EEOC claims employer treated workers' failure to return from FMLA leave as 'voluntary resignation'.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against a Michigan adult care organization, PACE Southeast Michigan, alleging that the company failed to accommodate employees with disabilities who were unable to return to work after exhausting their Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave. The EEOC claims that PACE treated the employees' inability to return to work as voluntary resignation, violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The EEOC is seeking injunctive and monetary relief for the employees and a class of similarly situated employees. The FMLA allows for up to 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave, but the exhaustion of FMLA leave does not necessarily preclude additional leave for employees with disabilities under the ADA. However, federal courts have not always sided with employees in cases involving leave extensions under the ADA. [Extracted from the article]