Outcomes of employment discrimination charges filed under the Americans With Disabilities Act

Objective: The outcomes of employment discrimination charges filed under th e Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) by individuals with psychiatric dis abilities and those with other disabilities were compared, Methods: Data ob tained fi om the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) consisted o f all ADA employment claims closed as of March 31, 1998, Charges were categ orized by whether they were investigated bl the EEOC or by a Fair Employmen t Practice Agency (FEPA). Results: Of the 175,226 charges filed, 83.2 perce nt were closed by March 31, 1998, Of these, 15.7 percent brought some kind of benefit to charging parties, although only 1.7 pet-cent resulted in new hires or reinstatements, Of charges investigated by FEPAs, 23.3 percent led to some benefit, compared with 11.5 percent of charges investigated by the EEOC, Of charges investigated by the EEOC, the median actual monetary bene fit was 85,646. compared with $2,400 for charges investigated by, FEP.-ts. A total of 13.6 percent of charges filed by individuals with psychiatric di sabilities resulted in benefits, compared with a benefit rate of 16 pel cen t for Del sons with other disabilities. The median actual monetary, benefit received by persons with psychiatric disabilities was $5,000, compared wit h $3,500 for those with nonpsychiatric disabilities. Individuals whose char ges were investigated in the first three years of ADA implementation were m ore likely to receive benefits than individuals whose changes were investig ated more recently. Conclusions: Most employment discrimination charges fil ed under the ADA do not result in benefits ol a finding of reasonable cause . Outcomes for people with psychiatric disabilities do not differ substanti ally from those for people with other disabilities.