By Brittany R. Ballenstedt
The Labor Department once again has sole jurisdiction to investigate military service members' complaints about their federal employment, even though a study examining the processing of such claims was considered inconclusive.
A pilot project created by Congress in 2004 sought to determine which of two federal agencies -- Labor's Veterans Employment and Training Service or the Office of Special Counsel -- was better suited to investigate alleged violations of the 1994 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. The law protects veterans from employment discrimination resulting from their service.
Lawmakers allowed the demonstration project to expire on Jan. 1, 2008, and federally employed service members now must return to consulting VETS for initial investigation of their claims.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39004&dcn=e_gvet
