being called to active duty, leaving their civilian jobs and families behind. What responsibility with regards to health care coverage does the employer have to the service personnel leaving their employ for a tour of duty? http://www.infinisource.net/news/stories/newsroom20060314-1.asp When uniformed troops began their journey to such places as Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11, the Armed Forces also took many reserved military personnel from their families, homes and civilian jobs to serve a tour of duty. This brought a need to clarify a law that was enacted in 1994 known as USERRA (Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act). http://www.infinisource.net/news/stories/newsroom20060208-1.asp The Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS), an agency within the Department of Labor (DOL), issued more than 70 pages of final regulations in mid-December, 2005, on the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). These regulations become effective on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006. http://www.infinisource.net/news/stories/newsroom20060111-1.asp A portion of the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2004, legislation signed by President George W. Bush in December 2004, requires employers to provide an annual notice of rights and obligations to employees regarding the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). http://www.infinisource.net/news/stories/newsroom20050421-2.asp On December 10, 2004, President George W. Bush signed the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2004, legislation that extends the maximum period for health plan continuation coverage under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act of 1994 (USERRA) from 18 months up to 24 months. http://www.infinisource.net/news/stories/newsroom20050119-3.asp More than 420,000 citizen-soldiers have been mobilized since 9/11, generally serving for longer tours of duty than occurred during the last comparable conflict, Operation Desert Storm. The Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) was signed to minimize the disadvantages for reservists absent from employment to serve the country. http://www.infinisource.net/Infinisource/stories/userra2.asp 20 Oct 2004 War. Iraq. Baghdad. 3rd Infantry. 101st Airborne. Active. Reservists. All of these words have been in the news almost non-stop since coalition forces entered Iraq. What viewers may not be aware of is the effect this war has on reservists. Not only are reserve forces pulled from civilian jobs, but they also have to adjust to changes in their health plans. http://www.infinisource.net/Infinisource/stories/reserves1.asp 11 Apr 2003 On March 18, 2003, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) introduced a bill that would use federal funds to pay health care premiums for the families of reservists called or ordered to active duty for more than 30 days. http://www.infinisource.net/Infinisource/stories/kenbill.asp 21 Mar 2003 With talk of war looming in the air and families watching loved ones leave the country, employers find themselves handling their own challenges – from call up of employee reservists to handling the employee benefits of those reservists. http://www.infinisource.net/Infinisource/stories/userra1.asp 7 Feb 2003