integrated disability management
The Office of Workplace Equity (OWE) supports departmental HR in their Integrated Disability Management efforts, focusing on a proactive approach for providing reasonable accommodations for employees in need.
The Office of Workplace Equity (OWE) supports departmental HR in their Integrated Disability Management efforts, focusing on a proactive approach for providing reasonable accommodations for employees in need.
Through our Integrated Disability Management program, the OWE coordinates the City’s Reasonable Accommodation (RA) efforts in the following means: developing RA policies and procedures, providing advice to departmental HR on complex RA matters (routine RA matters are handled by departmental HR), spearheading the City’s Disability Support Specialist Network, collaborating with the Return-to-Work Working Group, coordinating with the Worker’s Compensation unit where appropriate, and administering the Citywide Placement program.
The OWE supports departmental HR teams on matters related to eligibility for and administration of Family Medical Leave (FML). Department HR teams are available to support employees who have questions about their requested Family Medical leave(s).
Employee eligibility to take Family Medical leave is protected by law, explained in City policy, and is specified in the Memorandum of Understanding applicable to an employee seeking a leave.
You should work with your supervisor and departmental HR representative to plan for your time away from work:
You can contact your departmental HR rep or OWE at any time to ask questions about what leave you may be entitled to.
The Office of Workplace Equity designed the City’s Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Process as an on-going effort to ensure, to the maximum extent possible, that employees with disabilities are provided with the reasonable accommodations necessary to enable them to perform their jobs effectively. The RA Process was designed to be user friendly for departmental disability support specialists and transparent to employees in need of reasonable accommodation in order to address the wide range of issues that could arise during the interactive dialogue and reasonable accommodation assessment.
The OWE plays a support role in the City’s Reasonable Accommodation efforts through our Integrated Disability Management Program, which has outlined RA policies and procedures for most RA-related issues. Departmental HR Staff remains the initial point of contact for employee RA needs, with the OWE serving in an advisory role on complex matters.
For more information, please visit the City’s reasonable accommodation site.
The Office of Workplace Equity assists Departments in exploring reasonable accommodation options through potential alternative positions outside of the employee’s original department when an employee with a disability is unable to be accommodated in a position within their employing department. If departments are unable to identify an alternative position for an employee with a disability who is unable to be accommodated in their regular position, please contact the Citywide Placement Officer at per.placement@lacity.org.
Each Department is required to identify a Disability Support Specialist (see
PE-1). Disability Support Specialists are tasked with serving as the initial point of contact for employees with disabilities who seek or require a reasonable accommodation to perform their work duties. Disability Support Specialists (and other human resources staff within each Department or Office) are required to engage in a timely, interactive, and good faith effort when presented with a request for an accommodation by an employee or job applicant.
The Office of Workplace Equity offers regular training, support, and advice to Disability Support Specialists on matters related to Reasonable Accommodation.
The Return-to-Work Working Group is a collective partnership between the Office of Workplace Equity, various Department Personnel Officers, and our labor partners to establish paths and means to support employees who are returning to work after a medical-related leave of absence.