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![1105 Media [purity]](/images/ds1_pntmlogo.gif "1105 Media [purity]") |
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home > May/June 2007 issue > article
Online tool helps returning troops get jobs
By Wilson P. Dizard III
As it copes with the ballooning tasks of supporting waves of National Guard members and reservists returning from combat, the Defense Department has deployed an online tool to help those service members resolve problems arising from their attempts to obtain jobs.
The returning Guard and Reserve members’ employment rights are secured by the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA), DOD said recently.
DOD provides an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Web site to help reservists contact one of 900 volunteer ombudsmen who help the troops enforce their rights under the job rights law, the department said.
Now, the reservists will be able to contact the ombudsmen through a direct link on the ESGR site, according to a press release.
“Users explain the problem they’re having and provide contact information for both themselves and their employers, and the information is stored on a secure server,” according to the statement. The ESGR service then assigns the problem to an ombudsman, who contacts the reservist within 48 hours, the release states.
If the ombudsmen fail to resolve the problem within two weeks, they refer the service members to the Labor Department, which has legal authority to enforce compliance with the employment rights law.
“The online request will complement the customer service center in making ESGR more accessible to Guardsmen and reservists serving all over the world,” said Philip Pope, ESGR’s acting executive director.
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