Disability.gov News Feed

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Publishes Final Rule to Help Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange

Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving in Vietnam and other areas will find it easier to access quality health care and qualify for disability compensation under a final rule published in the Federal Register. The new rule expands the list of health problems VA will presume to be related to Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures, which will speed up the application process. VA is adding Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease and expanding chronic lymphocytic leukemia to include all chronic B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia.

U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy Announces Nearly $1 Million in Continued Funding for Youth Center

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy announced that it will award nearly $1 million to continue funding the Youth Technical Assistance Center through the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth. NCWD/Youth helps state and local workforce development systems to better serve youth with disabilities and their families in the areas of education, employment and independent living. Read more about NCWD/Youth and its partners.

2010 National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) Poster Now Available

The 2010 NDEAM poster, Talent has no boundaries: Workforce diversity includes people with disabilities, is now available to order or download online in PDF format. The 2010 NDEAM theme emphasizes the rich diversity and talent that workers with disabilities bring to the workplace.The poster, created by artist Laura Hershey, is available in eight different languages. Read more about National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Sues Two Texas Energy Corporations for Disability Discrimination

The EEOC has filed two recent lawsuits to enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In a suit against ENGlobal Engineering, Inc., the EEOC claims that the company terminated an employee because he was disabled. The employee had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms two weeks after starting work. After taking medical leave, the employee gave the company a doctor’s note stating that he had clearance to return to work. Instead, ENGlobal falsely told him that his position was unavailable. In a suit against DynMcDermott, the company violated the ADA as well, when it refused to hire a job applicant because of his age and his wife’s cancer, which the company’s director assumed would interfere with his ability to do the job.

AirTran Fined for Violating Rules Protecting Air Travelers with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has assessed a civil penalty of $500,000 against AirTran Airways for violating rules protecting air travelers with disabilities. The Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 requires airlines to provide assistance to passengers with disabilities in boarding and deplaning aircraft, including the use of wheelchairs, ramps, mechanical lifts or service personnel where needed. DOT found several violations of the requirement for boarding assistance. In addition, the carrier’s complaint files showed that it frequently did not provide an adequate written response to complaints from passengers.

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Issues Updated "Fly Rights" Consumer Guide

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has released an updated version of Fly Rights: A Consumer Guide to Air Travel, its popular guide to air travelers’ rights. Fly Rights provides air travelers with helpful advice on how to get the best airfare, what to expect when a flight is delayed or canceled and how to avoid travel scams. The guide provides easy-to-read information on federal airline regulations in a number of areas, including accommodating air travelers with disabilities and rules for bumping and baggage compensation. For more information read New Horizons - Information for the Air Traveler with a Disability. New Horizons can also be downloaded in Word format.