Overview
- CDC emails and notices say long-term telework is no longer available as a reasonable accommodation, new approvals are paused, and existing agreements will not be renewed.
- HHS confirmed CDC is following department policy and the presidential directive to return to in-person work, with the update taking effect Aug. 13 as CDC awaits further clarification.
- Internal documents reviewed by USA TODAY state telework is capped at two weeks or 80 hours per year per employee with no explicit exemption for disability accommodations.
- Unions representing CDC staff call the change a sweeping civil rights violation and disability lawyers warn a blanket bar on telework may conflict with the Rehabilitation Act’s individualized accommodation requirements.
- Employees report abrupt revocations and short-notice return orders as managers give inconsistent guidance following April cuts to accommodation staff and after the Aug. 8 Atlanta campus shooting and leadership turmoil.