Obey all laws

According to the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), employers are obligated to allow employees time off to serve in the military, and are required to give that employee back that same position upon his/her return from service. The USERRA also details everything from the deployed employee’s health insurance to the time limits on reemployment eligibility.

I recommend: Visit National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) for a concise explanation of your obligations under the USERRA. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Veterans’ Employment and Training Service [PDF Link] supplies the notice employers are required to provide to their employees under the USERRA.

Design your employee military deployment policy

Employees are allowed to either use their vacation time/personal days off for service, or they can choose to take an unpaid leave of absence. While employers are not required to pay an employee who is absent to serve in the military, others opt to continue the pay. However, if your company policy is to pay employees during military service absences, then you ARE required to honor that policy.

I recommend: Visit the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and click on links to learn more about the ESGR, to order USERRA posters, to sign and display a Statement of Support at your business place, or to read their free Employer Resource Guide [PDF link] for a wealth of information about managing employees who are members of the National Guard and Reserve. Once you’ve gotten a handle on the laws and issues, go to the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) to find an expert to help you write the policy.

Apply for an assistance loan if your deployed employee is “essential”

The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) realizes that small businesses depend on every employee to keep the business running efficiently and productively. If one of your “essential” employees – your second-in-command, for example – has just been deployed, you may qualify for the Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (MREIDL). The MREIDL provides funds to eligible small businesses to meet its ordinary and necessary operating expenses that it could have met, but is unable to meet, because an essential employee was "called-up" to active duty in their role as a military reservist.

I recommend: Visit the SBA’s MREIDL page to learn more about the loan requirements, limits, and other specifics; links at the bottom of the page lead to more details, and the application itself. For general info about military employees, check out the SBA’s Veteran’s Small Business Resource Guide.