Employers Can't Discriminate Against Disabled Employees

According to the EEOC, Air Evac EMS, an emergency air medical transportation services company headquartered in O’Fallon, Missouri, operating more than 150 helicopter air ambulance bases across 15 states, will pay $59,000 and furnish other relief, settling a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC’s suit charged Air Evac with violating federal law when it rescinded an applicant’s job offer because of potential side effects of the applicant’s prescription medication. Air Evac offered the applicant a position in Cullman County, Alabama in May 2021, but rescinded the offer one month later after learning of the applicant’s prescription through a pre-employment medical screening. Federal law prohibits employers from refusing to hire qualified applicants because of their actual or perceived disabilities.