I’m a Veteran

Our Veterans Network Group supports Powell’s dedication to creating an environment of connection, collaboration and support through the sharing of experience, resources and expertise.

The forum is committed to connecting our Veterans community, the Families of Active-Duty personnel, and Military advocates from across our organization with each other and with our business. Meeting periodically, the Network aims to live Powell’s core values, exemplifying mutual respect and a fierce ‘can do’ attitude in working collaboratively to support our business and each other.

For more information, or to join the Network, contact Lucian Myers @ lucian.myers@powellind.com

The Company allows for military leaves of absence in accordance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) to employees who perform duty in the “uniformed services”, which include the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Public Health Service commissioned corps, as well as the Reserve components of each of these services.

Uniformed service includes active duty, active duty for training, inactive duty training (such as drills), and funeral honors duty performed by National Guard and reserve members, as well as the period for which a person is absent from a position of employment for the purpose of an examination to determine fitness to perform any such duty.

USERRA requires that service members provide advance written or verbal notice to the Company for all military duty unless giving notice is impossible, unreasonable, or precluded by military necessity.
An employee should provide notice as far in advance as is reasonable under the circumstances.  Copies of orders should be provided to the Company if available at the time the employee is giving notice of the need for military leave.  Copies of discharge papers are required upon return or as soon as they become available.

Status of Paid Time Off Benefit

At the time of making a request for military leave, including Military Reserve training, employees may select to have their earned and/or accrued vacation cashed out in a lump sum payment.
Vacation time will not accrue while the employee is out on military leave, however any unused paid time the employee had available before taking military leave will still be available to them upon their return to work.

Status of Health Care Benefits While on Military Leave

While on military leave, the employee will have the option of continuing certain health care benefits through COBRA if out for a period lasting longer than 31 days. Upon return to work, the health coverage will be reinstated without any waiting period or exclusions for preexisting conditions, other than waiting periods or exclusions that would have applied even if there had been no absence for uniformed service.

Retirement Plans

Upon return from military leave, the employee will be credited with military service time for purposes of participation and vesting in retirement plans.

Reinstatement Following Expiration of Military Leave

The employee returning from Military Leave is entitled to the job that they would have attained had they not been absent for military service (the “escalator” principle) with the same seniority, status and pay, as well as other rights and benefits determined by seniority.  The Company will also provide training/retraining to the returning employee to refresh or upgrade their skills to help them qualify for reemployment. If the employee cannot qualify for the “escalator” position, an alternate reemployment position will be assigned.  If an employee’s former position was eliminated as part of a formal workforce-restructuring plan or if the employee can no longer perform the essential functions of the job, management and/or the employee should contact their divisional HR department.

The period the employee has to make application for re-employment or report back to work after military service is based on time spent on military duty.

a) Service less than 31 days:  the service member must return at the beginning of the next regularly scheduled work period on the first full day after release from service, taking into account safe travel home plus an 8 hour rest period.

b) Service lasting 31–180 days:  the service member must submit an application for reemployment within 14 days of release from service.

c) Service lasting more than 180 days:  an application for reemployment must be submitted within 90 days of release from service.

Note:  The reporting or application deadlines are extended for up to 2 years for persons who are hospitalized or convalescing because of a disability incurred or aggravated during the period of military service.

Employees returning from military leave of 181 days or greater may not be discharged from employment except for cause based on misconduct for one year after the date of reemployment.

Employees who fail to return to work within the designated time period following discharge will be assumed to have resigned as of the date they are discharged from active duty.  Failure to follow this policy may result in loss of eligibility to return to the same or equivalent position, up to and including, termination of employment.

Administration

Employees should notify their Manager for the need for Military Leave.  Human Resources will follow up with an employee requesting Military Leave and provide further instructions.

As Veterans, you will likely have experienced waves of emotions throughout and following your military service. Events, ranging from the trauma of returning from active combat to the day you left the service will have had lasting effect on you and your family. These events and your feelings of them may re-occur from time to time and manifest as stress, anxiety or the inability to concentrate.

Do you feel alone with this struggle. Let us support you through our library of mental well-being tools.

For more information, please visit: Powell Virtual Wellness Fair

Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to all of our Veterans and members of their household (spouses, children, parents and parents-in-law) at no cost. The EAP benefit provides access to a wide variety of tools and services to assist with life challenges that could affect your mental health, relationships with others or your job performance. The EAP services are always 100% confidential.

To find out more on how to access this service, please visit Empowered’s EAP page, click here.

Our Veterans Network Group supports Powell’s dedication to creating an environment of connection, collaboration and support through the sharing of experience, resources and expertise. We invite all of our Veterans and their advocates to act as ‘Career Ambassadors’. In this role, we ask you to:
– Provide advice to future hires, including participating in interviews
– Promote careers at Powell
– Represent Powell at out-reach and hiring events
– Promote our business and career opportunities through social media

Please make full use of our ‘Career Ambassador’ banner, adding this to your social media profile.

Click Here to Download the Banner

For additional information on resources and support that exists external to our business, please visit the sites linked below or connect with a member of our Veterans Network who may be able to offer firsthand advice.

VA Disability:
VA Disability Compensation | Veterans Affairs

VA Home loan:
VA Home Loans Home

GI Bill:
About GI Bill Benefits | Veterans Affairs (va.gov)

DAV:
DAV : Disabled American Veterans

Texas Veterans Commission:
Texas Veterans Commission ⋆ Helping Texas Veterans Starts Here

Wounded Warrior Project:
Veterans Charity – Non Profit Organization for Veterans | Wounded Warrior Project

Combined Arms:
Combined Arms: Uniting Veteran Resources for Empowerment