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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

Jury Verdict Highlights Expanding Damages Risk In Religious Accommodation Cases

A federal jury in Michigan recently awarded $1.8 million to a teacher after her former employer refused to allow her to wear a veil while teaching. Hamood v. Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services was brought under both Title VII — which caps damages at $300,000 for large employers — and Michigan law, which does not impose a cap....
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

OMB Greenlights New OFCCP Complaint Forms

The White House Office of Management and Budget has approved for three years OFCCP’s request to change its complaint forms for processing disability and veteran employment discrimination allegations against federal contractors. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs had asked permission to formally revise its Complaint of Employment Discrimination Involving a Federal Contractor or Subcontractor (Form CC-4) and Pre-Complaint Inquiry...
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

EEOC Issues Telework Accommodation Guidance For Federal Agencies

The EEOC has issued guidance for federal agencies addressing telework as a reasonable accommodation for disabilities under the Rehabilitation Act. Private-sector employers may find it instructive because it closely tracks ADA principles. The guidance emphasizes that telework may be required when it is the only effective accommodation, but it is not automatic or permanent. The guidance confirms that employers may reassess previously...
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

Workers May Use Intermittent FMLA Leave For Travel To Medical Appointments, DOL Says

Employees may use intermittent FMLA leave for travel time to and from a medical appointment as well as for the medical appointment itself, according to an opinion letter from the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division. FMLA2026-2 confirms that covered workers may use leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act not only for the time they spend in medical...
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

FAR Council Raises Section 503 And VEVRAA Jurisdiction Thresholds

The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council recently raised the contract dollar thresholds that trigger compliance obligations for Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 4212 of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act. Section 503’s nondiscrimination thresholds are now triggered by contracts exceeding $20,000 (up from $15,000), while the corresponding VEVRAA thresholds are now triggered by contracts valued at $200,000...
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Category: Affirmative Action and DEI

CWC Recommends OFCCP Retain Form CC-305 On A Voluntary Basis

The Center for Workplace Compliance, our affiliated nonprofit membership association, has filed comments with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs urging it to consider alternatives to its proposed elimination of Form CC-305. Federal contractors use the Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form to solicit the disability status of their job applicants and employees. OFCCP recently proposed eliminating the requirement for...
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

Federal Agencies Can Let Employees Telework As A Religious Accommodation, DOJ Tells EEOC

The Department of Justice has specified factors for federal agencies to consider when deciding whether to allow federal employees to use situational telework as a religious accommodation. Private-sector employers could extrapolate from this policy. President Trump’s Return to In-Person Work directive instructed federal agency heads to order employees back to in-person work full-time but authorized them to grant necessary exemptions....
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

OFCCP Issues Last-Minute Extension on Section 503, VEVRAA, and E.O. 11246 Comment Deadlines

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a last-minute 15-day extension for submitting comments on its proposed elimination of longstanding disability compliance requirements — including self-identification, utilization analyses, and applicant tracking. The three pending Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs) pertain to the rescission of Executive Order 11246 and revisions to the nondiscrimination and affirmative action requirements under Section...
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

New CWC Resource Highlights EEOC Efforts To Enforce Title VII Protected Religious Accommodations

CWC has released a resource highlighting recent enforcement actions by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission related to religious accommodations in the workplace. In a recent press release, the EEOC emphasized its focus on enforcing Title VII protections for religious accommodations in the workplace. The cases summarized in the CWC resource provide helpful context for understanding current trends and compliance risks....
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Was Enacted Properly, Fifth Circuit Rules

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission may enforce the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act against the state of Texas, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled August 15 in Texas v. Bondi. The PWFA requires employers to consider workplace accommodations for employees' pregnancy-related conditions. The statute was approved during the COVID pandemic in 2022, when the House of Representatives allowed...

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