Press & News

Gerald Maatman Quoted in Business Insurance
"ADA Changes Spark Concerns Over Employment Practices"
10/06/2008

Gerald Maatman was quoted in the October 6, 2008 Business Insurance article, "ADA Changes Spark Concerns Over Employment Practices." The article discussed how legal experts are recommending that employers review their employment practices to ensure they comply with the law that expands protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA Amendments Act).  According to Jerry, "The amendments necessitate that employers will have to go back to the drawing board on job descriptions and protocols to provide reasonable accommodation decisions. The burdens will be significant but well worth the effort in terms of proactive steps to avoid future litigation."

The article also mentioned Jerry's letter to clients on the legislation, which said the law greatly increases the number of people covered by the ADA and in particular, will "shift much of the focus to reasonable accommodation; more precisely, whether an individual with a physical or mental condition is otherwise qualified to perform essential job functions, with or without reasonable accommodation." Jerry explained that employers should review job descriptions, job qualification standards and reasonable accommodation procedures to ensure that they comply with the law and "by so doing, employers can avoid ADA cases altogether, or win those that cannot be avoided."