Human Resource Blog

Rehabilitation Act in Washington

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How does the Rehabilitation Act impact employers in Washington?

The Rehabilitation Act does cover many employers in the state of Washington. Because the Act is a federal Act, it could potentially cover employers in states across the country, including Washington, if the employer meets other qualification requirements. When an employer is covered by the Act, the employer is prohibited from discriminating against employees that have disabilities for reasons that are directly related to the disabilities.

The Act does not protect workers that do not have disabilities. Also, the Act does not protect disabled workers from discrimination for reasons that are not based on the disability. Customers and clients of the employer are also not protected by the Act.

In order for an employee to receive protection, the employee needs to have a qualifying disability, such as a physical or mental disability that impairs his or her ability to function normally in everyday life. Employees may have a missing limb, for example, or they could have an anxiety disorder or depression.

When a worker has a qualifying disability, the employer must make reasonable accommodations for the employee. For example, if a worker needs to take time off of work for treatment, the employer should work with the employee so that he or she can do so. The employer should not take these additional accommodations into consideration when making an employment-related decision, such as hiring, staffing, training, compensating, promoting, or terminating.

Again, not all employers will qualify for coverage. In order to be covered, the employer needs to meet at least one of the following criteria:

·         Be a federal government agency or contractor receiving funds from the federal government

·         Be a local or state government contractor receiving funds from the federal government

·         Be an educational institution receiving funds from the federal government

·         Be a public or private employer that receives funds from the federal government CB