As a reminder: supervisors and hiring managers of civilians, HR professionals, Senior Executives, and employees who currently serve in the Reserves, National Guard or Ready Reserve are required to take annual USERRA training and Veteran Employment training by July 31st of every year in accordance with the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2008, Public Law (P.L.) 110-389.
The training will ensure you are aware of veterans' and reservists' special hiring and reemployment rights under the Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994.
Previously completed courses with completion dates before Aug. 1, 2024, will not be credited toward the 2025 reporting requirements.
What is USERRA?
The Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994 protects civilian job rights and benefits for veterans and members of Reserve components. USERRA prohibits employment discrimination against a person on the basis of past military service, current military obligations, or intent to serve.
USERRA establishes the cumulative length of time that an individual may be absent from work for military duty and retain reemployment rights to five years. As outlined in the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) webpage, “Your USERRA Rights as an Employee.”
Who must take annual USERRA training?
USERRA Training describes the many protections and benefits available to current and former non-career veterans, reservists, and national guard members.
-
Mandatory for: managers, supervisors, HR professionals, Senior Executives, and employees who currently serve in the Reserves, National Guard or Ready Reserve.
Veterans Employment Training provides information and tools to become more familiar with the process and advantages of hiring veterans.
- Mandatory for: managers, supervisors, HR professionals and Senior Executives.
The training courses are located in the Coast Guard Online World of Learning (CG-OWL) training platform and can be accessed by going to "Courses; Course Catalog" and entering the Course # into the "Search Courses" dialogue window and selecting the magnifying glass icon.
There are two separate courses:
Course # 502294 - Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) 2025. This course is for supervisors & hiring managers of civilians (including military supervisors of civilians); members of the Senior Executive Service; Human Resources professionals involved in the hiring process, and Civilian employees who are also members of the Reserves, National Guard or Ready Reserves.
This training is required by the law it covers – the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA), U.S.C. § 4301-4335. The training must be completed by all Federal executive agency human resources personnel.
Course # 502434 - Veterans Employment Training 2025. This training is for hiring manager/professionals (Supervisors Code 2 and 4 and Job Series 0201). (This training is not required for Reservists, National Guard or Ready Reserve).
This training provides the information and tools you need to become more familiar with veteran employment and how it is beneficial to all parties involved: human resources (HR) professionals, hiring managers, the agency, and veterans who are seeking Federal employment.
Manager’s responsibilities
Coast Guard managers should ensure persons who serve or have served are not disadvantaged in their civilian careers due to their service and are promptly reemployed in their civilian jobs upon their return from duty.
Supervisors should understand there are exceptions listed below to initial employment, reemployment, retention in employment, promotion, or any benefit of employment to a person based on past, present, or future service obligation. Exceptions to the five-year rule include the following:
- Service required to fulfill an initial period of obligated service beyond five years.
- Inability to obtain orders releasing the employee from service before the expiration of the five-year period, which was not the employee’s fault.
- Service performed to fulfill periodic National Guard and Reserve training requirements and includes service performed to fulfill additional training requirements determined and certified by a proper military authority as necessary for the employee’s professional development, or to complete skill training or retraining (including weekend drills and annual training).
- Service performed in a uniformed service if the employee was ordered to or retained on active duty under circumstances such as involuntary active duty, retention on active duty, etc.
- Service performed in a uniformed service if the employee was ordered to or retained on active duty (other than training) under any provision of law because of a war or national emergency declared by the President or the Congress, as determined by the Secretary concerned.
Timeframes for reporting to work
USERRA also provides timeframes for most returning service members to report back to service or request reemployment. The time frames depend upon the length of absence:
- Absences of 1-30 days: Returning service members are allowed travel time plus 8 hours of rest and then must report to work on the next work day.
- Absences of 31-180 days: Returning service members have 14 days to contact their supervisor and request reemployment.
- Absences of more than 180 days-Returning service members have 90 days to contact their supervisor and request reemployment.
For more information regarding guidelines and eligibility, contact your Human Resources Specialist or visit the USCG Veteran Employment & Support SharePoint site.
-USCG-
Resources: