LENO AND ASSOCIATES
Allan Leno
1561-1 Newbury Road #327
Phone: 818-370-8859 ~ Fax: 805-241-0590
E-mail: allanleno@leno-assoc.com
www.leno-assoc.com
Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Leno & Associates provides practical training programs to assist supervisory and management personnel in complying with the requirements of Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as assistance with the mandated interactive process and reasonable accommodation evaluations.
The ADA and FEHA created new, and often confusing, hiring and employment requirements for employers. Employers are required to provide equal employment opportunity for persons with disabilities but the statute and regulations provide little guidance on how this laudable goal should be accomplished while trying to maintain organizational effectiveness.
uWhich employees are covered by the FEHA (ADA)?
uHow does the employer address demands for “reasonable accommodation” that sometimes seem to conflict with essential business needs?
uHow much is the employer expected to spend per accommodation?
Unfortunately, many employers are finding the answers the hard way – after EEOC or DFEH charges or lawsuits are filed.
Training programs are adapted to the employer’s needs. Participants learn ADA and FEHA requirements through practical examples and have the opportunity to raise questions specific to their work environment. Case problems require participants to use information they have learned to identify effective solutions. Cross-training between participants is encouraged and supported through discussion and application of ADA/FEHA requirements to the issues raised during the workshop.
Workshop topics covered include:
FEHA (ADA) definitions and application
ADA – FEHA – Workers’ Comp comparisons
The FEHA-Workers’ Comp connection
Who is qualified – and who is not
Employer rights and obligations
What constitutes a “legal request”
Advantages of modified work
The interactive process
Developing an accommodation
Documenting the process
Problems with co-workers
Performance problems
Each workshop provides six and one half hours of training at an approximate cost of $75—$100 per participant (costs will vary depending on training arrangements). For the cost of one EEOC settled charge ($18,000+), we can train approximately 150 managers and supervisors and help them understand and properly respond to employee ADA/FEHA inquiries and demands. Paying a little for training now can prevent paying substantial sums for litigation later.
Leno & Associates works with employers to establish return to work, interactive process, and reasonable accommodation procedures and to develop temporary light duty and modified work programs that frequently assist in reducing potential ADA and FEHA exposure. These programs can also make substantial contributions to reducing costs associated with lost time (and production), workers’ compensation, recruitment, and training.
Allan Leno has been providing training on the ADA at seminars and workshops nationwide since the law was first implemented in 1992. He serves as Vice President and Treasurer of the National Association of ADA Coordinators, a non-profit organization which promotes understanding of the ADA through its conferences and related educational programs. As a former Vice President for Rehabilitation Services at a leading California workers’ compensation carrier, Allan understands the often delicate relationship between injury and return to work. His thirty years experience as a vocational counselor and insurance executive give him a unique perspective on employer business needs versus employee work limitations. Allan is an emeritus member and former chair of the California Workers’ Compensation Institute (CWCI) Return to Work Committee and has been a featured speaker at many of the Institute’s seminars and workshops.