Reemployment rights

You have the right to be properly reemployed after deployment.

You have reemployment rights with your pre-service employer following qualifying service in the uniformed services. In general, you’re entitled to be reemployed with the pay, benefits, seniority, and other job prerequisites you would have attained if you had been continuously employed during the period of service. This means that if you are eligible for reemployment, you are generally entitled to be placed in the position you would have been in as if you had been at work the whole time and were never deployed. In some situations, this may be a promoted position; in others, it may be a layoff position.

Questions?
We’re here to help.

We are committed to helping you understand your rights as a worker. Many questions about your rights may be answered by using the following elaws (Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses) Advisors:

The Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) is authorized to investigate and resolve complaints of violations such as those listed above. For additional assistance, please contact:

If you feel you have been discriminated against because of your status as a veteran or service member or because you have attempted to enforce your rights, or someone else’s rights, as a veteran or service member, you have the right to file a complaint and participate in an investigation without being retaliated against by an employer.

If you are not promptly reemployed (or reemployed into the proper position with accompanying benefits), you have the right to file a complaint and participate in an investigation without being retaliated against by your employer.

Additional resources

Need more information?
The elaws (Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses) Advisors are a set of online tools developed by the U.S. Department of Labor to help employees and employers understand their rights and responsibilities under Federal employment laws.