Need help/advice with my Reasonable Accommodation
Hello all. I’m an air traffic controller in the FAA. I submitted a reasonable accommodation back in October due my lower back herniated discs causing distracting pain when I sit down for extended periods of time. I have already gotten injections that offered small relief but didn’t fix my core disability. I can’t get continuous injections either. I am pain free and not limited in any capacity as long as I’m standing or allowed to stand as needed. Problem is my current facility is a seated radar facility. I requested reassignment to a tower facility 10 miles away where it’s essentially required to stand while working airplanes.
I have a civil rights specialist assigned to my case along with a decision maker. Last I heard from anyone was my civil rights specialist back in early January where I had to submit medical documentation for the RA.
I know there has been a couple shutdowns and a huge reduction in the workforce within the last two years but I feel like this timeline is egregiously slow. I’ve reached out to my civil rights specialist via email back in March and have called his office number a couple of times last two weeks and I can’t get ahold of anyone. Fortunately I am able to work a position within my facility that doesn’t require sitting down so much so I haven’t needed any leave or been medically DQ’d. But I can’t work that position forever.
Does anyone have any info or insight into this? There isn’t much RA discussion that doesn’t involve remote work so I feel almost on an island here and my union doesn’t really have a say in this in the moment. I haven’t even started the interactive process yet. I also know reassignment is of last resort but the nature of my disability and the work I do makes it the only possible outcome (and my preferred one).