A Round Rock memory care facility has agreed to pay $15,000 to a National Guard combat medic after federal prosecutors accused it of demoting her for taking military training leave. University Village Memory Care, a 74-unit assisted living facility at 4701 Campus Village Drive, settled the case under a consent decree signed earlier this month by a federal judge in Austin.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division on behalf of Army National Guard Specialist Maria Opara, who lives in Manor, Texas. Opara was hired by University Village Memory Care in 2023 as a Night Shift Supervisor and Medication Aide, a role that put her in charge of distributing medication and overseeing six staff members, according to federal court filings.
Military Orders, Then a Demotion
Opara's Army National Guard orders required her to attend training from May 23, 2024, through June 14, 2024. University Village Memory Care initially approved the leave, but the idea of demoting her arose while she was on military service leave, according to the DOJ complaint. When Opara refused the demotion, the company terminated her.
The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, was also tracked on the public docket through Justia's court records database. University Village Memory Care is organized as UV Memory Care, LLC. It has a licensed capacity of 74 residents. Round Rock sits in Williamson County, just north of Austin.
Terms of the Consent Decree
Under the consent decree, signed October 2 by Senior U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra, University Village Memory Care agreed to pay Opara $15,000 in financial relief. The facility also agreed to update its company policies and provide USERRA training to all personnel, resolving Case No. 1:26-cv-01647 without a trial.
USERRA, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, was enacted in 1994 and prohibits civilian employers from discriminating or retaliating against workers because of their military obligations. The law requires prompt reinstatement to an equivalent position when a service member returns from duty, and it covers Guard members, Reservists, and active military personnel.
A Pattern of Enforcement Across Texas and Beyond
This is not the Western District of Texas's first USERRA enforcement action. Federal prosecutors previously secured a settlement in May 2017 against an El Paso business that terminated a Texas Army National Guard member who had left work for annual military training, with officials at the time stressing that Guard members should not fear losing their jobs over deployments.
The Justice Department has pursued similar cases elsewhere in recent months. In September 2026, it resolved a USERRA lawsuit against the Kansas Department of Health and Environment after the state defunded an Army National Guard Staff Sergeant's position following notice of her upcoming deployment, a case that included $35,000 in relief. A year earlier, in September 2025, the department settled a separate USERRA action against Kansas City Kansas Community College on behalf of an Army National Guard Major wrongfully terminated from his administrative position after completing military service.
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas said many servicemembers call the district home.
Complaints Climbing Nationally
The Opara settlement arrives amid a broader rise in USERRA complaints nationwide. The U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service received 1,256 new USERRA complaints in fiscal year 2025, the highest annual total since fiscal year 2014, and referred 58 of those cases to the Justice Department for potential litigation, according to ClearanceJobs. That figure marks a steady climb from 862 complaints in fiscal year 2021.
The consent decree is not an adjudication or finding on the merits and is court-approved and enforceable. For Central Texas, a region with deep military ties, the case stands as a reminder that returning service members retain federal job protections even in civilian sectors like senior care.
