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Bill would protect jobs of vets who need care

Employers would not be able to fire or demote employees who need time off for medical treatment of service-related injuries or disabilities under a bill approved Monday by the House of Representatives.

The Wounded Veteran Job Security Act, sponsored by Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, would extend employment and re-employment rights rules that apply to mobilized members of the National Guard and reserve to disabled veterans who need medical treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs for a service-connected injury, illness or disease. These could be illnesses that are the direct result of, or were aggravated by, military service.

The bill, approved by voice vote, would prohibit employers from firing someone who is absent from work to get such treatment. It also prohibits any loss of seniority, benefits or other rights as a result of taking time off to get treatment.

HR 466 is aimed at ensuring that disabled veterans are not forced to choose between medical treatment and holding down a job, said Doggett, who noted that there are more than 34,000 wounded Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who may need continuing care.

For example, veterans who have traumatic brain injuries may need a battery of time-consuming tests for diagnosis and treatment, he said. And veterans with amputations often must return to VA for care.

“Even those veterans who live near a VA facility may have difficulty balancing their medical treatments with other demands on their time,” he said. “And for the vets who live far from these facilities, this difficulty is only heightened.”

Doggett said the legislation is a response to complaints he has heard from veterans. “They said wounded veterans should not be fired after they exhaust their sick and vacation days to receive care for injuries suffered while defending our nation. I agreed. They said there ought to be a law supporting our veterans. I agreed.”

The bill now goes to the Senate, where it will be referred to the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, which is responsible for legislation involving employment and re-employment rights.