ADA Title 1 Medical Examination Specialist (T1MES)
ADA Title I Medical Examination Specialist (T1MES)
The ADA Title I Medical Examination Specialist (T1MES) designation recognizes the individual who has acquired the knowledge, skill, experience, training, and education to design and administer a medical examination as defined in 42 U.S. Code § 12112 – Discrimination (d) medical examinations and inquiries. Individuals not familiar with ADA Title I terminology often refer to the services rendered under Title I as a “post-offer employment test”, a “function capacity evaluation for return-to-work”, or a “function capacity evaluation for stay-at-work”.
Further, the individual who has earned the T1MES designation has demonstrated the ability to provide plausible recommendations for same-job, same-employer reasonable accommodation given a worker’s abilities as identified through a Title I compliant functional capacity evaluation. The practice standards emanating from enforcement of Title I are the only truly vetted “best practices” found in State workers compensation systems, short or long-term disability program, or the federal Social Security system.
Purpose
The highly specialized T1MES designation was created so that employers and legal counsel can quickly identify rehabilitation professionals who have the combination of considerable work evaluation experience and knowledge of the medical examination standards required for practice under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Rehabilitation professionals who acquire the T1MES designation may identify themselves with the “T1MES” suffix to their professional credentials.
ADA Title I Medical Examination Specialist (T1MES)
Pursuit of the T1MES designation includes 6 months of participation in the Start-Up Lab. Six months of unlimited support demonstrates our commitment to the on-going effectiveness of T1MES designee. In the context of the Lab, “unlimited support” means that we will be there to talk with you by phone or by email during normal business hours to assist in “polishing” your knowledge and application of ADA Title I and Section 503 of the 1973 Rehab Act. Your success supports our mission, the competitiveness of employers, and the lives our families, friends, and neighbors who desire access to the enjoyment of the benefits of employment based on their ability.
In addition to one-on-one support we host twice monthly online meetings with the Lab community to exchange tips about day-to-day best practices, to discuss ideas for resolution of road blocks, and to share important EEOC, federal court, or private suit actions.
Does our commitment look like we “have your back” during your T1MES application process and field work? It should. We take this approach because we know that ADA Title I subject matter creates hundreds of “what if” questions for practitioners. And we know that a simple chat about an issue can save hours of reading, research, and unnecessary effort on your part. A simple pointer in the right direction allows you to get back to managing requests for accommodation, performing medical examinations within the bounds of both Title I and Section 503. We know because we’ve been there!
ADA Title I Medical Examination Specialist
The T1MES Application Process
The T1MES application process includes a personal interview, a written examination exploring your knowledge and understanding of the medical examination portion of Title I of the ADA, and submission of a sample of your current medical examination work product. The oral examination of competency and understanding of ADA Title I consists of ad hoc analysis of federal court cases that address important medical examination concepts.
Resources
Each participant in our training and certification programs receives a copy of Roy Matheson’s “The Americans with Disabilities Act – Title I Case Reference Compendium ”. This resource includes a copy of ADA Title I, a compendium of federal court and EEOC settlement documents pertaining to employment testing “do’s and don’ts”, and an important discussion of “Undue Hardship”, published in the Fordham Law Review by author Julie Branfield. (see: Julie Brandfield, Undue Hardship: Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 59 Fordham L. Rev. 113 (1990). Also available at http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/flr/vol59/iss1/4).
The case reference document is updated from time-to-time with relevant cases or citations. Updates to the document are sent to each student who has participated in a training program and whose contact information is up-to-date in our database.
