Currently, only five states—Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon and Tennessee—require private employers to provide time off to veterans on Veterans Day, observed annually in the United States on Nov. 11. All five states allow the employer to choose whether to offer paid or unpaid time off.
| Iowa Eligibility: All veterans as defined in Iowa Code Section 35.1, unless providing the time off would impact public health or safety or would cause the employer to experience significant economic or operational disruption. Notice Requirements: Employee: The employee must provide at least one month's prior written notice of his or her intent to take time off for Veterans Day, along with documentation for purposes of determining his or her eligibility for the benefit. Employer: At least 10 days prior to Veterans Day, the employer must notify the employee if he or she will be given paid or unpaid time off on Veterans Day. |
| Massachusetts Eligibility: Employees who are veterans or members of a department of war, unless the employee’s services are essential and critical to public health or safety and determined to be essential to the safety and security of the employer or the property of the employer. Notice Requirements: None. |
| New Hampshire Eligibility: All honorably discharged veterans of the United States armed forces. Emergency responders who are honorably discharged veterans must be permitted to take time off on Veterans Day as long as there is another qualified emergency responder available to meet staffing requirements. Notice Requirements: Employee: The employee must follow the employer's procedures for requesting time off in advance. Employer: None. |
| Oregon Eligibility: Veterans who have served on active duty in the armed forces for at least six months and received an honorable discharge, veterans who served on active duty and received a disability rating, and veterans who served on active duty in a combat zone. If the employer determines that providing time off on this holiday would cause significant economic or operational disruption or undue hardship, as described in Oregon statute 659A.121, the employer is not required to grant time off on Veterans Day but must allow the employee to take another day off within one year in recognition of the employee's military service. Notice Requirements: Employee: An employee must provide the employer at least 21 calendar days' notice of the intent to take time off for Veterans Day, along with documentation showing that he or she is a veteran as defined by Oregon statute 408.225. Employer: The company must notify the employee at least 14 days before Veterans Day whether he or she will receive time off for the holiday and whether the time off will be paid or unpaid. |
Eligibility: All former members of the armed forces of the United States, or a former or current member of a reserve or Tennessee national guard unit who was called into active military service of the United States, as defined in Tennessee Code 58-1-102, unless providing the time off would impact public health or safety or would cause the employer to experience significant economic or operational disruption. Notice Requirements: Employee: The employee must provide at least one month's prior written notice of his or her intent to take time off for Veterans Day as a non-paid holiday, along with proof of veteran status. Employer: None. |
Government Employees
Most federal and state government employees are not required to work on Veterans Day, regardless of veteran status. Nonessential federal government offices are closed on Veterans Day, providing a paid day off to all affected employees. All state governments follow suit, except Wisconsin, which provides a floating "paid personal holiday" instead.
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