What is the name of your state? VA
In August 2002, I suffered a back injury at work in which my office chair (the chair had been repaired once and my weight exceeded its recommended capacity) collapsed and threw me to the floor. I was out of work for a few days and was under the care of a doctor. Also, my workers' compensation claim was approved. Upon my return to work, I was asked to fly overseas for a project I've been working on for over a year. I agreed, but asked that I could fly first class to accommodate my back injury. My organization declined stating it wasn't a reasonable accommodation at the the funding agency (a federal agency) would not approve a first class flight.
At that point, I decided to get a doctor's note requesting such accommodation and my organization gave me a specific date to obtain such notice. I obtained the note before the deadline date. However, in the interim, my organization reassigned the job task to a colleague of mine who did not have any expertise in such task. Further, his salary was greater than mine was in that the cost of an upgraded fare plus my salary would have been comparable to the cost of this employee's participation.
After this incident, I never worked on that assignment again. Also, I did not receive any future work assignments in that division. The division director did send me an e-mail expressing her desire to continue working with me with this project. However, my direct management told me later that the division director was not interested in working with me.
Further, I was forced to return to the office to work (I was working at home under light-duty classification) by my boss. It was customary for my colleagues and I to work at home. However, the organization did not provide an adequate chair until a day later. I had to sit in a chair that clearly was uncomfortable and did not accommodate my weight.
Was my organization obligated to provide such accommodation (upgraded flight class) or was such a request considered unreasonable? Should I have been replaced on such work assignment if I were willing to perform such task; however, with above accommodations?
Jackson
In August 2002, I suffered a back injury at work in which my office chair (the chair had been repaired once and my weight exceeded its recommended capacity) collapsed and threw me to the floor. I was out of work for a few days and was under the care of a doctor. Also, my workers' compensation claim was approved. Upon my return to work, I was asked to fly overseas for a project I've been working on for over a year. I agreed, but asked that I could fly first class to accommodate my back injury. My organization declined stating it wasn't a reasonable accommodation at the the funding agency (a federal agency) would not approve a first class flight.
At that point, I decided to get a doctor's note requesting such accommodation and my organization gave me a specific date to obtain such notice. I obtained the note before the deadline date. However, in the interim, my organization reassigned the job task to a colleague of mine who did not have any expertise in such task. Further, his salary was greater than mine was in that the cost of an upgraded fare plus my salary would have been comparable to the cost of this employee's participation.
After this incident, I never worked on that assignment again. Also, I did not receive any future work assignments in that division. The division director did send me an e-mail expressing her desire to continue working with me with this project. However, my direct management told me later that the division director was not interested in working with me.
Further, I was forced to return to the office to work (I was working at home under light-duty classification) by my boss. It was customary for my colleagues and I to work at home. However, the organization did not provide an adequate chair until a day later. I had to sit in a chair that clearly was uncomfortable and did not accommodate my weight.
Was my organization obligated to provide such accommodation (upgraded flight class) or was such a request considered unreasonable? Should I have been replaced on such work assignment if I were willing to perform such task; however, with above accommodations?
Jackson
