100.060 – Life Threatening Illness

100.060 – LIFE THREATENING ILLNESS

Date Revised: April 2008

POLICY

It is the policy of the organization to treat employees with life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease, AIDS and HIV infection as disabilities in accordance with our policy on Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  In addition to the provisions of the EEO policy on non-discrimination and reasonable accommodation for disability, the following guidelines are intended to assist supervisors in maintaining a work environment that is responsive to the workplace issues created by life-threatening illnesses and the concerns of employees who may request assistance.

PROCEDURE

The organization recognizes that a supportive and caring response from co-workers is an important factor in maintaining the quality of life for an employee with a life-threatening illness.  An employee’s health condition is private and confidential. An employee with a life-threatening illness is under no obligation to disclose his or her condition to a supervisor or any other employee of the organization.  Medical information on individual employees is confidential. The organization will take reasonable precautions to protect such information from inappropriate disclosure. Everyone has a responsibility to respect and maintain the confidentiality of employees’ medical information.

An employee with a life-threatening illness is expected to meet the same performance requirements applicable to other employees, with reasonable accommodation if necessary.  If an employee becomes disabled, the supervisor and president will make reasonable accommodation, as with any other employee with a disability, to enable the employee to meet established performance criteria.  Reasonable accommodation may include, but is not limited to, flexible or part-time work schedules, leaves of absence, or job reassignment.