older adult - medical exam

A Minnesota healthcare system that offers home care and other services has reached a settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after reportedly requiring older workers to undergo screenings not required of others, the federal agency announced Thursday.

The EEOC, after investigating, said that the Hennepin Healthcare System violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and Americans with Disabilities Act by requiring age-related medical exams and screenings for practitioners aged 70 or more years.

April 15, the health system eliminated this practice, which it referred to as its Late Career Practitioner Policy, and agreed to resolve the investigations through EEOC’s conciliation process. That process provides financial compensation to the affected individuals identified by the EEOC, reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs associated with the exams not covered by insurance, and a commitment from HHS that it will not require employees to undergo medical inquiries that violate the ADEA or ADA.

The company also agreed to post an internal notification of the resolution and provide periodic reporting to the EEOC regarding discrimination complaints for the next three years.