Military Leave (USERRA)
Carle Health offers Military Leave to allow eligible team members time to fulfill service in uniformed services as required by law or administrative regulation.
Eligibility
Team members who are called to active duty in the U.S. military, including the U.S. armed forces, Reserves or National Guard. Team member must provide notice prior to the leave.
Duration of Leave
Team members will be granted USERRA Military Leave for a cumulative period of five years of military service, or as otherwise required under state or federal law.
Benefits Status During Leave
Team members may elect to continue benefit coverage at the team member premium rates, as long as premium payments are made directly to Carle Health in a timely manner.
Compensation During Leave
Team members may elect, but are not required to use, accrued vacation time for any period of military leave.
Return to Work
A team member returning from military leave is entitled to return to the position the person would have held had the person remained continuously employed, or a position of equivalent seniority, status and pay, so long as the person is qualified for the job or can become qualified after reasonable efforts by the organization to qualify the person.
As provided under USERRA, the following timelines are required for returning to work. If it is impossible or unreasonable to meet the re-employment deadlines through no fault of the team member, the team member should return to work as soon as possible:
- A team member employee whose service in the uniformed services is for 30 days or less must report to his or her employer at the start of the next regularly scheduled shift following eight hours of returning safely home.
- A team member whose service in the uniformed services extends more than 30 days but less than 181 days must apply for reinstatement no later than 14 days after completion of the service.
- A team member whose service in the uniformed services extends more than 180 days must apply for reinstatement no later than 90 days after completion of the service.
- The above deadlines are extended for up to two years for persons who are hospitalized or convalescing because of the service-connected illness or injury.