Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Raoul Invites Veterans, Service Members to Open House in Maywood for More Information 

Chicago – Ahead of Veteran’s Day, Attorney General Kwame Raoul highlighted updates to the Illinois Service Member Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (ISERRA), which safeguards Illinois service member’s military service and minimizes its impact on their civilian careers.

ISERRA was implemented in 2019 to reflect the reality of the military’s operational reserve force for service members and employers. The act was amended and passed by the Illinois General Assembly in August 2025, updating language to further protect service members’ civilian careers while performing military duty that overlaps with their civilian employment.

The Attorney General’s office is hosting an open house Monday, Nov. 10 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at its new west regional office in Eisenhower Tower, located at 1701 S. 1^st Avenue in Maywood, Illinois. Raoul is encouraging service members, veterans and their families to attend to get more information about resources the office provides to support veterans and active-duty service members with civilian careers. The event is open to the public, and more information can be found on the Attorney General’s website.

“Each year on Veterans Day, we honor the selfless service and duty of our service members who respond in a moment’s notice, either stateside or abroad. The least we can do is protect their rights and their civilian careers when they answer that call,” Raoul said. “That protection has always been my priority as Attorney General. I will continue to advocate for the brave men and women who sacrifice for this country, and I encourage service members and veterans to stop by an open house Monday at our new Maywood office to learn more about how the Attorney General’s office can help.”

ISERRA was created to minimize the adverse impact of military service on civilian careers, provide prompt reemployment protections for service members, prohibit military discrimination against service members, and ensure public entities are model employers of reserve component members.

Raoul highlighted the recent updates, which include: 

• Modifies ISERRA’s differential calculation formula from a “workday” system to a “work shift” system, which benefits employees who work overnight shifts. The amendment changed how service members and employers calculate the daily rate of compensation for service members who are public employees. The previous “workday” system applied to calendar days the employee would have otherwise been scheduled or required to work as a public employee without regard to how many hours were worked during each day.
• Provides concurrent compensation to service members completing military orders issued “in lieu” of annual training. Public employers of full-time employees are required to pay service members their regular compensation for periods of annual training or for orders “in lieu” of annual training for up to 30 days per calendar year. Previously, concurrent compensation was limited to annual training orders, which caused limitations that often resulted in service members missing their annual opportunity to receive this benefit. Since 2019, concerns about “in lieu” orders have been the most common ISERRA complaint Raoul’s office received.
• Terminates an employer’s obligation to pay differential compensation when service members are absent on voluntary active service longer than three years. Public employees absent from employment for three consecutive years while performing voluntary active service are not entitled to differential compensation. If a public employee returns to work for more than 90 days, his or her right to differential pay shall be reinstated. This change closes a loophole that caused service members who were no longer entitled to reemployment under the U.S. Service Member Employment and Reemployment Rights Act’s (USERRA) five-year rule to continue to receive differential pay when they are no longer entitled to reemployment. 

Raoul’s Military and Veterans’ Rights Bureau provides educational programs and materials that can help veterans and service members understand their rights and obtain services. Additionally, the office’s ISERRA advocate provides information, education, informal mediation, and in rare instances, can initiate investigations or lawsuits to ensure ISERRA is correctly applied.

To connect with the ISERRA advocate or for more information on service members’ and veterans’ rights, visit the Attorney General’s website or call the Military and Veterans’ Rights Helpline at 800-382-3000 to speak with a member of the bureau. The Military and Veterans Rights Bureau offers in-person or virtual presentations on service member employment rights, military veterans’ assistance, as well as fraud and scams that target veterans and their benefits. Information about future training opportunities can be obtained by emailing mvrb@ilag.gov.