Human Resource Blog

Rehabilitation Act Iowa

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Does the Rehabilitation Act cover every employer in Iowa?

The Rehabilitation Act is a federal Act that applies to many employees in states across the country, including employees in the state of Iowa. When an employee has a record of having a particular disability, the employer is prohibited from discriminating against the employee for reasons that are related to the disability. Not all employers or employees are covered by the Act.

In order for an employer to receive coverage under the Act, the employer needs to meet at least one of the following employment criteria:

·         The employer needs to be a federal government agency, office, or contractor working in any branch of the federal government

·         The employer needs to be a local or state government agency, office, or contractor working in any branch of the government that also receives funds from the federal government

·         Educational institutions may qualify for coverage if they receive funds from the federal government

·         Public and private entities may also receive coverage if they receive funds from the federal government.

When an employer is covered by the Act, the employer cannot take a disability into account when making any employment-related decisions, such as a decision related to hiring, promoting, terminating, training, or otherwise. Also, employers may have to make special accommodations for employees that have disabilities. Those special accommodations may include a modified work station that will suit the employee’s physical limitations. The employer should not take this additional cost into consideration when making an employment-related decision.

Some employers will have to take special care to hire workers with disabilities. For example, if an employer has a contract worth at least $10,000, the employer will have to take affirmative action to hire workers with disabilities. If the employer has a contract worth at least $50,000, the employer will have to have a written affirmative action plan in place to hire workers with disabilities. CB