The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has temporarily suspended the implementation of a recent policy that would have barred employees with disabilities from working remotely as a form of reasonable accommodation. The decision was confirmed through internal communications reviewed by USA TODAY.
Under existing guidelines, employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CDC who had qualifying medical conditions were allowed to work remotely if their health justified it. That changed on August 13, when HHS issued a revised telework policy removing remote work as a valid accommodation.Â
The policy, set to take effect on September 15, was said to align with a directive issued during the Trump administration, pushing federal employees to return to in-person work.
However, on September 19, the CDC halted the enforcement of the new rule. Emails from the agency’s Office of Human Resources instructed staff and supervisors to pause any action related to the telework changes. Managers were informed that the policy was on hold while the CDC sought further guidance from HHS.Â
In messages to staff, some supervisors described the move as a temporary pause pending additional clarification.
The reversal came about due to growing concern from employees and union representatives. According to Yolanda Jacobs, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2883, which represents many CDC workers, employees with long-approved telework accommodations — including those with serious health conditions like multiple sclerosis or high-risk pregnancies — had their permissions abruptly revoked during the week the policy was to be enforced. Some were given less than a day’s notice to return to the office.
The union called the policy change a major civil rights concern, citing protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. While those laws mandate reasonable accommodations for workers with disabilities, the specific legal standing of telework as an accommodation remains complex and unsettled.
The CDC has not yet announced a timeline for a final decision on the telework policy, and both the CDC and HHS have been asked for further comment.
