Assumption Parish panel weighs broader pre-employment physicals after insurer recommendation

A member of the personnel committee brought forward a recommendation from LWCC to expand pre-employment screening to document preexisting conditions and reduce workers' compensation claims. The suggestion ranged from adding spine x-rays — which staff cited at roughly $225 per view — to using a $125 job-specific functional test performed at a wellness center in Thibodaux.

Staff described the parish's current practice as a basic family-doctor physical with a later post-hire medical questionnaire, and said a more stringent, parish-designed form could be used to document conditions. "It's a doctor's opinion," staff said, noting the parish cannot access an applicant's full medical history and that any new form would still depend on external medical providers.

Several jurors questioned the value and legality of broader pre-employment testing. One juror said the change "just seems like a discrimination issue," arguing the insurer might be shifting responsibility to the employer to verify preexisting conditions rather than screening claims after an injury. Staff repeatedly framed expanded testing as primarily a documentation tool to help defend future workers' compensation claims, not as a basis to exclude applicants from hiring.

Committee members discussed alternatives, including strengthening job descriptions, instituting on-the-job functional checks, and relying on the 60-day probationary period to evaluate fit. No policy was adopted at this meeting; staff were asked to research costs and legal implications and to refine options for a future meeting.