CDC backtracks on remote work ban for employees with disabilities

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Sept. 19, 2025, 5:57 p.m. ET


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has put on hold a policy change made earlier this week that prohibited workers with disabilities from working from home as a reasonable accommodation, according to internal documents shared with USA TODAY.

Approved employees with qualifying disabilities and medical issues were previously allowed to work from home for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CDC if their condition demanded or justified it. However, a recent HHS telework policy issued on Aug. 13, but not enforced until Sept. 15, repealed that option in what the agencies described as compliance with President Donald Trump’s return-to-work memorandum issued on Feb. 7, as previously reported by USA TODAY.

As of Friday, Sept. 19, the CDC has reversed course on the measure, at least temporarily. In emails reviewed by USA TODAY, employees were told by the CDC Office of Human Resources (OHR) that the implementation of the new policy had been "put on hold" and employees could continue their telework agreements until further notice.

One email from the OHR sent to CDC supervisors and management told them to hold off on taking immediate action on the policy announced last month as the CDC "seeks clarification" from HHS. In one email sent to all staff, a CDC supervisor said he believed the move to be an "interim pause" until HHS provides more information.

USA TODAY had reached out to HHS and CDC for comment.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/09/19/cdc-work-from-home-disabilities/86247587007/

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REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143532861

[SickOfTheOnePct]

1. Yeah, they would have a really hard time defending this...

...when the lawsuits based on the Rehabilitation Act come.

My oldest daughter works for the federal government (not CDC or anything under HHS), and she has a reasonable accommodation to work from home due to her disability, so she didn't have to come into the office when the return to office orders came out.

She is a branch chief, and has nothing but "Outstanding" performance appraisals, so it would be a hard sell, if it came down to it, to claim that she isn't able to accomplish her work due to her reasonable accommodation.

[Bayard]

2. Blatant discrimination against the disabled

Pretty bad when your own government doesn't know the law. On many things.

[Skittles]

3. they know the law

they simply do not care