Last month one of our Members had to deal with a request for disability accommodation/leave that seemed contrived by the employee as a way to protect her job. The question was whether the company could send the employee for a second opinion from a doctor of their choice. Here is the response from Linda Batiste, counsel for JAN:
“In general, you can ask for a second opinion if you have insufficient information in the first opinion you received. For example, if an employee indicated she needs a certain accommodation, but the statement by the employee’s doctor does not provide you with all the information you need to justify the accommodation, you can require a second opinion.
“The following is from Disability-Related Inquiries and Medical Examinations of Employees under the ADA.
“May an employer require an employee to go to a health care professional of the employer’s (rather than the employee’s) choice when the employee requests a reasonable accommodation?
“The ADA does not prevent an employer from requiring an employee to go to an appropriate health care professional of the employer’s choice if the employee provides insufficient documentation from his/her treating physician (or other health care professional) to substantiate that s/he has an ADA disability and needs a reasonable accommodation. (55) However, if an employee provides insufficient documentation in response to the employer’s initial request, the employer should explain why the documentation is insufficient and allow the employee an opportunity to provide the missing information in a timely manner.(56) The employer also should consider consulting with the employee’s doctor (with the employee’s consent) before requiring the employee to go to a health care professional of its choice.(57)
“Documentation is insufficient if it does not specify the existence of an ADA disability and explain the need for reasonable accommodation.(58) Documentation also might be insufficient where, for example: (1) the health care professional does not have the expertise to give an opinion about the employee’s medical condition and the limitations imposed by it; (2) the information does not specify the functional limitations due to the disability; or, (3) other factors indicate that the information provided is not credible or is fraudulent. If an employee provides insufficient documentation, an employer does not have to provide reasonable accommodation until sufficient documentation is provided.
“Any medical examination conducted by the employer’s health care professional must be job related and consistent with business necessity. This means that the examination must be limited to determining the existence of an ADA disability and the functional limitations that require reasonable accommodation. If an employer requires an employee to go to a health care professional of the employer’s choice, the employer must pay all costs associated with the visit(s).(59)
“The Commission has previously stated that when an employee provides sufficient evidence of the existence of a disability and the need for reasonable accommodation, continued efforts by the employer to require that the individual provide more documentation and/or submit to a medical examination could be considered retaliation.(60) “However, an employer that requests additional information or requires a medical examination based on a good faith belief that the documentation the employee submitted is insufficient would not be liable for retaliation.
“May an employer require that an employee, who it reasonably believes will pose a direct threat, be examined by an appropriate health care professional of the employer’s choice?
“Yes. The determination that an employee poses a direct threat must be based on an individualized assessment of the employee’s present ability to safely perform the essential functions of the job. This assessment must be based on a reasonable medical judgment that relies on the most current medical knowledge and/or best objective evidence.(61) To meet this burden, an employer might want to have the employee examined by a health care professional of its choice who has expertise in the employee’s specific condition and can provide medical information that allows the employer to determine the effects of the condition on the employee’s ability to perform his/her job. Any medical examination, however, must be limited to determining whether the employee can perform his/her job without posing a direct threat, with or without reasonable accommodation. An employer also must pay all costs associated with the employee’s visit(s) to its health care professional.(62)
“An employer should be cautious about relying solely on the opinion of its own health care professional that an employee poses a direct threat where that opinion is contradicted by documentation from the employee’s own treating physician, who is knowledgeable about the employee’s medical condition and job functions, and/or other objective evidence. In evaluating conflicting medical information, the employer may find it helpful to consider: (1) the area of expertise of each medical professional who has provided information; (2) the kind of information each person providing documentation has about the job’s essential functions and the work environment in which they are performed; (3) whether a particular opinion is based on speculation or on current, objectively verifiable information about the risks associated with a particular condition; and, (4) whether the medical opinion is contradicted by information known to or observed by the employer (e.g., information about the employee’s actual experience in the job in question or in previous similar jobs).
