It has become more common in our generation for people with serious chemical sensitivities to assert their rights to reasonable accommodation in their Federal Job. We have had numerous clients whom we have represented with sick building syndrome or perfume sensitivities. The main question they ask is what can they do?
The good news is we have been able to truly help and accommodate these federal employees with Reasonable Accommodation under the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA. These employees are protected by federal law and if they can perform the essential functions of their job with a reasonable accommodation that is not an undue hardship on the Agency then the Agency must accommodate them with moving them to a new area, transferring them to a new office, teleworking or identifying allergens and asking others to not wear perfume in their closed space, etc…
If on the off chance these employees request for reasonable accommodation is an undue hardship on the Agency, then these employees can be prime candidates for FERS federal employee disability retirement. Please let us know if you would like an assessment of your accommodation issue
Eric L. Pines is a nationally recognized federal employment lawyer, mediator, and attorney business coach. He represents federal employees and acts as in-house counsel for over fifty thousand federal employees through his work as a federal employee labor union representative.
Loading...