Prospera, J.J. Keller’s online management tool that advises on the core areas of an human resources program, recently held two live webcast events on regulatory changes affecting the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Presented by J.J. Keller subject matter experts Darlene Clabault, PHR, and Edwin Zalewski, these events were presented to more than 800 participants each.
The webcasts highlighted the changes to the federal regulations for the ADAAA and FMLA, the impact of the changes, and what steps should be taken in order to be in compliance by the effective dates. Attendees were able to ask questions during and after the presentation to gain further clarification on the upcoming regulations from Clabault and Zalewski.
“Because of the ADAAA, employers should re-evaluate their accommodation practices,” Zalewski says. “Previously, employers commonly challenged ADA claims on the grounds that the employee or applicant was not actually ‘disabled’ within the legal meaning. In the future, the focus is expected to be on how the individual was treated, with less focus on the degree of impairment caused by the condition.”
Zalewski says the revised FMLA regulations require more communication between employers and employees. “They also place greater responsibility on employees to provide appropriate notifications and documentation, and allow employers to deny FMLA-protected leave if the information isn’t provided in a timely manner,” he says.
Prospera provides several additional resources to help HR professionals ensure that they are in compliance with these new and existing regulations, including reference documents, court cases that led to the regulatory changes, and forms and interactive features to create new policies and procedures to accommodate these changes and to track FMLA leave.
HR professionals are invited to view the recorded presentations by signing up for a 30-day free no-obligation trial of J.J. Keller’s Prospera. All of Prospera’s webcasts are recorded and made available in the Webcast Archives area of the Learning Center.
