Workplace Accommodations and Fitness for Duty Testing

Date Established: October 19, 2020
Date Last Updated: October 19, 2020

Purpose
To ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA), and to establish an orderly procedure to ensure City employees are able to perform the essential functions of their job.

Policy Statement

Examination Forms

Forms to be used by the examining physician shall be prescribed or approved by the Human Resources Director. Information contained in medical reports shall be confidential and shall be available only to authorized persons (see the Personnel Records section of the Employee Handbook).

Reasonable Accommodation in Current Employment

When an employee brings forward a claim of disability, the employee, the employee’s supervisor, and the Human Resources Department shall engage in a conversation with the goal of understanding how the employee might perform the essential functions of their job with or without an accommodation. When a supervisor knows or reasonably should know that an employee may need workplace accommodations, the supervisor should contact Human Resources immediately to initiate an interactive process with the affected employee.

Unsafe Situations

A supervisor who observes an employee performing in an unsafe manner must immediately remove that employee from the unsafe situation and report the situation to their Department Head and Human Resources.

Fitness for Duty Testing

When, in the judgment of the department head and Human Resources, an employee is not safely performing their job duties, the employee may be required to submit to fitness for duty testing. This testing will be conducted by a provider selected by the City and will be conducted at the City’s expense.

1. The employee shall be examined by a physician or health care provider as the City Manager may direct. The employee shall have the right to submit to the examining physician or other provider reports, opinions or other information provided by the employee’s own physician or health care provider.

2. The report of the examining physician or provider shall be submitted to the Human Resources Director who shall confer with appropriate management staff and make a report to the City Manager concerning the employee’s fitness for duty and any recommended action.

3. The results of the examination shall be confidential, with access to medical information limited to management staff who need the information to make employment-related decisions.

Examination Following Absence
Any employee who has taken prolonged or frequent leave due to illness or injury may be required to provide appropriate documentation from a medical provider indicating the employee is released to work before returning to work.

Contact Information

Human Resources Director
hr@cityofames.org
515-239-5199

City Manager’s Office
515-239-5101