Post employment inquiries - Missouri

Summary of differences between federal and state regulations

In Missouri, an employer/former employer may disclose in writing to an entity, which he/she believes to be a prospective employer, upon written request, information about employee/former employee nature and character of service, duration of service, and the cause of discharge or resignation. However, an employer/former employer may be liable for knowingly disclosing false information or disclosing information recklessly.

The employer/former employer must send a copy of the disclosure letter to the employee/former employee using the last known address. This letter may be requested by the employee/former employee up to a year after the date of the letter.

Upon request within a year of voluntary or involuntary discharge of a former employee who worked at least 90 days for the employer, a former employer must send the former employee a letter containing the nature and character of the job, duration of employment, and the true cause of discharge, within 45 days of receiving such a request. However, this only applies to employers with seven or more employees.

State

Contact

Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations

Regulations

Missouri Revised Statute 290.140, Letter of dismissal, when—failure to issue, damages—punitive damages, limitations

Missouri Revised Statute 290.152, Employer response to request for information about current or former employee, contents, requirements, civil immunity, when.

Federal

Contacts

None.

Regulations

None.