ALCOAST 172/24 - APR 2024 REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION POLICY CHANGES

R 151643Z APR 24   MID600117354329U
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
TO ALCOAST
BT
UNCLAS
ALCOAST 172/24
SSIC 5350
SUBJ: REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION POLICY CHANGES
A. U.S. Coast Guard Civil Rights Manual, COMDTINST M5350.4E
B. Providing Reasonable Accommodations for Employees and Applicants
with Disabilities, DHS Instruction 259-01-001
C. Employment of Individuals with Disabilities, 29 U.S.C.
Section 791
D. Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (H.R. 2617)
Division II
1. This ALCOAST announces a change to REF (A), specifically
notification requirements and processing times for reasonable
accommodation requests from civilian employees. The change aligns
with REF (B) Department of Homeland Security policy.
2. Decision-makers must acknowledge accommodation requests by
completing form CG-6080, Acknowledgement of Reasonable Accommodation
Request and notifying the servicing Civil Rights Service Provider
(CRSP) within five (5) business days of receipt. Decision-makers
must interact with employees and consider temporary or interim
accommodations while assessing effective long-term accommodations.
3. Requests should be approved or denied within 15 business days but
in no case more than 30 business days from the day the accommodation
is first requested. For any decision that exceeds 15 business days,
the decision-maker will annotate on the CG-6080 the reason why the
request is incomplete and notify the CRSP. If a decision exceeds 30
business days, the reason(s) for the delay and the approximate
timeframe for finalization will be provided to the employee in
writing. If any delay in finalization or implementation is expected,
the employee will be provided an explanation for the delay and
regular written communication about the Coast Guard's progress in
providing the accommodation.
4. If medical documentation is requested by the decision-maker, the
timelines will pause, and resume once the decision-maker receives
the documentation and notifies the CRSP.
5. Decisions must be documented on form CG-6081, Reasonable
Accommodation Decision and Reporting Form, including the reason for
any denial or delays, with a copy to the servicing CRSP.
6. The Coast Guard is committed to accommodating qualified employees
with disabilities at the earliest opportunity per REF (C) and with
pregnancy or related medical conditions per REF (D).
7. This change will be incorporated into future updates to REF (A),
which will be released within the next year.
8. For questions or guidance on processing reasonable
accommodations, contact your Civil Rights Service Provider (CRSP).
9. Additional resources and CRSP listings are available on the
Civil Rights Directorate CGPortal Online page at:
(Copy and Paste URL Below into Browser)

https://uscg.sharepoint-mil.us/sites/cg00h/

10. POC: COMDT (CG-00H-2), Mr. James Ellison, 202-372-4520,
James.M.Ellison@uscg.mil.
11. Dr. Terri A. Dickerson, Civil Rights Director (CG-00H),
sends.
12. Internet release is authorized.