The Office of Personnel Management announced recently that November 9 will be the first day federal agencies can take disciplinary action against employees who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine under President Joe Biden’s mandate. Some employees will be exempt for medical and religious reasons, but that is not necessarily a simple process, nor are those exemptions guaranteed to be approved.
Stephanie Rapp-Tully is a partner and federal employment attorney with Tully Rinckey PLLC’s Washington, D.C. office. She joined the podcast to discuss vaccine policies as the deadline approaches.
“There are only two exemptions, one exemption under the ADA is if you have a medical disability that would prevent you from receiving the vaccine which would follow a reasonable accommodation process. Another exemption that is possible is a religious exemption under Title VII and that is for a sincerely held religious belief that would prevent an employee from receiving the vaccine that will fallow an adapted version of a reasonable accommodation process,” said Rapp-Tully.
