Is "not eligible for rehire" status legal?

I worked for a wonderful company for 6 years and had great relationships with EVERY person I worked with (no exaggeration). After some personal problems where EAP was involved, I was finally let go for excessive absences. About 4 years after the incident, I attempted to reapply with a recommendation from the company's TOP PRODUCER. They would still not hire me because my file listed me as "ineligible for rehire". I was in a management/leadership position, had just been promoted and never put anybody at work in any kind of danger...it was simply an attendance issue. Is it legal for them to label my file "not eligible for rehire"?