Medical Exams and Inquiries

A library employee who had several fairly severe motor tics very rarely had vocal ones because of Tourette Syndrome.

After demonstrating one of his rare outbursts, his employer requested medical documentation in order to ascertain the nature of the outbursts and whether they would be an issue in the future. The employer was able to determine that the outbursts were rare indeed, that there really was no accommodation to help reduce them, and that they could handle the outbursts as outlined by the employee’s doctor.

A nurse in an extended care facility asked for the accommodations of no overtime, as well as being relieved of duties that require her to work on the floor.

The employer denied the overtime request, as being available to provide overtime is an essential function of the job. As for not being required to work on the floor, the employer requested more medical documentation in order to determine what stressors were involved and how they might be reduced in order for the employee to work on the floor, another essential function of the position.

An employee with avoidant personality disorder works as a vocational specialist for a disability insurance company.

Originally, the employee's position allowed him to work from home full time. Recently, the company decides to begin transitioning some of its teleworking employees back into the office. The employee discloses his condition and requests he be allowed to continue working from home as an accommodation. The employee provides medical documentation explaining that he experiences intense feelings of inadequacy and discomfort when around others and would not be able to perform at the same level in an office environment as he would at home. As a result, the employer allows the employee to continue working from home.

An employee with schizotypal personality disorder just started working as a cashier in a small department store.

Within three weeks, the employer receives four comments from customers regarding the employee's behavior, that the employee had begun talking to them about strange things including aliens and various conspiracy theories. The employer meets with the employee to discuss these occurrences, at which point the employee discloses her disability. The employee provides medical documentation that states that the employee will at times have episodes where she will think and talk about things that are not grounded in reality and that while medication can help to prevent such occurrences, they will inevitably occur on an almost daily basis. Because it is an essential function to be able to communicate effectively with customers, and the employee's eccentric behavior is not in compliance with the employer's conduct standards, the employer determines the employee is not qualified for the position. Because the employee wasn't qualified for the position from the point of hire, the employer does not have an obligation to consider reassignment, but does anyway, reassigning the employee to a position as a stock clerk, which requires much less interaction with customers.

An insurance salesman, working in a call center, had Tourette Syndrome that was getting more severe.

No longer able to control his vocal outbursts, it became impossible for him and his coworkers to complete calls. When it was brought to his attention, he shirked it off as his co-workers being too difficult to get along with. He refused to take part in the accommodation process, and refused the move to a more private area with frequent breaks to help him manage the stress that he stated was exacerbating his condition. With no assistance from medical documentation as he refused to cooperate, the employer determined that he was no longer qualified for the position as he was unable to complete the essential functions of his position.

An employee with histrionic personality disorder works in a cubicle environment as an insurance claims processor.

She is regularly talking and distracting her coworkers, at times talking about very personal issues and having crying fits. At other times the employee will be very physical with coworkers, hugging and talking about how much she loves being around them. The employee's behavior is generally disruptive, and when the supervisor confronts her about this, the employee discloses her condition. The employee provides medical documentation that states that she would benefit from working in a more private space where it is not so easy for her to talk to coworkers and listening to music on earphones while doing work off the phones. The employer is able to provide these accommodations, which prove to be effective.

An human resources specialist for a department store was recently required to add a weekend shift to her work schedule once a month.

This caused significant stress which caused an exacerbation to her Marfan syndrome. After making a request for a flexible schedule along with medical documentation, the employer approved removing the weekend shift as an accommodation. This enabled the employee to work her regular schedule without worsening her symptoms.