President Biden signed the Civilian Reservist Emergency Workforce (CREW) Act into law on Sept. 29. The CREW Act protects the job rights of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Reservists while they are deployed to disasters, emergencies, and critical trainings by including these workers under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployments Rights Act (USERRA). The USERRA protects employees who have served in the uniformed services by requiring reemployment in their civilian jobs upon their return from duty. The CREW Act provides full-time employed FEMA Reservists with the same USERRA protection from discrimination, penalization, or loss of employee benefits because of their deployment on behalf of FEMA.
What is USERRA?
The USERRA was passed by Congress in 1994, and it protects the job rights of individuals who voluntarily or involuntarily leave employment positions to perform duties in the uniformed services such as deployments with the Armed Forces, the Army National Guard, and the Air National Guard. Congress has since expanded USERRA protections to include certain types of service in the National Disaster Medical System, the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System, and now, FEMA Reserves.
How FINEOS is helping carriers and employers prepare for the expansion
FINEOS is making updates to administer the changes to USERRA and is ready to work with carriers to discuss the best practices to adapt to the new developments. Using modern insurance technology solutions like the FINEOS Platform can help insurance carriers remain agile and competitive when leave legislation passes. Learn more about how a modern, integrated disability and absence management (IDAM) solution can help your organization adapt to sudden changes and remain in compliance.
