CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) – Presence Health, the largest Catholic health care system in Illinois, will pay $500,000 over allegations it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced.
Presence Health allegedly committed disability discrimination by failing to return employees on medical leave to their positions or reassigning them to other positions for which they qualified. Instead, according to EEOC charges, the organization terminated the employees or put them on disability leave.
"This resolution is an excellent result for all of Presence Health, including former employees who will receive compensation, and current employees who we expect will see improved leave and accommodation processes," Julianne Bowman, director of EEOC's Chicago District Office, said. "We are pleased that Presence Health was willing to work with EEOC to improve its ADA compliance practices, and we are confident that by doing so Presence will be rewarded by retaining experienced and dedicated employees."
Presence Health denied the allegations but agreed to conciliate. The deal included monetary relief and an agreement to conduct annual ADA training at three of its Chicagoland locations.