Significant Changes Proposed to AA Regulations for Individuals with Disabilities
On December 9, 2011, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) recommending revisions that strengthen Federal regulations implementing the non-discrimination and affirmative action regulations of section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.
Proposed changes include:
- Establishing a 7% hiring goal for individuals with disabilities in each AAP job group
- Specifying a minimum number and the nature of outreach efforts designed to attract applicants with disabilities
- Implementing new data collection and recordkeeping requirements
- Requiring pre-offer and post-offer self identification for applicants and employees with disabilities, as well as self-identification of all employees annually, using form language dictated by the OFCCP
A link to the NPRM can be found here. You may submit comments electronically by visiting Regulations.gov. The comment period deadline is February 7, 2012.
As the rule is still at the proposed stage, no action is required at this time. However, outreach to individuals with disabilities continues to be a major focus in OFCCP compliance evaluations and should be a component of your recruiting strategy.
