Employee Disability Management Services (EDMS) is comprised of Disability Management Consultants whose discipline is focused on reducing the impact of disability on employees and on their departments. This discipline involves FOUR main areas:
- disability discrimination in employment;
- job accommodations;
- facilitating the interactive process;
- ensuring organizational compliance and providing training.
EDMS Consultants facilitate the interactive process. This is an ongoing dialogue conducted in good faith between the employee (or applicant) and appropriate department management about possible options for reasonably accommodating the employee’s disability. The Interactive Process leads to a determination about whether job modifications can be made which enable the employee to continue to perform the essential functions of their job.
A disability may be a physical or mental condition that impairs performing major life activities. EDMS Consultants work with the employee in understanding their functional limitations and how those limitations affect performing essential job functions. When describing functional limitations in the workplace, health care providers often use the term “work restrictions”.
A reasonable accommodation is any appropriate measure that would enable an applicant or employee with a disability to perform the essential functions of their job. An employee’s job may be modified temporarily during the employee’s recovery from a medical condition or disability. If there is no reasonable accommodation for the employee’s own position on a permanent basis and if the employee is interested in reassignment, an alternate job search may be conducted to identify a suitable vacancy.
The cornerstone of Disability Management is the process of reducing absenteeism in the workplace that arises from a disabling condition. The process includes implementing a return to work/stay at work program that reduces the duration, treatment and costs of disabilities, while minimizing lost workdays. Injured and ill employees are encouraged to transition back to work and develop an "able" mindset rather than a "disabled" one. The TRTW (Transitional Return to Work) Program serves to mitigate the impact of employee absences.
In addition to facilitating the job accommodation process, the EDMS Disability Management Consultants provide guidance to department leadership about compliance with Federal and State laws as well as with UC policies.
EDMS provides services for Faculty, Staff, Postdoctoral Scholars and Residents for Campus and the David Geffen School of Medicine. For information on services, consulting and training, please send an email to RTWmail@irm.ucla.edu
