The Columbus City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to cap the number of days an injured or disabled city employee can be on light or restricted duty at 90 days.
Before the decision, city employees could be on light or restricted duty indefinitely, said City Human Resources Director Pat Mitchell. Now, an employee will be required to either resign or, if qualified, take disabled retirement at the end of the 90-day period.
The decision was prompted by the case of a current employee who has been on light duty for an extended period of time, she said. That employee, who is filing for disability retirement, received notification of the new policy today.
The policy change also stipulates that the city does not have to create a job for employees unable to do their jobs. However, the city can transfer them — if a job is available — to another department for light duty, which is usually office work.
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