04/03/2026
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Benefits & Compliance Spotlight 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Many employees proudly serve in the National Guard or Reserves—but that service hasn’t always come without career risk.
Before 1994, individuals who left their civilian jobs for military duty often returned to find their positions eliminated, their benefits terminated, or their careers set back. Following large-scale mobilizations like the Gulf War, it became clear that stronger, more consistent protections were needed.
That led to the creation of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).
USERRA is built on a simple but important principle:
Employees should not be disadvantaged in their civilian careers because of military service.
One key area this law addresses is health coverage:
• For military service of 30 days or less, employers must continue health coverage with no increase in the employee’s premium share
• For service exceeding 30 days, employees can elect to continue coverage for up to 24 months (at up to 102% of the full premium)
• Upon return, coverage must be reinstated immediately—no waiting periods or exclusions
As reliance on National Guard and Reserve members continues to grow, these protections remain essential. USERRA ensures that those who serve don’t have to choose between supporting their country and protecting their livelihood and benefits.
