Four rules of thumb about disability accommodation and public employees

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Public employees protesting in Wisconsin in 2011

A few weeks ago Brody posted about the story of a paramedic who ultimately did receive workers’ compensation benefits for a solely mental injury. I agree with Brody that it’s great that first responders can receive workers’ compensation benefits for mental distress on the job not related to a physical injury.

When I read Brody’s post, it reminded me of few informal rules or principles I’ve learned from helping injured workers with their employment law issues for the last 14 years.

Government employers can be difficult. I have a few theories why. First of all, they can invoke sovereign immunity as a defense to any potential unlawful acts. Secondly most of them are self-insured which means any claim made by an employee comes out of tax funds rather than from an insurance policy. Finally since, government employees are entitled to some procedural due process before a termination, government employers go out of their way to build a case for termination. This case building by management can take a terrible mental toll on employees who are being targeted for termination.

Unions are good: Most union contracts require that an employer just cause for termination. That’s usually true for public sector employees as well. But union representation usually means that an employee can receive a substantively fair process when facing difficulties at work. Union officials often know about past practices and can effectively deal with bad behavior by an employer short of attorney involvement. Union contracts often include arbitration rights to dispute a termination, but those rights are often meaningless without an attorney. Unions often foot the bill for an attorney to represent an employee in arbitration.

Disability accommodation is often a bureaucratic nightmare: Under the ADA, employee and employer and supposed to meet in an informal, interactive process to determine how to accommodate disability. What often times happens is that management decides to second guess doctors’ restrictions or ask for endless clarifications. The process becomes adversarial and driven by paperwork.

Mental disabilities aren’t treated the same as physical disabilities: Mental disabilities can present somewhat of a challenge as they are more difficult to measure than physical disabilities. It’s difficult to manage what can’t be measured, but accommodations for a mental injury can be as simple as accommodations for a physical injury if an employee and employer sit down in good faith.

I also believe that employees who suffer from mood disorders are often considered risks for violence if they are having difficulties in the workplace. Studies show the mentally ill are no more likely to be violent than those without a mental health diagnosis. A mentally ill employee who is struggling with job tasks or getting along with co-workers may be not be a qualified employee with disability, however that does not give employers carte blanche to deem an employee with a mental illness to be a threat for workplace violence.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

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