Different paths to justice: The ADA, employment, and administrative enforcement by the EEOC and FEPAs

Under Title I of the ADA, individuals who believe they have been subjected to disability-based employment discrimination may file an administrative ch arge. This article looks at who files charges, over what issues, and with w hat outcomes in both Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) field o ffices, and state and local fair employment practice agencies (FEPAs). The data for the article are computerized records of all ADA charges filed thro ugh March 31, 1998. The data indicate that individuals who rely on a FEPA t o investigate their charge have a greater likelihood of obtaining a benefic ial outcome than individuals who rely on the EEOC, but proportionately more individuals receiving a beneficial outcome are likely to receive monetary benefits from the EEOC than from a FEPA. Further, those who receive benefic ial outcomes will probably receive greater monetary benefits from charges i nvestigated by the EEOC than from those investigated by a FEPA. Copyright ( C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.