Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. reserve component (RC) members have served in operational missions worldwide. Duty-related absences from their civilian jobs can create frustration and challenges for both the RC members and their employers. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) protects RC members against employment discrimination and provides them with reemployment rights after a duty-related absence. In a 2013 study, RAND researchers concluded that there was no need for major revisions to USERRA, that its provisions were clear and generally consistent with other employment laws, and that the challenges reported by employers stemmed largely from RC activation and utilization policy as opposed to the law's employment and reemployment protections. In this report, RAND researchers update and extend that earlier study to document the views of employers and reevaluate Department of Defense (DoD) policy, federal legislation, and state legislation protecting National Guard service under state orders. For this study, the researchers integrated the results of a multimethod approach that included a review of research and policy; interviews with subject-matter experts and RC members; and analysis of data from the Status of Forces Survey of Reserve Component Members, DoD administrative personnel data, and the 2022 DoD National Survey of Employers that was fielded for this study.
The Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Reform asked RAND to provide an independent analysis of PPBE-like functions in selected countries and federal agencies. In this report—Volume 5 in a seven-volume set of case studies—RAND researchers analyze the defense budgeting processes of five additional allied and partner nations: France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and Sweden.
In this report, researchers update and extend an earlier study to document the views of employers of reserve component (RC) members and reevaluate Department of Defense (DoD) policy, federal legislation, and state legislation. For this study, the researchers integrated the results of a multimethod approach that included interviews with subject-matter experts and RC members and the fielding of the 2022 DoD National Survey of Employers.
