Opinion ID: 1928737
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Background on Recruiting and Hiring Practices.

Text: The ADA provides that a covered entity shall not ... make inquiries of a job applicant as to whether such applicant is an individual with a disability or as to the nature or severity of such disability. 42 U.S.C. § 12112(d)(2)(A); see also Iowa Admin.Code r. 161-8.31(2). However, the ADA does provide an acceptable inquiry. A covered entity may make preemployment inquiries into the ability of an applicant to perform job-related functions. 42 U.S.C. § 12112(d)(2)(B). Based on the statute, the ADA strictly forbids an employer from asking a job applicant about disabilities. The EEOC has offered guidance in explaining these provisions: At the pre-offer stage, an employer cannot ask questions that are likely to elicit information about a disability. This includes directly asking whether an applicant has a particular disability. It also means that an employer cannot ask questions that are closely related to disability.... [However,]... an employer may ask whether applicants can perform any or all job functions, including whether applicants can perform job functions with or without reasonable accommodation. EEOC Compliance Manual § 902, at 5373 (1996). In other words, an inquiry into a job-related function must be narrowly tailored, and it should not be phrased in terms of disability. See 45A Am.Jur.2d Job Discrimination § 564, at 528. As an example, an employer may state its attendance requirements and ask whether an applicant can meet them, but it may not, at the pre-offer stage, ask how many days an applicant was sick. EEOC Compliance Manual § 902, at 5374. Also, an employer may not ask applicants about job-related injuries or workers' compensation history. These questions relate directly to the severity of an applicant's impairments and are likely to elicit information about disabilities. Id. at 5375.