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ADA

Princeton Healthcare System hit with ADA suit

08/26/2010
The EEOC has filed suit against Princeton Healthcare System, claiming its leave policies violated the ADA. According to the EEOC complaint, Princeton Healthcare fires employees who aren’t eligible for leave under the FMLA if they cannot return to work in seven days.

Morris cop, fired up about gun rules, files ADA lawsuit

08/25/2010
A Morris County police officer is suing the county for lost wages stemming from a restriction against firing guns during her pregnancy.

Beware retaliation lawsuit if you act against employee who challenges ADA compliance

08/23/2010
You may not realize that employees can sue for retaliation if they’re punished for taking action to enforce the ADA against another organization. If the employee can show the action led to the punishment, he has a case.

Must we restructure job for injured worker?

08/23/2010
Q. One of our school employees hurt her back while assisting students in the classroom. She went out on workers’ comp and has now reached maximum improvement, according to her doctor. But she can’t do her old job. Do we have to provide another job for her?

Lesson from the court: Never disclose former employees’ medical info

08/20/2010

“Hi, this is Mike from XYZ Company. I’d like to ask you a few questions about a former employee whom you used to manage.” At some point in managers’ careers, they’ll receive such a phone call from an ex-employee’s prospective employer. Be careful: One simple mistake in your response could trigger an expensive lawsuit. Remember: Never disclose medical information about former employees.

When essential duties are at issue, OK to base medical exam on FMLA certification

08/12/2010
A new 8th Circuit Court of Appeals case allows employers to use an employee’s FMLA certification as the basis for requesting a fitness-for-duty exam if the certification asserts that the employee can’t perform an essential function of her job. That’s especially true in high-pressure professions when an alleged FMLA serious health condition affects an employee’s ability to function while at work.

Reasonable accommodations under the ADA in the 7th Circuit

08/06/2010

The ADA requires employers to provide a reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with a disability, unless doing so would cause an undue hardship. A recent 7th Circuit case sheds light on the extent of an employer’s obligation to accommodate an employee’s accommodation request.

Now that the ADAAA has been enacted, can former employee apply it retroactively?

08/06/2010
Q. One of our security employees uses a hearing aid. He could not pass the unaided hearing requirements of his job. As a result, we let him go. His layoff occurred in 2007, when he first brought a claim for an alleged violation of the ADA. He claims that with the subsequent adoption of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), an employer is not allowed to consider mitigating measures in determining whether an employee has a disability. Can the ADAAA be retroactively applied so he is deemed to have a disability under the ADA?

Remember, ADA disability requires substantial impairment of major life activity

08/06/2010

Some employees think that if they have a learning disability, they are automatically disabled and entitled to an accommodation under the ADA. That’s not necessarily so. Such employees still have to prove that their specific learning disability substantially impairs a major life function, such as learning.

Diagnosis just start of ADA assessment process

08/06/2010

The ADA protects Americans from discrimination based on disability. But to be classified as disabled, employees and applicants have to show that they have more than transient or minor problems. Even a diagnosis is only a starting point since different conditions affect people in varied ways. Each individual is assessed based on his or her unique situation to see whether the condition underlying a diagnosis substantially impairs a major life function when compared to the average person.