Industry Notes:
Home Health Chain Settles EEOC Disability Lawsuit
Published on Thu Jun 21, 2012
Medicare regulations aren't the only ones you have to worry about violating. Are you sure your managers understand what the Americans with Disability Act allows -- and what it doesn't -- when it comes to terminating employees with health conditions?One multi-state chain has learned that lesson the hard way. Hamilton, Ohio-based home care chain Personal Touch Home Care agreed to pay $35,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the EEOC announced back in April. Personal Touch also agreed to provide training on disability discrimination to its managers and supervisors on southwest Ohio. Personal Touch has more than 50 locations in 13 states, it says on its website.The EEOC accused Personal Touch of firing employee Pamula Calfee because of her disabilities: renal failure, COPD and asthma, according to an EEOC release. Calfee had worked for Personal Touch since 2000 and "had no problems [...]