It’s feast or famine with federal employment law news, and this month, we are well fed!
USERRA Expanded to Protect FEMA Workers
The federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), which applies to employers of all sizes, has been expanded to provide employment protections to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Reservists while they are deployed to disasters and emergencies or critical trainings. FEMA Reservists are on-call personnel that serve as the main FEMA workforce during an emergency or disaster.
FEMA has provided FAQs about the new protections, and you can learn more about USERRA on the platform.
Form I-9 is Expiring, but Keep Using it Anyway
The current Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, will technically expire on October 31, 2022, as noted on the form itself. However, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) says employers should continue using the current Form I-9 after its expiration date (because a new form hasn’t been released yet). We’ll provide an update when the new version is available.
Remote Form I-9 Document Inspection Flexibility Extended Until July 31, 2022
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has once again extended the policy that provides employers with flexibility related to in-person Form I-9 document inspection. This latest extension is in effect until July 31, 2023.
You can read the extension announcement here, and keep an eye on this same page for additional Form I-9 news.
