An accommodation is a change in work rules, facilities, or conditions which enable an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform the essential functions of a job, andor enjoy equal access to the benefits and privileges of employment.For more information, please refer to the Department of Labor Manual Series (DLMS) entitled: Reasonable Accommodations for Employees and Applicants with Disabilities.The purpose of the interactive process is to determine what, if any, accommodation should be provided.This means that the individual requesting the accommodation must communicate with the appropriate persons throughout the entire process, but particularly where: the specific limitations or barriers are unclear; an effective accommodation is not obvious; the parties are considering different forms of reasonable accommodation; or the current accommodation is no longer effective and another effective accommodation must be identified.
DOL will process requests and, where appropriate, provide accommodations in as short a period as reasonably possible. All final decisions regarding requests for reasonable accommodations will be issued in writing within 60 business days after sufficient medical documentation or an assessment is received. The RARC will, unless there are extenuating circumstances, purchase equipment, services, or assistive technology using DOLs Centralized Accommodation Fund within 60 business days after sufficient medical documentation or an assessment is received. If the Deciding Official grants a request for accommodation, the Deciding Official will inform the employee or applicant in writing of the decision and work to implement the accommodation. If the Deciding Official denies a request for accommodation, the Deciding Official will inform the employee or applicant in writing of the decision and reason for the denial. After an accommodation has been provided, RARC will monitor the accommodation for effectiveness, as appropriate, by following up with the employee. To fulfill this mission, ODEP promotes the adoption and implementation of ODEP policy strategies and effective practices that will impact the employment of people with disabilities. Federal agencies are required by law to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with disabilities. The regulations implementing the law in this area are issued by the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Reasonable Accommodation Request Form Opm Software And HardwareReasonable accommodations may include, but are not limited to: (a) making existing facilities readily accessible to individuals with disabilities; (b) job restructuring, modification of work schedules or place of work, extended leave, telework, reassignment to a vacant position; and (c) acquisition or modification of equipment or devices, including computer software and hardware, appropriate adjustments or modifications of examinations, training materials or policies, the provision of qualified readers andor interpreters and other similar accommodations. Technological advancements have also helped increase telework options by allowing employees to work from home or another approved alternate location. These advancements can also result in expanded options and opportunities for persons with disabilities. Not all persons with disabilities need - or want - to work at home, and not all jobs can be performed at home. Allowing an employee to work at home may be a reasonable accommodation where the persons disability prevents successfully performing the job on-site and the job, or parts of the job, can be performed at home without causing significant difficulty or expense. Although an agency with a robust, well-functioning telework policy may find that such a policy enhances the agencys ability to grant requests to telework as a form of reasonable accommodation for qualified persons with disabilities, it is important to remember that such requests are analyzed and evaluated under a different statutory authority than the agency telework policy. This law prohibits Federal employers from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities and requires them to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities. It also requires them to provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities unless doing so would cause undue hardship. Executive Order 13164, Requiring Federal Agencies to Establish Procedures to Facilitate the Provision of Reasonable Accommodation, requires all Federal agencies to develop a Reasonable Accommodation Policy. Therefore, agencies should refer to their Reasonable Accommodation Policy and not their telework policy when considering reasonable accommodation requests. For example, depending upon the facts of a particular accommodation request, an employee who may have been deemed ineligible to participate in telework under the agencys telework program, may actually be entitled to telework as a form of reasonable accommodation for a qualifying disability within the meaning of the Rehabilitation Act. EEOC issued Policy Guidance on Executive Order 13164: Establishing Procedures to Facilitate the Provision of Reasonable Accommodation to set forth some background information on the obligation to provide reasonable accommodation and the standards of the Rehabilitation Act. The EEOC has also provided Work At HomeTelework as a Reasonable Accommodation guidance that focuses more specifically on the use of work from home as a reasonable accommodation in some circumstances. The Telework Enhancement Act requires Federal agencies to establish and implement telework programs that authorize their employees to telework, but it does not provide employees with a legal right or entitlement to telework. The Rehabilitation Act, on the other hand, requires Federal employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with qualifying disabilities unless to do so would cause an undue hardship. If there is any ambiguity about what is being requested, managers and supervisors should clarify that ambiguity at the outset. It is often very advantageous for agency managers and supervisors to consult with the agencys reasonable accommodation manager andor the agencys counsel as part of the interactive process established by the Rehabilitation Act, in order to fully understand managers and supervisors responsibilities under the law. For more information about those changes, see the EEOCs Regulations to Implement the Equal Employment Provisions of the American Disabilities Act, as Amended,, Questions and Answers on the Final Rule Implementing the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, and the Fact Sheet on the EEOCs Final Regulations Implementing the ADAAA. Reasonable Accommodation Request Form Opm Free Of ChargeCAP provides assistive technology and services free of charge to more than 50 other Federal agencies through partnership agreements. In addition to conducting needs assessments to identify the most appropriate solution for each individual requesting accommodation (whether on site or under a reasonable accommodation to work from home), CAP procures and delivers the accommodation and covers the costs of installation, integration and user training. ![]() ODEPs mission is to develop and influence policies and practices that increase the number and quality of employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
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