Leave as a Reasonable Accommodation under the ADA
On May 9, 2016, in response to a surge of claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act based on or related to denials of paid or unpaid leave as a reasonable accommodation, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released a resource document entitled, “Employer Provided Leave and the Americans with Disabilities Act,” providing guidance on how employer-provided leave may need to be offered to employees with disabilities. This document does not provide any new rules or regulations but is a good resource for employers questioning how leave, requests for leave, and return from leave issues are affected by the reasonable accommodation requirement of the ADA. A recommended read for all employers. The document may be accessed at: https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/ada-leave.cfm