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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

OFCCP Extends Audit Moratorium for Veterans Affairs Health Benefits Program Providers

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has extended, for two years, its audit scheduling moratorium for specified health care entities that provide supplies and services to participants in the Veterans Affairs Health Benefits Program (VAHBP). OFCCP extended the scheduling moratorium through May 7, 2027, via Directive 2021-01 Revision 2, Extending the Scheduling Moratorium for Veterans Affairs Health Benefits Program (VAHBP)...
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

Appeals Court: General Safety Concerns Aren’t Enough To Deny Religious Accommodation

An employer cannot deny a religious accommodation under Title VII to an employee because of a general concern about safety, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled May 30. Smith v. City of Atlantic City concerned a fire department employee who requested a religious exemption from a requirement that all firefighters be clean-shaven. The rule was intended...
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

Judge Vacates Workplace Abortion Accommodation Provisions of PWFA

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission cannot mandate accommodations to employees undergoing elective abortions, a federal judge ruled May 21. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana ordered the EEOC to remove abortion accommodation requirements from its Pregnant Workers Fairness Act rule. The judge vacated the parts of the PWFA rule that included abortion in the definition of “pregnancy, childbirth or...
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Category: Affirmative Action and Diversity

President Trump Proposes Eliminating OFCCP

President Trump’s FY 2026 budget request proposes abolishing the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Under this proposal, OFCCP’s enforcement of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) would shift to the Labor Department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS), and OFCCP’s enforcement of Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act would shift to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The proposed...
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Category: Affirmative Action and Diversity

Updated Template for Good Faith Outreach Letter To Reflect Rescission of Executive Order 11246

The Center for Workplace Compliance, our affiliated nonprofit membership association, has issued an updated template for good faith outreach letters. CWC members can use this template when drafting good faith outreach letters to organizations that can help identify qualified veterans and persons with disabilities for their open job positions. President Trump's Executive Order 14173 rescinded the authority for developing AAPs...
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Category: Affirmative Action and Diversity

Updated Disability and Veterans AAP Narrative Template Now Available on CWC Website

An updated narrative template for reporting on affirmative action programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities is available from the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), our affiliated nonprofit membership association. President Trump's Executive Order 14173 rescinded the authority for developing AAPs for women and minorities under E.O. 11246 but did not change the recordkeeping, compliance, and reporting requirements for...
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

Federal Court: Catholic Plaintiffs Need Not Abide By Abortion-Related Provisions of PWFA Regs

A federal district court has permanently enjoined the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from enforcing provisions of its Pregnant Workers Fairness Act regulations related to elective abortions or infertility treatments. However, the injunction will have little effect on private-sector employers. The permanent injunction, issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, applies to the Catholic Benefits Association (CBA)...
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Category: ADA

Appeals Court: Workers May Qualify for Accommodation Even If They Can Do Job’s Essential Functions

The Americans with Disabilities Act does not preclude employees from receiving a reasonable accommodation even if they are able to perform a job’s essential functions without one, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled March 25. In Tudor v. Whitehall Central School District, a teacher sued her employer after it refused to give her 15-minute breaks to address...
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

Eighth Circuit Rules States Have Standing To Challenge PWFA Regulations

A group of 17 states challenging regulations that require employers to reasonably accommodate employees seeking abortions may proceed with its lawsuit, a federal appeals court ruled February 20. In Tennessee v. EEOC, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit found that the states had standing to sue because the EEOC’s rule implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act would...
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

Biden’s Wage and Hour Division Publishes Guidance in Final Days

In the final days of the Biden Administration, DOL’s Wage and Hour Division issued two opinion letters. WHD opinion letters are not binding on the courts, but employers may rely on them. DOL Opinion Letter FMLA 2025-01-A — FMLA interplay with state and local paid leave programs DOL Opinion Letter FMLA 2025-01-A states that an employer cannot require an employee who...

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