As large numbers of veterans return from Iraq and Afghanistan, employers must remember that their disability accommodation responsibilities have increased in recent months, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in releasing new guidance Tuesday.
The commission updated its Veterans and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): A Guide for Employers which explains how protections for veterans with service-connected disabilities differ under the ADA and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. It also rereleased Understanding Your Employment Rights Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): A Guide for Veterans, a document that informs veterans with service-related disabilities of the protections to which they are entitled when they return to their former jobs or look for civilian jobs.
Revised guidance was necessary because veterans with disabilities face special challenges in obtaining employment and large numbers of vets are now rejoining the civilian workforce, the EEOC explained.
“Over the past decade three million veterans have returned from military service and another one million are expected to return to civilian life over the course of the next five years with the anticipated drawdown of operations in the Middle East,” the commission said. “We want veterans with disabilities to know that the EEOC has resources to assist them as they transition to, or move within the civilian workforce,” EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien said in a statement.
Increasing numbers of veterans with disabilities combined with recent expansions to the ADA could equal greater accommodation responsibilities for employers, according to the EEOC. The ADA Amendments Act made “it easier for veterans with a wide range of impairments — including those that are often not well understood — such as traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to get needed reasonable accommodations that will enable them to work successfully,” the commission said.
The new guidance assists employers in determining what accommodations may be necessary for applicants and employees with service-connected disabilities. For example, the documents explain when employers may need to provide modified equipment, permission to work from home or leave for recuperation.