6. Pension Protection Employee pension rights are protected by USERRA. Vesting and accrual for returning service members are treated as though there were no break in employment. Employer pension contributions must be the same as though the military leave didn’t occur. For defined-contribution plans, service members must be given three times the period of the military leave absence (not to exceed 5 years) to make up contributions that were missed during the leave. Plans with an employer matching component are required to match the makeup funds.