Questions and Answers: Enforcement Guidance on Disability-Related Inquiries and Medical Examinations of Employees Under the ADA

SCOPE AND MANNER OF INQUIRIES AND EXAMINATIONS

May an employer have an employee who is requesting a reasonable accommodation examined by its own health care provider? (Question 11)

• In some instances, yes. If the employer has explained what type of documentation is needed, and the employee fails to provide it or provides insufficient documentation, the employer may require the employee to see a health care professional of the employer's choice.
• Even where an employee initially provides insufficient documentation, however, the employer should consider asking the employee's health care provider for additional information before requiring an examination by the employer's health care professional. This is because an employee's health care provider frequently is in the best position to provide information about the employee's limitations.

May an employer have an employee who it reasonably believes will pose a direct threat examined by its own health care provider? (Question 12)

• Yes. This is because the employer is responsible for assessing whether an employee poses a direct threat based on a reasonable medical judgment that relies on the most current medical knowledge and/or best objective evidence.
• The health care professional the employer chooses should have expertise in the employee's specific medical condition and be able to provide medical information that allows the employer to determine the effects of the condition on the employee's ability to perform his or her job.
• If the employer's health care professional believes that the employee poses a direct threat, but the employee's own doctor disagrees, the employer should evaluate the conflicting medical information by considering, for example, the area of expertise of each medical professional; the kind of information each provided; and, whether the information provided is consistent with the employer's own observations of or knowledge about the employee.