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ADA

What’s an ADA disability?…. And nine more questions you’d better be able to answer

10/06/2009

The EEOC has issued proposed regulations for enforcing the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAA), a sweeping law that took effect earlier this year. Among the changes: a new definition of what constitutes an ADA disability. With the EEOC in charge of suing to force compliance, you need to know the answers to these 10 questions.

What’s an ADA disability?…. And seven more questions you’d better be able to answer

10/06/2009

2009 was a watershed year for disability discrimination. The EEOC received a record number of disability-related charges – 21,451. What’s the reason for the spike in discrimination claims? The Americans With Disabilities Act Amendment Act. With the EEOC in charge of suing to force compliance, you need to know the answers to these eight questions.

UPS picks up EEOC ADA lawsuit

10/01/2009

The EEOC has filed a disability discrimination lawsuit against UPS in federal court in Chicago. The suit alleges the package delivery giant consistently refuses to allow disabled workers to take extended medical leave as a reasonable accommodation. The EEOC filing seeks to make the suit a class action.

Updated web site helps bulletproof your accommodation practices

09/30/2009

The ADA requires employers to enter into an interactive process with disabled employees to find accommodations that allow them to perform the essential functions of their jobs. Recently, the federal government updated its Job Accommodation Network (JAN) web site, which employers can use to to find specific accommodation information.

Try ADA process even if disability pay is option

09/28/2009

Some employees who become injured would just as soon keep working. Rather than collect temporary disability payments, they’d rather see whether they can perform another job or otherwise persuade employers to accommodate their injuries. If you face that situation, be careful not to force such employees to go out on disability.

Sedentary work restriction may be disability

09/23/2009

Employees who are unable to perform anything but sedentary work may be disabled under the ADA. That means employers may have to find ways to accommodate them, including finding open positions for them to fill elsewhere within the company.

Use ‘general public’ test to determine whether employee is disabled under the ADA

09/23/2009

Employees who have minor physical problems—even permanent ones—aren’t necessarily disabled and entitled to ADA accommodations. The test in each case is how the impairment compares with the average member of the general public.

Hold it! Must you allow unlimited bathroom breaks?

09/18/2009

Employers are required to offer job accommodations to employees who have qualifying disabilities, says the ADA. But if an employee has a medical condition that requires frequent bathroom breaks, does that count as a “disability”? The answer is clear, especially this year …

Must we reassign disabled worker to a new job?

09/18/2009

Q. We have an employee who just developed a disability that will keep him from performing his job for an unknown time. After he uses up his FMLA and other accumulated leave, do we have an obligation to look for another position for him?

Preparing your workplace for a possible swine flu pandemic

09/15/2009

The United States is facing a swine flu outbreak that has caused the government to declare a public health emergency. Recently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published new guidelines to help employers prepare for flu season and prevent the rapid spread of the H1N1 influenza. Here are the CDC’s suggestions, plus insight on your risks and obligations as an employer …