Feds Only Reasonable Accomodations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are going to have to move closer to your employer’s location, I’m afraid.

My kids are in high school, I am a single mom, and the area near my employer’s location is a high crime area. Who is being reasonable?

Of course, the RTO shenanigans are just meant to punish federal employees and make them quit, but at this point, you have to adapt to this new world rather than expecting accommodations.

When RTO came out I spent days trying to figure out how I would be able to do it without hastening my path to the grave. Bottom line is there is no other solution (offered yet) that will not completely degrade my health in one way or another.
If denied, I will probably sue - my sister is an attorney specializing in employment law and very well versed in RA. If lawsuit is not successful, perhaps by then an office closer to me might have a spot open for me to commute to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m still waiting on mine. Multiple mental heath conditions that require sleep hygiene and medications not compatible with daily 4 hours spent commuting.

Commuting is not an ADA issue. You are not entitled to accommodations to avoid the commute regardless of the condition.

That’s not true and an agency who just blankly says no on that ground is asking for a successful lawsuit. A smart agency will go through the iterative process, try to offer something else, and then in many cases will be able to safely reject telework as an accommodation.

https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/work-hometelework-reasonable-accommodation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m still waiting on mine. Multiple mental heath conditions that require sleep hygiene and medications not compatible with daily 4 hours spent commuting.

Commuting is not an ADA issue. You are not entitled to accommodations to avoid the commute regardless of the condition.

Are you an attorney?

Some of these commutes are 2 hours long. Many middle aged and older women suffer from degrees of incontinence. They would have to stop at a bathroom, making their commute even longer. I would argue that the commute itself absolutely is an issue for these people and that remote work is a reasonable accommodation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m still waiting on mine. Multiple mental heath conditions that require sleep hygiene and medications not compatible with daily 4 hours spent commuting.

Commuting is not an ADA issue. You are not entitled to accommodations to avoid the commute regardless of the condition.

Telework is an a recognized ADA condition. When you fill out the RA form, it’s literally listed as an option you can request.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are going to have to move closer to your employer’s location, I’m afraid.

My kids are in high school, I am a single mom, and the area near my employer’s location is a high crime area. Who is being reasonable?

By “high crime area,” do you really mean:

higher percentage of minorities?


I think you probably have to just move closer to work, PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are going to have to move closer to your employer’s location, I’m afraid.

My kids are in high school, I am a single mom, and the area near my employer’s location is a high crime area. Who is being reasonable?

Of course, the RTO shenanigans are just meant to punish federal employees and make them quit, but at this point, you have to adapt to this new world rather than expecting accommodations.

When RTO came out I spent days trying to figure out how I would be able to do it without hastening my path to the grave. Bottom line is there is no other solution (offered yet) that will not completely degrade my health in one way or another.
If denied, I will probably sue - my sister is an attorney specializing in employment law and very well versed in RA. If lawsuit is not successful, perhaps by then an office closer to me might have a spot open for me to commute to.

This is going to suck, and the people being flippant about it are jerks, but degrading health absent a lot more ain’t going to do it.

I’m sure I will get 1-2 hours less sleep per night. I won’t have time to exercise. I’ll probably have to do fast food way more often since there won’t be time to cook. I’ll get much less quality time with my kids, since they will have to be at before and after care the full time open. All of this will be detrimental to my physical and mental wellbeing. But there is no way I (or most people who will suffer all of these things) will get an accommodation or be able to sue successfully.

Have you actually talked to your lawyer sister yet and gotten her opinion? This is all pretty fact specific and it would be good to get advice sooner rather than later to see if an accommodation may be possible with your specific situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has any Fed had reasonable accommodations approved since Jan 20, 2025? If so, will you please share for which general conditions? Thanks.

Yes, cancer treatment

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m still waiting on mine. Multiple mental heath conditions that require sleep hygiene and medications not compatible with daily 4 hours spent commuting.

Commuting is not an ADA issue. You are not entitled to accommodations to avoid the commute regardless of the condition.

Are you an attorney?

Some of these commutes are 2 hours long. Many middle aged and older women suffer from degrees of incontinence. They would have to stop at a bathroom, making their commute even longer. I would argue that the commute itself absolutely is an issue for these people and that remote work is a reasonable accommodation.

You can argue whatever you would like. But the folks in your hypothetical could also wear adult diapers, or simply stop as needed even if it added a bit to the commute.

The PP you were responding to is wrong that telework can’t be an accommodation, but garden variety incontinence issues is not getting you work from home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:a colleague with cancer applied for recovery after their surgery and was denied. 🤷🏻‍♀️

What???? Lord, what fresh hell is this???

I’m seeing this at my agency too. They are not allowing WFH when the absence qualifies for sick leave instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:a colleague with cancer applied for recovery after their surgery and was denied. 🤷🏻‍♀️

What???? Lord, what fresh hell is this???

I’m seeing this at my agency too. They are not allowing WFH when the absence qualifies for sick leave instead.

Unscheduled leave and/or allowing LWOP is probably a reasonable accommodation, particularly for someone who has a medical condition that only intermittently prevents coming in.

Plus, they probably know that, if they take this approach, it’ll be amazing how many people manage to make it to preserve leave and avoid LWOP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m still waiting on mine. Multiple mental heath conditions that require sleep hygiene and medications not compatible with daily 4 hours spent commuting.

Commuting is not an ADA issue. You are not entitled to accommodations to avoid the commute regardless of the condition.

Telework is an a recognized ADA condition. When you fill out the RA form, it’s literally listed as an option you can request.

TW is absolutely a recognized accommodation. However employers are not obligated to accommodate the commute to work. Basically, Getting to and from work is not the employer’s problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m still waiting on mine. Multiple mental heath conditions that require sleep hygiene and medications not compatible with daily 4 hours spent commuting.

Commuting is not an ADA issue. You are not entitled to accommodations to avoid the commute regardless of the condition.

Are you an attorney?

Some of these commutes are 2 hours long. Many middle aged and older women suffer from degrees of incontinence. They would have to stop at a bathroom, making their commute even longer. I would argue that the commute itself absolutely is an issue for these people and that remote work is a reasonable accommodation.

You can argue whatever you would like. But the folks in your hypothetical could also wear adult diapers, or simply stop as needed even if it added a bit to the commute.

The PP you were responding to is wrong that telework can’t be an accommodation, but garden variety incontinence issues is not getting you work from home.

I never said TW can’t be an accommodation. What I said is that employers are not required to accommodate if the issue is the commute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m still waiting on mine. Multiple mental heath conditions that require sleep hygiene and medications not compatible with daily 4 hours spent commuting.

why do you live so far away? I say this as I got a pied a tier across the street from my office when I had a very long round trip commute. Actually was relaxing. Even more so than WFH. Had best of both worlds.

That's awesome. Everyone should buy a pied a terre.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m still waiting on mine. Multiple mental heath conditions that require sleep hygiene and medications not compatible with daily 4 hours spent commuting.

why do you live so far away? I say this as I got a pied a tier across the street from my office when I had a very long round trip commute. Actually was relaxing. Even more so than WFH. Had best of both worlds.

I’ve been in the same house since 2016. I live near the metro. I was hired for a fully remote position and my colleagues live all around the country. Even before Covid, almost no people in my office were commuting 5 days a week. The office I report to used to be in downtown DC but moved out of DC and is now 90-120 min by car or over 2 hours each way by Metro.

Pretty sure I’m at the same agency and I’m in an office that is the first to go back. It’s just juts RTO, it’s going to a whole new location with a whole new commuting pattern.

Yes, same agency I think. My commute is 90+ minutes from downtown Silver Spring whereas it used to be about 30 minutes before the office relocated.

[Anonymous]

It makes sense that RAs have spiked since it would not have made sense to file one when they were already remote. Now they have to ask for an accommodation for work required in the office.