Workmers' Compensation and the ADA--Return to Work
Employers may not refuse to let an employee to return to work if the employee can perform the essential functions of the job (with or without reasonable accommodations) unless the employer can show that returning the
person to the position poses a "direct threat.”
Also,
an employer may not require an employee with a disability-related occupational injury to be able to return to “full duty”before allowing him/her to return to work.
The term "full duty" may include marginal as well as essential job functions or may mean performing job functions without any accommodation.
An employer may only require that an employee with a disability-related occupational injury perform “essential functions” to be able to return to
functions of the position or requires a reasonable
accommodation that would not impose an undue hardship.
An employer may not refuse to allow an employee with a disability-related ocupational injury to return to work simply because of a workers' compensation determination that the employee has a "permanent
disability" or is "totally disabled".
Workers' compensation laws are different in
purpose from the ADA and may utilize different standards for
evaluating whether an individual has a "disability" or whether
s/he is capable of working. For example, under a workers'
compensation statute, a person who loses vision in both eyes or
has loss of use of both arms or both legs may have a "permanent
total disability," although that individual may be able to work. A workers'
compensation determination also may relate to a different time
period.
A worker's compensation determination may provide
relevant evidence regarding an employee's ability to perform the
essential functions of the position in question or to return to
work without posing a direct threat, but it should never be use as only or primary reason to make a decision regarding the employee's ability to return to work.
Example A:
Sophia, a clerk/typist, breaks her wrist while
trying to move heavy office equipment with a co-worker. She is
unable to work for six weeks and receives workers' compensation.
After Sophia's wrist completely heals, she asks to return to work. A
physician indicates that there is little risk that repetitive
motion will damage her wrist. However, the compnay refuses her request to
return to the clerk/typist position because it believes that any
repetitive motion will cause serious and permanent reinjury of
her wrist.
The following objective evidence supports a finding
that returning Sophia to the clerk/typist position does not pose a
significant risk of substantial harm (i.e., direct threat):
- her injury was not caused by repetitive motion,
- her wrist has
completely healed, and
- there is little risk that she will
reinjure her wrist through repetitive motion.
Conclusion: The company has violated the
ADA by not returning Sophia to her clerk/typist position.
Example B:
Jennifer, a maintenance worker, badly fractures
both ankles in a workplace accident. She is unable to work for
six months and receives workers' compensation. Although Jennifer's
ankles partially heal, she is unable to walk and stand for more
than short periods of time. Jennifer's maintenance job requires
extensive walking and standing on cement floors. The report from
Jennifer's most recent medical examination shows that there is a high
probability of immediate, severe, and permanent damage to Jennifer's
ankles if she walks or stands for more than short periods of
time, especially on hard surfaces. Assuming that there is no
accommodation that will lower the risk of harm, the employer may refuse to
return Jennifer to her maintenance position because there is sufficient
evidence to support a finding that her employment in the position
poses a direct threat, i.e., a significant risk of substantial
harm that cannot be eliminated or reduced through a reasonable
accommodation. However, the employer must reassign Jennifer, absent undue hardship.
Responsibility for the Decision to Allow an Employee to Return to Work
On the other hand, the employer may find it helpful to
seek information from the rehabilitation counselor, physician, or
other specialist regarding the employee's specific functional
limitations, abilities, and possible reasonable accommodations.
In order to obtain useful and accurate information from
a rehabilitation counselor, physician, or other specialist in
making a return to work decision, an employer may wish to provide
him/her with specific information about the following:
* the essential functions of the employee's
position and the nature of the work to be performed;
* the work environment and the employer's
operations, including any unavoidable health or safety hazards
which may exist; and
* possible reasonable accommodations.
An employer also may obtain useful information from
others who are not experts but who are knowledgeable about the
employee's current abilities, limitations, and possible
reasonable accommodations. Such information will enable the
employer to make an independent and accurate determination about
the employee's ability to return to work.
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