• Equal Employment and Affirmative Action

It is the policy of Avenue Home Care that all hiring, placements, promotions, and other personnel-related activities will be consistent with federal and state Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action regulations. The agency will provide equal employment opportunity to all without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, disabled veteran or Vietnam Era Veteran Status, race, creed, religious affiliation, color, national origin or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical handicap unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

The agency expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of agency employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated.

• Disability Accommodation

It is the policy of Avenue Home Care to provide equal access and opportunity to agency employees and potential employees with physical or mental disabilities in compliance with federal and state law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (ADAAA). The agency prohibits discrimination based on disability in both the application process and during employment.

An employee or prospective employee with a disability that impacts their ability to perform their job should contact their supervisor or agency official to assess whether a reasonable accommodation may be available to help the employee perform the essential functions of his or her job. An accommodation that causes undue financial hardship on the agency or endangers the health or safety of other employees or clients is not considered reasonable accommodation.

The employee shall provide information as necessary, which may include evidence from health care providers, and cooperate with attempts to provide reasonable accommodation. Agency employees with access to such information shall maintain confidentiality to the extent that is reasonably possible and shall not release the information to anyone who does not have a right or need to know.

• Pregnancy Accommodation

Avenue Home Care is committed to protecting the rights of expectant mothers and complying with Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978. It is our policy to treat women affected by pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions in the same manner as other employees unable to work because of their physical condition. We will not terminate any employee or refuse to hire an applicant due to pregnancy or childbirth.

Pregnant employees may continue to work until they are certified as unable to work by their physician. We do not require any employee to take mandatory maternity leave for an unreasonable length of time. If absenteeism due to pregnancy becomes excessive or the pregnant employee becomes incapable of performing normal job duties, they may be required to take maternity leave until capable of performing normal job duties on a regular basis. Prior to requiring maternity leave, the agency will assess whether a reasonable accommodation can be made to allow the pregnant employee to continue working. An employee requiring maternity leave shall provide the agency with a reasonable notice of expected leave date.

An employee returning from maternity leave shall provide a reasonable notice of intent to return to work, and the agency will reinstate the employee as soon as possible. When the employee returns to work, she is entitled to return to the same or equivalent job with no loss of service or other rights or privileges. Should the employee not return to work when released by her physician, she will be considered to have voluntarily terminated her employment with the agency.

Note: Employers with 15 or more employees are required to comply with the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII states that discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions is a form of sexual discrimination. Check your state laws for any additional requirements.

• Lactation Accommodation

For up to one year after a child’s birth, any employee who is breastfeeding her child will be provided reasonable break times as needed to express breast milk for her child.  The employee shall work with their supervisor to determine how to best accommodate these needs while still accomplishing her job.

Women may use their break and lunch period to express milk and personal leave may be used to express milk, if needed. Breaks to express milk should not last longer than 30 minutes. If an employee needs to take more than two breaks during the workday to express milk, the employee will need to use personal leave.

• Immigration Law Compliance

Avenue Home Care does not discriminate based upon citizenship or national origin, but we are committed to employing only United States citizens and aliens authorized to work in the United States. In compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act, we verify the eligibility of each new employee, as a condition of employment, to work in the United States. The employee must complete the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. If an employee fails to produce the necessary proof according to applicable federal and state laws, their employment may be postponed.