MDFL Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida is firmly committed to doing its part in serving the men and women who have dedicated their lives to protecting our country. As part of this commitment, we are actively engaged in the Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative (SVI).

Our goal is to enhance the Department's existing efforts by coordinating and expanding our enforcement, outreach, and training efforts on behalf of servicemembers, veterans, and their families.

The SVI coordinates with Department of Justice components and federal agencies to build a comprehensive legal support and protection network focused on serving servicemembers, veterans, and their families.  The Department is tasked with enforcing certain laws that protect the rights of servicemembers.  The Initiative builds upon this critical enforcement work, as well as the work of other Department components that serve the military community, by sharing information, identifying servicemember and veteran needs, and coordinating the distribution of resources. Our mission is to support the Department in its efforts to protect those who protect us all.

The Initiative seeks to address the unique challenges that servicemembers face while on active duty, families face when a loved one is deployed, and reservists and veterans face upon returning home. Specifically, the SVI focuses on:

• Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (“USERRA”)

Protecting servicemembers’ and veterans’ civilian employment rights

• Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (“SCRA”)

Providing financial protections for military members as they enter active duty

• Voting Rights

Protecting the voting rights of servicemembers by requiring that states and territories allow them to register and vote absentee in federal elections

The United States Attorney’s Office and the SVI are dedicated to enforcing the civil and criminal statutes that address the rights of servicemembers, veterans, and their families. We are committed to protecting our servicemembers in the areas of employment, housing and financial affairs, voting, and financial fraud.

To learn more about the Initiative, please visit the Department’s SVI website. You may also contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 813-274-6095 or USAFLM.Civil.Rights@usdoj.gov.