Veterans With Disabilities Have Several Legal Protections

Serving one’s country sometimes comes at a heavy price.

“In recent years, the percentage of veterans who report having service-connected disabilities, i.e., disabilities that were incurred in, or aggravated during, military service, has risen,” according to the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. “About 25 percent of recent veterans report having a service-connected disability, as compared to about 13 percent of all veterans. Common injuries experienced by veterans include missing limbs, spinal cord injuries, burns, post traumatic stress disorder, hearing loss, traumatic brain injuries, and other impairments.”

Having suffered these injuries while on military duties, veterans don’t have to suffer discrimination in the workplace as they return to civilian life.

“There are several federal laws that provide important protections for veterans with disabilities who are looking for jobs or are already in the workplace,” another EEOC article states.

One of these is the strictly civilian Americans with Disabilities Act while another, more significant one is the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

“USERRA prohibits employers from discriminating against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of their military status or military obligations,” according to the EEOC site. “It also protects the reemployment rights of individuals who leave their civilian jobs, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, to serve in the uniformed services, including the U.S. Reserve forces and state, District of Columbia, and territory (e.g., Guam) National Guards. Both USERRA and the ADA require employers to make certain adjustments for veterans with disabilities called ‘reasonable accommodations.’ However, USERRA requires employers to go further than the ADA by making reasonable efforts to assist a veteran who is returning to employment to become qualified for a job whether or not the veteran has a service-connected disability. This could include providing training or retraining for the position.”

“The ADA uses different standards than the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs in determining disability status,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice website.

Taken together, however, these two laws should ensure that people who made sacrifices far from home don’t continue to make sacrifices.