need help with ADA interpretation

I had surgery 9 days ago for nerve damage in my left elbow. It is NOT work-related, at least not specifically to the job I have now, although my job requires a ton of typing.

The surgeon told The Powers That Be at my office that it normally is an 8-week healing process from the type of surgery I had. Work offered me 14 days, which was all the paid time off I had left (Grrrrrrrr).

I am supposed to start back this Friday. They have said they will provide me with voice-activated software so that I can work from home. I just tried driving for the first time today, which wasn't great, so they also offered to reimburse me for bus passes.

Well, I live in the sticks, and the closest bus stop to where I live is a 1.5 mile walk. I work lots of nights, and I am NOT walking 1.5 miles at home at 10 pm in the cold and dark after getting out of a meeting.

I wrote my boss and told her this. She replied that if I couldn't use a bus pass, then I couldn't come back to work till I can drive, because there's no way they would reimburse me for cab fare, even though i live 5 miles from the community I cover. 10 miles roundtrip should be about $10 a shot. Big whoop.

My question is, can they do this to me? They're already f'ing my recovery by making me come back earlier than I"m supposed to. I'm doing better than expected at this point, but I also still need to spend a significant portion of the day with an ice pack and a pillow, elevating my arm.

I realize they have tried to make accommodations for me, but to boot me out with no income until I'm fully healthy is just cruel, IMHO. They'll let me work part-time for a couple of weeks, but they'll only pay me part time too, and I can't afford that either.

Help?!?!

candy

PS: If I ever go out for psych reasons from this job, I can't wait to see what they'll do to me!

I dunno but BUMP

yea they can. because the injury wasn't work related they didn't even have to offer to do the bus pass or even offer the software so you can work from home. jobs only give the amount of time put in. you only had 14 sick days left so thats what they had to give you. If you had been injured on the job you could have been entitled to your jobs workmans compensation insurance. Based on your post it looks to me like you have five choices here-

one stay home and work from home since they are going above what they have to by supplying the home software for you to be able to do that,

two accept their bus pass which they did not have to offer because the injury was not done on the job, and walk to and from the bus stop, or

three accept the bus pass and have someone drive you to and from the bus stop.

or four pay for the taxi yourself. you called the cost a "big whoop" if its no big deal when in terms of work covering it then its no big deal for you to cover that cost either

five - see if there is a co worker willing to have you carpool with them if you help out with the cost of gas

Take care.

Or 6: Apply for temporary disability. See if your company has temporary disability insurance, if not, check to see what your state provides.

i'm not eligible for that b/c i haven't neen there a year yet, and it doesn't kick in for 60 days anyway, at which point i'd be back!

i guess i'm just s.o.l. and have to play by their rules. you would think they would rather have me back healthy.