Persons Affected by Traumatic Brain Injury in the Workplace: Implications for Employee Assistance Programs

Abstract

Employee Assistance Programs often provide behavioral health services to employees. The article discusses issues related to employees affected by traumatic brain injury such as psychosocial challenges that may accompany reentry into the workplace. Strategies that employers may utilize to accommodate such challenges are presented. Implications for practitioners are explored within the context of the Americans with Disabilities Act, disability management, and human resources.

KEYWORDS:

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• disability management program (DM)
• employee assistance program (EAP)
• human resources (HR)
• reasonable accommodations
• social work
• traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Notes

Note. In all cases, the defendant employer asked the court to dismiss the case before it went to a jury trial. The plaintiffs' cases survived dismissal, and the court allowed the plaintiffs to proceed to trial. The actual jury findings or awards are not discussed because the jury outcome has no bearing on the law regarding the ADA and TBI.

Note. Adapted from Attridge and Wallace (2010).