A series of new labor department regulations announced by the White House and Labor Department this morning should go a long way towards giving spouses the time off they need to take care of their families during deployment or injured servicemembers up to five years after leaving active duty.
Currently the rules let family of injured active duty servicemembers take off up to 26 weeks per year of unpaid leave and the families of active guard and reservists to take up to 12 weeks for other specific military activites. The new rules will expand the caretaker time to after the injured servicemember transitions to the VA and the other “special” leave to the families of regular active duty families.
You can read all about the rules as thee currently exist here and all of my details on the new regulations over at Military.com. I had the great pleasure of talking to spouse bloggers Kristle Helmuth and Cheryl Gansner for the story — make sure to check out their blogs here and here.
One of the things I didn’t mention in the story was a very valid point spouse blogger Rebekah Sanderlin brought up. She is worried that the new rules could discourage companies from hiring active duty spouses because they know they may be forced to give them unpaid leave. While the labor rules only apply to companies with more than 50 employees, it still could have a dampening affect, she said.
“Are small employers going to be scared off from hiring spouses or servicemember families? That’s my only concern — that this couldpotentially backfire.”
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I have to say that while I fully appreciate the enormous challenges caregivers face, I do share Rebekah's concern with respect to employment. As most of us know, there's already a hesitancy on the part of some employers to hire milspouses. They don't always see an upside to investing in an employee only to have them leave who-knows-when.
As the fabulous women in your piece point out, often the rehabilitation process can span more than a year. It's a very difficult situation for the families of our wounded and I know all of us want to help these families as much as we can. Is this the right solution? We'll see in time if this is a net plus or if there are substantial unintended consequences.
Interesting viewpoint from Rebekah! The good news is that it seems the government is attempting to educate companies more on the value of military spouses in the workforce. It is ultimately a shift in mindset for companies and require education. Thankfully, there are also many companies out there who understand the unique demands placed on military spouses. They key is for us to find them–we want our personal mission to match that of the company we work for!
Seeking imformation on Military retirement for divorced spouses, seems once you are divorced, doors are shut and no on will talk with me.Would welcome some advice on what do do next.
thank you.
Being connected to the military and the possibility of moves does impact an employer's willingness to take a chance on the military spouse. Licensure differences from state to state, costs involved in training someone who will leave in a few years, and the possibiity now of extended leaves do sit in the back of an employer's mind. However, I have truly appreciated those employers that see us as people first and military spouses second. These employers see us as people going through difficult times for the protection of our country and it's ideals. I wish there were more employers interested in people than the bottom line, but some of the smaller companies must constantly watch that line to stay afloat. It is a difficult balance for us, the employers and honestly, the nation.
Vera Chezem-
I am curious about deceased military veterans and their spouses. How do we as a spouse get help to find gainful employment or education to get a job. It seems there is nothing stated anywhere for schools, or loans for housing for them.. All pertains to the veteran but when the veteran has passed how does the spouse proceed? Any help there for these widows?