October 2009

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (“GINA”)

By Debra Reilly on October 6, 2009

According to the EEOC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 ("GINA"), GINA is a federal law that prohibits discrimination in health coverage and employment based on genetic information. GINA, together with already existing nondiscrimination provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, generally…

Reasonable Accommodation: Free Advice to Employers

By Debra Reilly on October 5, 2009

Posted in Disability Discrimination

Are you an employer who has ever wondered how you can possibly accommodate a particular disability of an employee? The disability is just so severe or unusual (or a "mental disability" is involved) that you can think of no way to accommodate it. Never fear–at least not yet. Try calling the Job Accommodation Network…

Throughout her 30-year legal career, Debra L. Reilly has conducted over 900 internal workplace investigations for various counties, municipalities (including police departments and fire departments), water districts, sanitation districts, transportation authorities, public and private elementary schools (K-12), private and public colleges and universities, the United States Postal Service (holding a “sensitive” security clearance by the Postal Inspector’s Office), and a multitude of private sector employers . Debra has conducted employment investigations throughout the United States and California. She has testified in depositions, arbitrations, and trial concerning the findings of her investigations. Given her legal training and litigation experience representing both management and employees, Ms. Reilly’s investigations are impartial, objective, and thorough. Ms. Reilly has also testified as an expert witness in Human Resources standard practices in conducting harassment and discrimination investigations, as well as Human Resources standard practices in conducting reasonable accommodation assessments of disabled employees and engaging in the interactive process.