ADA accommodations at work?

[Lizzy_Bear]

Hi, first timer here...Has anyone here been successful with requesting an ADA accommodation in their workplace? Long story short, my employer has allowed us to work from home for the past 3-4 months due to COVID, which was wonderful for me because I'm an introvert anyway. Now we are back in the office, and anxiety has just been taking over big time. I had a panic attack at work on the first day back, and otherwise have been dealing with shakiness, racing thoughts, difficulty with focus, severe headache, chest pain, and pain and stiffness in my neck on a daily basis - and that's even with isolating myself in a conference room. It's been alot to bear, so I've requested an ADA accommodation at my workplace to continue to work from home temporarily. My therapist filled it out, but HR just sent back a response saying that it was not substantial enough, they want more justification.

[PT81]

Even though a therapist should be good enough, sometimes it helps to get someone with a M.D. behind their name.

[dutchgirl71]

I am very interested in how this works out for you. I had considered requesting work accommodations at one point, but did not. My assignment changed the following year, so things got better. I am interested to know what sort of criteria is necessary. You would think your therapist information would be enough, but perhaps PT81 is right about an MD recommendation as well. I hope things work out for you.

[Lizzy_Bear]

Hi everyone, just want to update everyone on this issue...I was granted my ADA accommodation at work to be able to work from home...but it wasn't easy...here is my timeline to help explain:

Mid/late June - I apply for ADA the first time. My therapist fills it out, but my job rejected it saying they needed more substantial info from my actual doctor to justify the accommodation.

July 4 - I had a slip and fall, and ended up injuring my shoulder.

July 17 - I submit the paperwork from my psych doctor.

Late July - Orthopedic surgeon says I'll need surgery on my shoulder, so I file for FMLA to have the surgery, which was scheduled for Aug 20.

From July 17 - August 19 - I send REPEATED emails trying to follow up on my ADA request, and have requested several times to please expedite my case. Their own policy states that ADA requests are processed within 10 business days and I kept getting the brush off. I also send a complaint letter to the human resources manager, with no response.

August 19 - I get an email saying my ADA accommodation is granted. My psych requested the accommodation last for 6 months. Instead, they granted it until Oct 1, when they will follow up on a monthly basis to see if the request is still justifiable.

August 20 - I started FMLA due to my shoulder surgery, and have been out of work for 3 weeks. The orthopedic doctor also requested I work from home for the next few months due to reduced mobility in my shoulder.

So as you can see...yes I got it, but it took over a month for them to approve! And I only think it was approved because of the shoulder injury that just so happened to occur at the same time that also required that I work from home.

Human resources is there to protect the company, not you, and this whole experience left a very bad taste in my mouth. The approval email said, "sorry for the delay, thank you for your patience" - BULLSHIT! My "patience"??? No, that was me struggling each and every single day, sometimes calling out or leaving early, or isolating myself in a conference room away from my colleagues, because the anxiety got so bad during that period, I felt like I was going to snap! Every step of the way, it felt like I was holding my breath and could not release until someone else says I can. I get it that the company is in a frenzy right now because of how COVID has affected their bottom line, but this is still unacceptable to me since I'd still be putting in the same amount of time and effort just working from home.

For those of you applying, you'll have to work for it! Get in as much medical evidence as you can to help justify your case, but also make sure to take care of yourself in the process. Stay on top of it so you don't get lost in a huge stack of paperwork.

Good luck to all of you!

[Lizzy_Bear]

Hi everyone, just updating everyone on my ADA case...basically I just left that job and am starting a new job next month. I could not take it anymore. They refused the accommodations requested by my psychiatrist (6 months work from home) as well as the accommodation requested by my orthopedic surgeon (work from home until Dec 2020)...I had no other choice but to leave.

And as much as I’m happy to go to another workplace that is remote, it’s also made me really sad...I actually liked my job and didn’t want to leave. And when I left, there was no “what can we do, let’s try to work something out” on the part of my employer...I had to take a hard look at how I sacrificed my mental and physical health, and put my job first. Never will I do that again...take care everyone!