Washington: Pregnant Employees Must be Accommodated Regardless of Disability
APPLIES TO All Employers with WA Employees |
EFFECTIVE July 23, 2017 |
QUESTIONS? Contact HR On-Call |
Washington’s Health Starts Act (the “Act”) imposes new obligations on employers with pregnant employees. In a departure from the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), the Act requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant employees regardless of whether or not the employee is disabled by their pregnancy. The Act provides a list of reasonable accommodations employers may need to provide, and includes other important restrictions on medical certification and the “undue hardship” exemption.