EEOC ADDRESSES EMPLOYMENT OF VETERANS WITH SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITIES

Commission Provides Practical Information for Employers and Severely Injured Veterans

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued two question-and-answer (Q&A) guides providing technical assistance for employers and veterans on workplace issues affecting veterans with service-connected disabilities. Both documents are available on the agency’s web site at www.eeoc.gov.

“Injured veterans, like everyone else, deserve the freedom to compete in the workplace on a fair and level playing field,” said Commission Chair Naomi C. Earp. “Members of the military who have bravely sacrificed for America should never have to come home and face unlawful employment obstacles because of a service-related disability.”

The new guide for employers explains how protections for veterans with service-connected disabilities differ under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). The document further describes how the ADA in particular applies to recruiting, hiring, and accommodating veterans with service-connected disabilities. The EEOC enforces Title I of the ADA, which prohibits employment discrimination against people with disabilities in the private sector and state and local governments. The U.S. Department of Labor enforces USERRA, which applies to the reemployment of veterans with and without service-connected disabilities.

The other new publication answers questions that veterans with service-connected disabilities may have about the protections they are entitled to when they seek to return to their former jobs or look to find their first, or new, civilian jobs. The document also explains changes or adjustments that veterans may need, because of their injuries, to apply for, or perform, a job, or to enjoy equal access to the workplace.

EEOC Legal Counsel Reed L. Russell said, “Thousands of veterans have returned home from serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and surrounding duty stations with service-connected disabilities. The EEOC wants to help our nation’s wounded warriors and employers alike understand their respective workplace rights and responsibilities under federal laws. These new guides will provide valuable assistance in this effort.”

Russell noted that each guide includes a list of resources on where to find more information on USERRA and the ADA; public and private organizations that can assist employers who want to recruit and hire veterans or can help veterans who are seeking employment; and organizations and agencies that can help identify specific reasonable accommodations for veterans with service-related disabilities.

The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.
  Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.