Imagine one of your employees (let’s call her Sarah) recently contracted COVID-19, as so many workers have in the past two years. Unlike your other employees, however, Sarah’s symptoms did not subside after a few weeks....more
In response to questions from employers and employees alike regarding when COVID-19 constitutes a disability for purposes of the nondiscrimination and reasonable accommodations provisions of the Americans with Disabilities...more
For almost two years now, employers have been tackling the issues surrounding COVID-19. Not surprisingly most questions centered on COVID-19-specific leave, OSHA reporting requirements, and vaccines. Now, the EEOC has chimed...more
The need to consider Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations can happen at any time during the employment relationship. Generally, an employee will ask for an accommodation before problems with performance...more
A recent decision issued by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court offers up a good reminder that what employers may consider FMLA abuse may not in fact be FMLA abuse under the law. That's exactly the scenario that played...more
In the second episode of this two-part series, John Stretton and Rachel Mandel discuss the complexities surrounding the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, including no fault attendance...more
Identifying and navigating disability and leave-related issues can be difficult. Managing issues that involve the ADA, FMLA, company policies and workers’ compensation programs can be time-consuming and confusing. How well...more
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) is cracking down on employers for maintaining leave policies that the EEOC deems a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). These so-called “100...more
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, there have been an unprecedented number of changes for the past few years—and this past month...more
Nevada Employer Pays $3.5 Million To Settle “100-Percent Healed” Claim - Slots chain employer Dotty’s recently agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle litigation alleging its “100-percent-healed” policy discriminates against...more
Management-side attorneys and their clients can breathe a sigh of relief after the Supreme Court declined to take up a challenge to the Seventh Circuit’s ruling in Severson v. Heartland Woodcraft, Inc. 872 F.3d 476 (7th Cir....more
In this episode, we highlight the challenges of accommodating an employee's disability through leaves of absence. The podcast covers the background of the Americans with Disabilities Act, how leave can be a reasonable...more
A federal appellate court recently ruled that an employee’s request for 12 months of additional medical leave was not reasonable, and thereby upheld the dismissal of her Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lawsuit against...more
Employers can easily feel overwhelmed when it comes to enforcing employee attendance standards while providing reasonable accommodation to employees with chronic health conditions. Increasingly, however, court decisions such...more
As a follow up to our recent article, Time to Check Your Leave Practices: EEOC Issues Resource Document on Employer-Provided Leave Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the EEOC has scored an $8.6 million dollar...more
On May 9, 2016, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a new guidance document addressing the intersection of employer-provided leave of absence and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This...more
In light of an increase in charges filed with the EEOC in which employees claim that their employers are unlawfully denying or restricting the use of leave as a reasonable accommodation, which is a "troubling trend" according...more
On January 23, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (based in Virginia) held in Summers v. Altarum Inst., Corp. that a temporary injury, if sufficiently severe, may qualify as a “disability” under the...more