Reasonable Accommodations and Personal Assistance Services
Purpose
USDA is committed to an inclusive workplace environment where individuals with disabilities can quickly and easily request and obtain reasonable accommodation and personal assistance services.
This website complements Departmental Regulation, 4300-008, Reasonable Accommodation and Personal Assistance Services. It highlights statutory and policy guidance, processes, and procedures to utilize for providing reasonable accommodations to qualified employees and applicants with disabilities and personal assistance services to qualified employees with targeted disabilities.
Background
Under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), (Federal Executive branch agencies follow the Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended, which aligns with the ADA), a reasonable accommodation (RA) is a modification or adjustment to a job, the work environment, or the way things are usually done during the hiring process. These modifications enable an individual with a disability to have an equal opportunity not only to obtain a job but also to successfully perform their job duties to the same extent as people without disabilities.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)’s final rule, 82 FR 654 (PDF, 493 KB), Affirmative Action for Individuals with Disabilities in Federal Employment, amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 CFR § 1614.203 (PDF, 240 KB), and requires Federal Agencies to take steps to gradually increase the number of employees in federal service with disabilities and targeted disabilities, and provide Personal Assistance Services (PAS) to Federal employees who require such services because of their targeted disabilities.
