NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Prudential Group Insurance, a business of Prudential Financial, Inc., (NYSE: PRU), today began offering a new service to help employers meet the needs of employees who need accommodation through the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Companies with 500 or more employees can get help from ADAdvocateTM Accommodation Support Services, a new offering which helps remove some of the administrative burden employers face when complying with expanded ADA requirements introduced in 2008. The requirements have been so challenging, that in May the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission published new guidance about how to comply with the law, with a particular focus on its requirements for leave of absences. ADA was initially enacted in 1990 to prevent discrimination based on disability.
Managing ADA’s requirements
“Employers struggle to comply with the ADA and address the needs of employees in the workplace while still maintaining productivity,” said Jake Biscoglio, vice president, absence and disability, for Prudential Group Insurance. “We want to help. ADAdvocate assists employers in cutting through the confusion to develop accommodation plans that help employees, comply with ADA and work for their businesses.”
Employers may choose from three options:
- Full Administration: Adopt a full suite of ADA workplace accommodation support, including compiling medical documentation, interactive discussion support, employee communications, accommodation tracking, monitoring and reporting.
- Assessment-only Referrals: Supplement in-house administration with Prudential’s ad hoc assistance on specific, often complex accommodation requests.
- Leave Only: Get assistance managing ADA leave accommodation requests that may occur when an employee exhausts or is not eligible for Family Medical Leave.
Employers surveyed for Prudential’s report, “Is ADA the New FMLA? Insights on Outsourcing Employer Compliance Support Services,” agreed that having ADA service capabilities are vital, but aren’t sure where to begin or understand ADA’s requirements. For example, a quarter of the respondents say they don’t have processes to help them identify stay at work accommodations, though just about all employers said it’s vital to do so. Surprisingly, five percent of those surveyed said they have no ADA program—or don’t even know if they have one.
“Managing ADA’s provisions requires a specialized staff and we understand most companies don’t have the in-house resources to effectively administer the requirements,” said Terrie Sorensen, vice president of disability product management, Prudential Group Insurance. ”Our experts, including vocational rehabilitation and clinical staff, become part of the employer’s team to relieve an administrative burden, manage workforce productivity and help to minimize the risk of litigation or penalties for noncompliance.”
About Prudential Group Insurance
Prudential Group Insurance manufactures and distributes a full range of group life, long-term and short-term disability and corporate and trust-owned life insurance in the U.S. to institutional customers primarily for use in connection with employee and membership benefit plans. The business also sells critical illness, accident, accidental death and dismemberment and other ancillary coverages and provides plan administrative services in connection with its insurance coverages. Group Insurance coverages strive to facilitate protection from risks that are difficult to predict, thus fostering overall financial wellness for employees and their families.
About Prudential Financial, Inc.
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader with more than $1 trillion of assets under management as of December 31, 2016, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit www.news.prudential.com.
Prudential, the Prudential logo and the Rock symbol are service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Group coverages issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, 751 Broad Street, Newark, N.J.
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