As private employers push for remote workers to return to the office, they have faced an increasingly common dilemma—are emotional support animals permitted in the workplace as a reasonable accommodation for a disability?
Articles Discussing Reasonable Accommodation Under the ADA.
The Year Ahead in Accommodations
Employers can expect to face a rash of requests that reflects rising employee IQ regarding what can be accommodated beyond the usual disability and religious considerations. In this podcast, Jackson Lewis principals Patricia Anderson Pryor and Katharine C. Weber explore the context and challenges of this expanding accommodations environment.
Trending: Requested Accommodations For Mental Health Issues
By: Trending: Requested Accommodations For Mental Health Issues
While California’s COVID-19 State of Emergency is set to end on February 28, 2023, and California’s Supplemental COVID Supplemental Sick Pay has already sunsetted, the effects of the pandemic continue to impact California employers. Most recently, there has been a major uptick in
Guidance on ADA Accommodations and Medical Restrictions’ ‘Plain Meaning’ From Federal Appeals Court
The federal appeals court in Chicago has provided helpful guidance on employers’ obligation to accommodate qualified individuals’ medical restrictions under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in a case involving a correctional officer.
Appellate Court Addresses How Much Information Employee Must Submit to Support an Accommodation Request
One of the many difficult issues employers face under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is determining what information a disabled employee must provide to an employer to trigger the employer’s duty to accommodate a disability. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit addressed that question for the
Intensive Workshop: Effectively Managing Leaves of Absence and Reasonable Accommodations
We hire employees to do their job, but what happens when they need protected time off or a reasonable accommodation?
Putting Leave Requests in the Right Box
In this episode, Jen discusses the distinction between statutory leave and leave as a reasonable accommodation.
Excusing False Positive Drug Test Caused by CBD Use May Be a Reasonable Accommodation, Says U.S. District Court in Louisiana
A federal district court in Louisiana, in Huber v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Florida, Inc., recently denied an employer’s motion for summary judgment in an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Louisiana Employment Discrimination Law (LEDL) case, finding, among other things, that accounting for and excusing a false
Manufacturers Face Unique Problems in Accommodating Assembly Line Workers With Disabilities
As manufacturers rebound from the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and begin putting more employees back to work, they should be prepared for a corresponding increase in requests for accommodation from assembly line workers.
Pending Legislation Would Expand Reasonable Accommodations to Employees and Applicants for “Family Responsibilities”
Recently the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released new guidance regarding discrimination against employees with caregiving responsibilities for family members. California similarly has a pending bill, Assembly Bill (AB) 2182, which seeks to add “family responsibilities” as a protected class under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA).
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Use of Opioid Medications By Applicant For Forklift Job Was Not Sufficient to Deny Employment Without Individualized Assessment
A federal court in Ohio denied summary judgment to both parties where an employer refused to hire an applicant who used opioid medication as a forklift driver. The court held that there were disputed issues of fact as to whether the parties participated in the interactive process in good faith
“Reasonable Accommodation Not Always Employee’s Preferred Choice,” HR Daily Advisor
Michael Foley, an associate in the Labor & Employment Practice Group in the New Orleans office, wrote the article “Reasonable Accommodation Not Always Employee’s Preferred Choice,” which was republished in HR Daily Advisor. In his article, Michael reviews a recent decision from the US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals which clarified that a disability accommodation can be reasonable even if it’s not the employee’s first choice. Michael says the ruling also demonstrates that it is important to take seriously all accommodation requests arising from an employee’s limiting physical or mental conditions, even if they appear minor or temporary.
EEOC Brings First Pandemic Disability Discrimination Suit Over Denial of Telework Accommodation
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an explosion of remote work, including for positions traditionally not considered eligible for remote work. As employers have returned employees to office work environments, some employees who historically worked on-site have requested continued work from home as an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities
Tenth Circuit Upholds Employer’s Decision to Deny Telework Accommodation Request Under Rehabilitation Act
On September 15, 2021, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of an employer. In Brown v. Austin, the Tenth Circuit found that an employee’s telework, weekend work, and supervisor change request were unreasonable under the federal Rehabilitation Act and that
Prepare Now to Manage Employee Accommodation Requests Resulting from a Potential COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
In the wake of the Biden administration’s announcements last week, including the release of its COVID-19 Action Plan, employers are scrambling to determine what federally-mandated COVID-19 vaccines and/or weekly COVID-19 testing could mean for their workplace.