Opinion ID: 799898
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Statutory Limitations Period

Text: At the time Plaintiff filed his complaint, USERRA did not provide a separate statute of limitations relevant to Plaintiff’s claim, so claims brought under USERRA were subject to the fouryear general statute of limitations set forth in 28 U.S.C. § 1658(a).2 The parties agree that the fouryear limitations period applies to Plaintiff’s USERRA claim, absent the competing contractual limitations period. However, we note that USERRA was amended in 2008 by the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act (VBIA), which provides: 2 Section 1658 provides: “Except as otherwise provided by law, a civil action arising under an Act of Congress . . . may not be commenced later than 4 years after the cause of action accrues.” 28 U.S.C. § 1658(a). 5 No. 11-1119 Inapplicability of statutes of limitations. If any person seeks to file a complaint or claim with the Secretary, the Merit Systems Protection Board, or a Federal or State court under this chapter [38 USCS §§ 4301 et seq.] alleging a violation of this chapter [38 USCS §§ 4301 et seq.], there shall be no limit on the period for filing the complaint or claim. 38 U.S.C. § 4327(b). Plaintiff admits that the amendment does not apply retroactively to his claim,3 and nothing in the text of the statute indicates that Congress intended it to apply retroactively. See Middleton v. City of Chi., 578 F.3d 655, 662–65 (7th Cir. 2009) (declining to retroactively apply the unlimited filing period in VBIA to a USERRA claim that was untimely under the original § 1658(a) four-year period). We thus apply the pre-VBIA version of USERRA to Plaintiff’s claim.