The Veterans Affairs Department is implementing a new policy that requires stricter scrutiny on reasonable accommodations (RAs) for employees with disabilities. Agencies are mandated to fulfill requests for RAs, including interpreters and accessible technology. The policy requires senior executive service approval for RAs exceeding eight weeks of telework. Annual reviews of indefinitely approved accommodations are also required. Concerns have been raised about the policy potentially adding obstacles for employees, as legal experts note it may violate laws pertaining to medical documentation for obvious disabilities.
Deputy VA Secretary Paul R. Lawrence stated that a member of the senior executive service must sign off on reasonable accommodation requests for more than eight weeks of telework or remote work.
Lawrence mandated annual reviews of reasonable accommodations approved without an end date, assessing their appropriateness and effectiveness.
The new policy may create more hurdles for workers requesting reasonable accommodations, as it imposes stricter scrutiny on requests related to disabilities.
Legal expert Eric Pines opined that the memo could violate federal law by requiring medical documentation for obvious disabilities, which is typically not required.
Collection
[
|
...
]