(a) General. An individual who is absent from a position of employment, in the private or public (federal, state or local government) sector, because of temporary employment of any duration described in § 349.3(a), shall be entitled to reemployment rights and benefits upon completion of the temporary employment as a merchant seaman.

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(b) Superior claims. Pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 4312(g), the right of a person to reemployment shall not entitle such person to retention preference or displacement rights over any person with a superior claim under the provisions of title 5, United States Code, relating to veterans and other preference eligibles.

(c) Notification of employer. Any person who is absent from a position of employment by reason of service as described in § 349.3(a) shall be entitled to reemployment rights and benefits provided in § 349.3(e) if—

(1) The person has given advance written or verbal notice of such service to such person’s employer, unless giving notice is precluded by military necessity, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, or, under all relevant circumstances, is impossible or unreasonable, pursuant to the provisions of 38 U.S.C. § 4312(b); and

(2) The person submits an application for reemployment with the employer not later than 14 days after completion of a period of service of less than 181 days, or not later than 90 days after the completion of a period of service greater than 180 days, or if submitting such application within such period is impossible or unreasonable through no fault of the person, the next first full calendar day when submission of such application becomes possible.

(d) Waiver of notice requirements. A person who has not given notice, or who fails to report or apply for employment or re-employment within the appropriate period specified in paragraph (c) of this section shall not automatically forfeit such person’s entitlement to the rights and benefits referred to in § 349.5(e), but shall be subject to the rules of conduct, established by policy, and the general practices of the employer pertaining to explanations and discipline with respect to absence from scheduled work. MARAD will make a determination on the issue of whether notice of service was required in acting on the application for certification.

(e) Exception to reemployment rights. An employer is not required to reemploy an individual if the employer satisfies the burden of proving that, pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 4312(d)—

(1) The employer’s circumstances have so changed as to make such reemployment impossible or unreasonable, or such reemployment, if required, would impose an undue hardship on the employer, as defined in 38 U.S.C. § 4303(15); or

(2) The employment which the individual left for employment as a merchant seaman was for a brief, nonrecurrent period and there was not at the time of leaving such employment any reasonable expectation that such employment would continue indefinitely or for a significant period.

(f) Reemployment benefits. An individual certified by MARAD to be entitled to reemployment shall also be entitled to other “benefits of employment” (other than wages or salary for work performed), as defined in 38 U.S.C. § 4303(2), that would have accrued to that individual by reason of an employment contract or agreement or an employer policy, plan or practice and includes rights and benefits under a pension plan, a health plan, an employee stock ownership plan, insurance coverage and awards, bonuses, severance pay, supplemental unemployment and benefits, vacations and the opportunity to select work hours or location of employment.

(g) Reemployment position. (1) An individual certified by MARAD as being entitled to reemployment shall be promptly reemployed by the former employer, according to the order of priority specified in 38 U.S.C. § 4313(a), after submitting an application for reemployment. The three categories of priority, in ascending order, are for a merchant seaman who:

(i) Served for 90 days or less;

(ii) Served for more than 90 days; or

(iii) Has a disability incurred in, or aggravated during, the performance of such merchant service.

(2) For a person with such service related disability, the employer shall make “reasonable efforts”, as defined in 38 U.S.C. § 4303(10), “to accommodate the disability” to allow that person to be employed in the position that would have been occupied had the employment with the employer been continuous, or in the position in which employed on the date service began as a merchant seaman, and if that person is “not qualified” for either position, in a substantially equivalent position, as specified in 38 U.S.C. § 4313 (a)(3) and (a)(4).