Fort Benning

U.S. Army Fort Benning and The Maneuver Center of Excellence

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Site

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

Disability Program

References:Army Regulation 690-12 (Army Equal Employment Opportunity Program)

The Army is committed to affirmative employment of qualified Individuals with Disability (IWD) and Individuals with Targeted Disability (IWTD). This commitment includes:

  1. Use of hiring authorities that take disability into account.
  2. Providing Reasonable Accommodation and Personal Assistance Services to qualified employees and applicants for employment to ensure full access to EEO, unless doing so would impose an "undue hardship."

The Army ensures:

  • Accessibility to Army facilities, programs, activities, and information systems and provide reasonable accommodations to qualified IWDs
  • Accessibility is provided to enable job applicants to participate in the application process and enable IWDs the ability to perform essential job functions and enjoy benefits and privileges available to other employees.
  • All electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the Army is available to all Federal employees and the public in formats that provide equal access to IWDs in accordance with Federal requirements.
  • To take affirmative measures to recruit and retain a civilian work force in which IWD, especially persons with targeted disabilities and disabled Veterans, are represented in every major organizational element, occupational category, and grade level.
  • Command and organizations coordinate with safety officers and other appropriate officials to ensure that emergency evacuation plans account for and accommodate IWDs.
  • Applicants and employees in part-time, temporary, term, and full-time positions may request reasonable accommodation.
  • Responsible officials promptly process requests for reasonable accommodation.

Initiating a Request for Reasonable Accommodation:

  1. Employees must generally inform the supervisor of their need for an adjustment or change to some aspect of the job, or a benefit of employment for a reason related to a medical condition.
  2. The reasonable accommodation process begins as soon as an individual makes an oral or written request for accommodation to the immediate supervisor, a supervisor or manager in the individual's chain of command, the HR office, CPAC, the organization's EEO office or Disability Program Manager (DPM).
  3. Individuals requesting accommodation must confirm their request to their supervisor. The supervisor or decision maker must document that the request was made and provide a copy of the documentation to the DPM within 2 business days of receipt.

Processing Requests for Reasonable Accommodation:

  1. The request for accommodation begins with an interactive and flexible discussion between the requester and the supervisor. This process may include communicating with the requester to clarify the request, obtaining, and exchanging information with the requester to the extent necessary regarding needs and alternatives, searching for solutions, consulting Army and outside resources, and evaluating possible accommodation and additional information, if necessary.
  2. Reasonable accommodation is meant to eliminate barriers in the work environment only, not barriers outside the work environment. Common types of reasonable accommodations include modifying work schedules or supervisory methods, granting breaks or providing leave, altering how or when job duties are performed, removing and/or substituting a nonessential function, moving to different office space, providing telework, changing workplace policies, reconfiguring workspaces, providing accessible parking, and providing materials in alternative formats (such as Braille or TTY).

Time limits:

A supervisor or decision maker receiving a request for reasonable accommodation may be able to grant the request immediately. Absent extenuating circumstances, the requested accommodation should be granted or denied within 30 business days from the date the decision maker receives the initial request. However, the 30-business day timeline is paused pending receipt of the requested medical information or supporting documentation from the requester or a health care provider. Once the information has been received, the timeline resumes.

Medical Information:

When the disability and/or need for accommodation is not obvious, the employee or applicant seeking accommodation may be asked to provide appropriate medical information related to the functional impairment and/or limitations at issue and the requested accommodation. Supplemental documentation may be requested when the information already submitted is insufficient to document the disability and/or the functional limitations. The decision-maker should consider providing interim accommodation until medical documentation is received and a final decision is made on a reasonable accommodation. Failure to provide documentation when it has been properly requested could result in a denial of reasonable accommodation.

Reassignments:

Reassignment is the accommodation of last resort and is available only to employees, not applicants. Supervisors/decision makers will consider a reassignment only if no reasonable accommodation is available to enable the individual to perform the essential functions of his/her current position, or if the only effective accommodation would cause undue hardship.

Denial of Requested Accommodation:

Supervisor or Decision makers must inform the DPM and Staff Judge Advocate before denying a request for accommodation or the accommodation requested. The decision maker must provide documentation that demonstrates the effort made to explore, with the requester, other options for accommodation. The command or organization must obtain legal reviews for all proposed denials of reasonable accommodation or the accommodation requested before informing the requester of the denial.

Confidentiality:

The decision maker or any other official who receives information in connection with a request for reasonable accommodation may share information that is confidential and connected with that request with other Army officials only when those other Army officials demonstrate a need to know and that the information will be used solely to make determinations on an accommodation request, or to help the decision maker make a determination.

Resources:

For additional information and resources, visit the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) for the Workplace Accommodation Toolkit at https://askjan.org/toolkit/index.cfm . Visit the Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) website for assistive technology (AT) and services to DoW civilian employees with disabilities and wounded, ill, and injured Service members at https://cap.mil/ .