EEOC Issues Guides on Injured Vets' Workplace Issues

March 3, 2008 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Friday issued two question-and-answer (Q&A) guides providing technical assistance for employers and veterans on workplace issues affecting veterans with service-connected disabilities.

According to an EEOC press release, 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 also describes how the ADA in particular applies to recruiting, hiring, and accommodating veterans with service-connected disabilities.

The other guide 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 find new civilian jobs. The document 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 noted in the press release 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 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 said in the announcement.

The guide for employers is here .

The other Q&A is here .

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