By Mike O’Brien bio
On Dec. 16, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its COVID-19 guidance to include a section devoted to vaccinations. The EEOC’s guidance answers these and other COVID-19 vaccine questions:
- “Is asking or requiring an employee to show proof of receipt of a COVID-19 vaccination a disability-related inquiry?”
- “If an employer requires vaccinations when they are available, how should it respond to an employee who indicates that he or she is unable to receive a COVID-19 vaccination because of a disability?”
- “If an employer requires vaccinations when they are available, how should it respond to an employee who indicates that he or she is unable to receive a COVID-19 vaccination because of a sincerely held religious practice or belief?”
- “What happens if an employer cannot exempt or provide a reasonable accommodation to an employee who cannot comply with a mandatory vaccine policy because of a disability or sincerely held religious practice or belief?”
For the EEOC’s answers to these vaccination questions, and more, see Section K of the EEOC’s COVID-19 guidance, available at the following link: What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (eeoc.gov).
For additional guidance, and some helpful vaccination policy language, we recommend that you consult SHRM’s COVID-19 Vaccination Resources page here.
