Seattle Police Manual

3.200 – Limited Duty Assignment

Effective Date: 3/2/2011

PURPOSE

The Department recognizes the occasional need for temporarily assigning an employee who is experiencing a short-term disability to a “limited-duty” assignment. During the period of the temporary assignment, the employee so assigned will be expected to perform all of the duties of the limited-duty assignment.

I. Definitions

A. Limited-duty assignment: An assignment which may not require the employee to perform all of the duties normally required by the Department for the employee’s particular rank or job classification. Such assignments are not specifically reserved for temporarily disabled employees and may be filled by employees as regular assignments, based on the needs of the Department.

1. Employees who are working in a limited-duty assignment are not allowed to work for secondary employers.

B. Short-term disability: A physical or mental disability which a qualified physician or psychologist has determined will temporarily prevent the employee from performing all of the duties of the position to which they are normally assigned. Such disability, however, may not prevent the employee from temporarily performing in an appropriate limited-duty assignment.

C. Temporary assignment: For the purpose of this manual section, the assignment of an employee with a short-term disability to a limited-duty assignment for a period not to exceed sixteen (16) weeks (per SMC Chapter 4.10 the sixteen week limit does not apply to pregnant employees).

II. Responsibilities

A. The employee who has incurred a short-term disability shall be responsible for:

1. Requesting a limited-duty assignment in writing to their Bureau Chief.

2. Providing all forms and statements necessary to justify such an assignment.

3. If so assigned, providing progress reports, as requested by the Employment Services Lieutenant.

B. The Bureau Chief of the employee requesting a limited-duty assignment shall be responsible for providing to the Director of Human Resources:

1. A written request verifying the need for such an assignment.

2. All required forms and statements furnished by the employee.

C. The Employment Services Lieutenant shall be responsible for the monitoring, coordinating, and processing of all limited-duty assignments.

D. The Director of the Human Resources Bureau and the employee’s Bureau Chief shall be responsible for the approval of limited-duty assignments.

III. Limited Duty Requests

A. Requests for a limited duty assignment may be made by any employee who has incurred a short-term disability. If an employee returns from extended sick requesting their Sergeant put them on a limited-duty status (with or without an APF), the Sergeant shall send the employee back home. Limited-duty status can only be obtained by adherence to the following:

1. Requests shall be in written form, addressed to the employee’s Bureau Chief, and sent through the chain of command. The written request shall include:

a. Identification and brief history of the employee’s disability.

b. A statement explaining why the disability justifies assignment to a limited-duty assignment.

c. An attached Insurer Activity Prescription Form (APF) from the employee’s attending physician describing the disability, the limitations it causes, a prognosis stating an approximate date of recovery, and a statement indicating the employee is medically qualified to perform in a limited-duty capacity.

2. Upon receiving a request for a limited-duty assignment, the employee’s Bureau Chief shall forward the employee’s request and their Insurer Activity Prescription Form (APF) to the Director of Human Resources and include a brief Memorandum verifying the need for the assignment.

3. If a Bureau Chief requests that an employee with a short-term disability be as-signed to a limited-duty assignment, such request shall be in writing. This request should state the purpose and duties of the assignment.

4. Upon receiving the three required documents, the Director of Human Resources shall have the Employment Services Lieutenant evaluate the request for an assignment and identify suitable limited-duty assignments. In evaluating the request, the Employment Services Lieutenant shall:

a. Evaluate the disabled employee's ability to perform the duties of the limited-duty assignments available.

b. Determine whether the proposed work is a productive function and the Bureau Chief of the unit of assignment has clearly justified the need for such work.

c. Ensure the period of assignment will not require the employee to exceed the maximum time allowable for a limited-duty assignment.

5. Upon completion of the evaluation, the Employment Services Lieutenant shall make a written recommendation to the Director of Human Resources supporting or rejecting the request.

6. The Director of Human Resources and the employee’s Bureau Chief shall re-view the recommendation along with the supporting documents and approve or disapprove of the limited-duty request.

IV. Reporting

A. The Employment Services Lieutenant shall monitor the condition of the disabled employee during the limited-duty assignment. To facilitate the monitoring activity, the employee shall be responsible for submitting a physician’s report on their progress every two weeks, or as otherwise required by the Employment Services Lieutenant.

B. For timekeeping purposes, limited-duty assignments shall be recorded on the daily time sheet as "LD".

C. Both Human Resources and the light-duty receiving unit shall submit employee LD status change information via PEDS.

D. When the employee is ready to return to their regular assignment, they must obtain an APF, signed by their attending physician, stating that the employee may return to full duty without restrictions. The employee should notify their Light Duty Sergeant with their updated status and then report to their permanent unit of assignment with their APF. The employee’s immediate sergeant shall forward the APF (Insurer Activity Prescription Form) to the Employment Services Lieutenant and ensure a status change is submitted via PEDS.

V. Review

A. If it appears that the disability of an employee assigned to a limited-duty assignment will persist beyond the estimated date of recovery, the Employment Services Lieutenant shall review the employee’s case and determine what other alternatives should be pursued. The Employment Services Lieutenant’s recommendation shall be approved by the Director of Human Resources.

B. If an employee assigned to limited-duty changes status back to extended sick, the Light Duty Sergeant will ensure their updated status is reported via PEDS.