New EEOC guidance details responsibilities for job accommodation.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released new guidelines on how employers should accommodate the needs of workers with disabilities. Guidelines address using leave as an accommodation, the duty of offering reassignment as a form of reasonable accommodation, and an employer's cost of accommodation. Among the clarifications, the EEOC states that employers do not have to provide more paid leave than workers in similar situations receive. Employees must be qualified for reassignments, and the employer is not obligated to provide training for the new position. The EEOC disagrees with the Americans with Disabilities Act reasoning that employers should not be forced to accommodate if a cost-benefit analysis reveals undue hardship on the employer. Contact information is provided.