Number 65, (Supplement):
Department of Justice Response to ROA Letter Regarding USERRA

April 15, 2003

Mr. Jayson L. Spiegel
Executive Director
Reserve Officers Association of the United States
1 Constitution Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002

Dear Mr. Spiegel,

This is in response to your letter to the Attorney General requesting that he instruct the United States Attorneys" Offices to give the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) a high priority and to ensure that meritorious USERRA cases are litigated in a timely and diligent manner. We apologize for our delay in responding.

The Military Issues Working Group of the Attorney General's Advisory Committee, with the assistance of Captain Samuel F. Wright, JAGC and USNR, who writes the "Law Review" column for your organization that is referenced in your letter, recently wrote to United States Attorneys" Offices to stress the importance of USERRA matters. Recognizing that our Armed Forces rely on a robust reserve and guard contingent, the Working Group urged United States Attorneys" Offices to take the lead in enforcing USERRA and protecting Reserve and National Guard Service members against employment discrimination arising from their military service.

We appreciate your interest in this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact the Department of Justice if we can be of further assistance in this or other matters.

Sincerely,
(Signed)
Guy A. Lewis
Director