Thought there wasn't a health insurance angle to Trump's dictator gambit in Los Angeles? Guess again.

by Steve Beynon of Military.com:

The 4,000 California National Guard soldiers who President Donald Trump surged into Los Angeles remain unpaid due to delays in issuing official activation orders, leaving compensation and benefits in limbo.

According to more than a dozen Guardsmen across four units who spoke to Military.com, none has received formal activation orders, the critical paperwork that not only authorizes their duty status, but also unlocks pay, Tricare health benefits and eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs services. Without those orders, troops remain in a legal and administrative limbo.

Multiple defense officials with direct knowledge of the situation told Military.com the chaotic and sudden activation of troops has effectively clogged up the flow of administrative work.

...But the administrative snafu is indicative of a slapdash mission where the welfare of troops has not been a priority. Several service members described inadequate living conditions at staging areas such as the military facility at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, where soldiers are sleeping outside on cots due to a shortage of space. Others cited intermittent issues with food and fuel supplies.

Amazing.

This also raises some interesting questions: If they aren't eligible for Tricare healthcare coverage, what happens if one of them gets sick or injured while deployed. Would their existing health insurance via their employer cover it or would the military be required to? And if so, how does this "snafu" impact that?

Having said that, since this is a pretty short post, it's worth noting that there are laws in place to protect members of the military from being fired, demoted, etc. when deployed:

What Protections Are Available Under the USERRA While I am on Military Orders?

A concern for military personnel when they receive new orders is the fear of being fired, demoted, or facing other adverse employment actions while they are on military leave. This is especially if they are injured. Fortunately, USERRA provides essential protections to prevent such situations. Here’s what you need to know:

• Reemployment Rights: USERRA is a law that makes sure that when people leave their civilian jobs to serve in the military, they have the right to go back to their jobs when they come back. The employer must promptly reinstate them to the job they would have attained if they had not been absent due to military service. Put simply, the law says that employers must give a service member the same job they would have had if they didn’t leave for military service. This protection applies regardless of the length of the military service, as long as certain criteria are met. If an employee is injured while on military orders, the time to return to the job can be extended.

• No Discrimination: Employers are prohibited from discriminating against employees based on their military service. It is illegal to deny initial employment, reemployment, retention, promotion, or any other employment benefit due to an individual’s military service. In other words, an employer can’t refuse to hire them, fire them, or treat them worse than other employees just because they are in the military.

• At-Will Employment: Being on military leave does not shield an employee from lawful termination or disciplinary actions unrelated to their military service. However, employers cannot terminate an employee solely because they are serving in the military or due to the obligations and responsibilities associated with military duty.

• Time Limitations: To qualify for USERRA’s protections, employees must give advance notice of their military orders to their employers, except when it’s impossible or unreasonable to do so. When their military duty is done, they have a certain amount of time to ask for their job back. This depends on the length of their orders and how long they were away from the job.

• Benefits and Seniority: Employees on military orders are generally entitled to the same benefits, including health insurance, retirement contributions, and vacation accrual, as if they were still working and never stepped away from the job. Additionally, employers must factor in the employee’s military service when calculating seniority for purposes such as promotions and pension plans.