$5 Million EEOC Settlement Highlights Importance of Disability Accommodation Compliance

$5 Million EEOC Settlement Puts Disability Accommodation Practices in the Spotlight

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced earlier this week that it reached a $5 million settlement with Battelle Energy Alliance resolving allegations that the company denied disability accommodation requests under its COVID-19 vaccine policy, made unlawful disability-related medical inquiries, and, in some instances, terminated employees whose accommodation requests were denied.

Among other things, the EEOC’s settlement underscores the importance of employers engaging in a meaningful interactive process when responding to employees’ disability accommodation requests. As part of the settlement, Battelle agreed to provide monetary relief, strengthen its accommodation policies and procedures, train managers and human resources personnel on ADA compliance, and implement ongoing monitoring to help ensure employees with disabilities receive equal employment opportunities.