Practical Advice for Employers About Leave and Accommodation
On August 7, 2026, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed the Illinois Menopause Equity and Care Act, making Illinois one of the first states to include menopause-related conditions as a protected status under the state’s anti-discrimination laws. Rhode Island and Philadelphia adopted similar laws in 2025.
Effective January 1, 2027, the new law amends the Illinois…
On April 13, 2026, Governor Spanberger proposed amendments to bills that would expand paid sick leave to nearly all Virginia employees, establish a statewide paid family and medical leave insurance program, and address workplace accommodations related to menopause and perimenopause. The General Assembly will reconvene on April 22 to consider the Governor’s proposed amendments.
The Puerto Rico Secretary of Health issued Administrative Order No. 2024-589, declaring a public health emergency due to the prevalence of cases of dengue fever on the Island. Administrative Order No. 2024-589, signed on March 25, 2024, went into effect immediately and will last for 90 days or until June 23, 2024, unless its duration…
One of the many difficult issues employers face under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is determining what information a disabled employee must provide to an employer to trigger the employer’s duty to accommodate a disability. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit addressed that question for the first time in Owens v. …
On December 14, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) added a new section, COVID-19 and the Definition of “Disability” Under the ADA/Rehabilitation Act, to its COVID-19 guidance. The updated guidance describes how the ADA’s three-part definition of disability (actual disability, record of disability or being regarded as an individual with a disability)…
The Virginia Office of Civil Rights has issued its new poster for employers regarding reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. Starting July 1, 2021, covered Virginia employers must post this poster in a conspicuous location and provide a copy of the poster to any employee who discloses they have a disability, within 10 days of
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Starting on July 1, 2021, most Virginia employers must include information in their employee handbooks about reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities and provide that information directly to any employee within 10 days after receiving notice that the employee has a disability. Read more about this new requirement.
Effective July 1, 2021, Virginia further expands the scope of the Virginia Human Rights Act (VHRA) to prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. The state also enacted protections and benefits for domestic workers. Read more about the expanded law and next steps for employers here.
As we enter flu season (in the midst of a national spike in COVID-19 cases), and it now appears that a COVID-19 vaccine is on the horizon, employers are struggling with whether they should require employees to be vaccinated for seasonal influenza and/or COVID-19 infection. After the year that many have had, there is a …
When it comes to disability and leave management, the past year has been one HR hurricane after another. Everything is different, including our Annual Disability & Leave Management Symposium. We know you are as frustrated as we are. We wanted to have an old fashioned, in-person conference, but in the interest of social distancing we’ve…
