Two new Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuits filed against a Texas concrete manufacturer and Los Angeles garment manufacturer highlight the need for U.S. employers with more than 14 employees to consider and prepare to defend against potential disability discrimination exposures when dealing with medical leave requests by employees who might be considered disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as other expanding ADA enforcement exposures. Read more.
The lawsuits reflect that employers considering an employee’s request for medical leave should evaluate if the ADA requires the employer to grant the requested medical leave in addition to considering any otherwise applicable leave entitlement the requesting employee qualifies for under the Family & Medical Leave Act, state leave laws or otherwise applicable employer policies. As a result, all employers of 15 or more employees generally should review and tighten their policies and processes for evaluating requests for medical leave to minimize their exposure to claims that the denial of a requested medical leave violated the ADA.
Furthermore, employers also should consider the advisability of other more generalized policy or procedure updates to strengthen their defensibility against potential ADA and other disability claims generally in light of stepped up enforcement by the EEOC and private plaintiffs changes to the ADA made by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) that makes it easier for employees to win ADA suits. To mitigate growing exposures to these claims, employers covered by the ADA and/or the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 should review and strengthen their existing hiring and other employment practices and documentation to strengthen their defensibility in the face of these new challenges.
If you need assistance responding an employee’s request for medical leave or other accommodations, or otherwise to review, update or defend your disability discrimination or other employment, compensation, benefits or other workforce, internal controls or risk management practices, please contact the author of this update, Board Certified Labor & Employment attorney Cynthia Marcotte Stamer at (469) 767-8872 or via e-mail here.
Other Resources
If you found this information of interest, you also may be interested in reviewing other recent Solutions Law Press updates including:
- Blockbuster & Health Delivery Disability Discrimination Settlements Highlight Need For Tightened Disability Discrimination Risk Management
- Annual Benefit Limitation Waiver Guidance Offers Fast Acting Employers, Insurers Expanded Options To Meet Affordable Care Act Health Plan Rule
- New Insured Group Health Plan Non-Discrimination Rules Create Significant Liability For Employers & Insurers; Prompt IRS Also To Review Self-Insured Group Health Plan Rules
- Labor Department FMLA Guidance Signals Need For Employer Care Determining Who Qualifies As Child
- NLRB To Review, Invites Briefs In Cases Involving Voluntary Recognition Agreements & Successor Employers
- ICE Invites Comments On Information Required For IMAGE Program Employers
- Affordable Care Act’s Health Plan External & Internal Review Safe Harbor & Other Regulations Require Health Plan Updates
- New Regulations & Court Decisions Require Health Plan Claims & Appeal Updates
- Small Employers Sponsoring Health Coverage May Qualify For New Tax Credit, Must Act Quickly To Comply With Other New Federal Health Plan Mandates Under Affordable Care Act & Other Laws
- Rite Aid Pays $1 Million HIPAA Privacy Settlement As OCR Tightens HIPAA Regulations
- New Affordable Care Act Mandated High Risk Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Pool Program Regulations Prohibit Plan Dumping of High Risk Members, Set Other Rules
- Congress & Labor Department Considering Tightening of Retirement Plan Regulations
- Testimony Highlights Growing Exposure of Businesses Misclassifying Workers; Businesses Should Act to Minimize Risks
- Businesses Employing Children Should Review & Tighten Practices In Light of Tightened Rules & Increased Penalties
- New Rule Requires Federal Government Contractors To Post New “Employee Rights Under The National Labor” Poster
About Ms. Stamer
Management attorney and consultant Cynthia Marcotte Stamer helps businesses, governments and associations solve problems, develop and implement strategies to manage people, processes, and regulatory exposures to achieve their business and operational objectives and manage legal, operational and other risks. When working with clients, Ms. Stamer combines a client-oriented approach with an extensive practical and technical knowledge of human resources, insurance, employee benefits, health care, privacy & security, corporate compliance and other legal matters to assist clients to formulate and administer pragmatic operational and risk management strategies and effective internal controls taking into account the financial, operational, political, legal and other realities confronting the client.
Recognized in the International Who’s Who of Professionals and bearing the Martindale Hubble Premier AV-Rating, Ms. Stamer also is a highly regarded author and speaker who serves in the leadership of many professional and civil organizations. She regularly conducts management and other training on a wide range of workforce management, employee benefits, compensation, risk management internal controls, and other related matters for businesses, trade and professional associations and others. Her insights on human resources risk management matters appear in The Wall Street Journal, various publications of The Bureau of National Affairs and Aspen Publishing, the Dallas Morning News, Spencer Publications, Health Leaders, Business Insurance, the Dallas and Houston Business Journals and a host of other publications. To request Ms. Stamer’s assistance, for information about arranging for Ms. Stamer to provide workshops and other training, to access other publications or resources or for more details about Ms. Stamer’s experience and other credentials, contact Ms. Stamer at via telephone at 469.767.8872 or via e-mail at cstamer@solutionslawyer.net or see CynthiaStamer.com.
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