EEOC SAYS, “LET THAT DOG WORK”

An employee with a heart condition (atrial fibrillation or Afib) obtained a service dog that could alert her to when an attack was coming. Upon being alerted, she could take medication to avoid another stroke.  She had five before getting the dog. When she asked her employer in June for permission to bring the dog to work with her, she only got a runaround back for the next ten months rather than the reasonable accommodation she wanted.  EEOC found the delay intolerable as well as nothing that suggested the dog would interfere with operations. So, it found a violation of law and ordered the agency not only to allow the dog onto its premises but also to pay the employee compensatory damages. We decided to bring this case to your attention to drive home the point that accommodations for the disabled need not just be devices or schedule changes. For details, check out Thersa E., v. Louis DeJoy, Postmaster General, EEOC Appeal No. 0120182764 (2021)