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Sarpy County board tables reasonable-accommodations policy for revision after privacy concerns
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Summary
The Personnel Policy Board on May 21, 2025, discussed the county's proposed reasonable-accommodations policy at length, flagged HIPAA/medical‑record handling language for clarification and voted to table the item so HR can revise the language and return it at a future meeting.
The Sarpy County Personnel Policy Board on May 21, 2025, discussed a proposed reasonable-accommodations policy in detail and voted to table the item so human resources could revise language related to medical‑records handling and HIPAA consent.
Several board members and a public‑health–trained commenter (who identified themselves as an occupational therapist) questioned whether the policy asked for more medical information than necessary for accommodation decisions. The commenter said in practice employers typically receive a healthcare provider’s recommendation letter rather than full medical records and urged that the county treat accommodation documentation as protected medical information to avoid discouraging employees from seeking accommodations.
Jody Riddell (HR director) said the county uses a standard form for accommodation requests, akin to the FMLA form, and that in most cases a medical-provider recommendation or completed form suffices. Riddell and another board member explained that the policy language allows HR discretion to request additional consent to obtain further medical information only if the original documentation is unclear, and that any medical information provided is maintained in a confidential medical file separate from personnel files.
Board members requested clearer, consistent wording that mirrors the county’s FMLA policy on how medical information will be handled and that clarifies the HIPAA-consent request as discretionary, not automatic. The board voted to table the reasonable-accommodations policy so HR can make those clarifications and return the item for future review.
Action: Motion to table was made and seconded; the motion to table carried and the board asked HR to return a revised draft at the next meeting cycle.
Ending: HR will revise the policy to make HIPAA/medical-document handling explicit and consistent with the FMLA policy language, then present the revised policy to the board for further consideration.
