Office of the Director

United States
Office of Personnel Management
Washington, DC 20415-0001

September 14, 2001

Under title 10, United States Code, and Executive Order 13223 of September 14, 2001, the President has authorized the Department of Defense and the Department of Transportation to respond to the continuing and immediate threat of further attacks on the United States by ordering any unit and any member of the Ready Reserve to active duty for not more than 24 consecutive months.

The Federal Government is by far the largest single employer of members of the Armed Forces Reserves, and we as Federal employees are proud of the dedication and commitment of these fellow workers in a time of international crisis. Our first obligation as an employer is to make sure that those friends and colleagues who perform active military duty are able to leave their employment temporarily with the knowledge that their affairs are in order and their rights protected. Federal law provides many important rights and benefits for Federal employees who perform active military duty. An overview of these rights and benefits, as required by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA), is provided in attachment 1. I urge agencies to share this information with all affected employees as soon as possible.

Attachment 2 reminds agencies of their authority and obligation to provide certain premium pay benefits to civilian employees who perform emergency work in support of this national emergency.