Highly skilled epidemiologists and analysts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received a late-night on email Sept. 15 that prior approvals for long-term telework, including even reasonable accommodations for the disabled, were revoked, pending clarification of an August Health and Human Services policy update.

The decision followed a January order directing agencies to end most remote work. But disability law does not bend to internal handbooks or political winds.

The CDC's move triggered immediate questions under the Rehabilitation Act's requirement for individualized assessments and an interactive process, not blanket rules. After strong pushback from unions, the CDC walked back this initiative, at least for now.

The overarching policy is a major lawsuit waiting to happen, for which taxpayers will pay in the form of higher damages and turnover costs. And that is before we even consider that the federal record shows that well-run remote work delivers measurable benefits.

Federal agencies cannot replace individualized dialogue with a one-size-fits-all edict when an employee requests accommodation. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's own guidance states that working from home may be a reasonable accommodation when job duties allow it, and that employers must assess each request on a case-by-case basis, not by category. Executive Order 13164 requires every agency to maintain effective written procedures for processing accommodation requests, a point reinforced in the commission's policy guidance and its

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