Interactive Process: What to Expect

Our DMS team is staffed by experienced disability management professionals guiding employees and their departments through the process of evaluating and implementing reasonable accommodations in accordance with federal and state laws, as well as UC policies and collective bargaining agreements. This dialogue, facilitated by DMS, is referred to as the interactive process.

During the interactive process, reasonable accommodations are evaluated on an individualized basis, with consideration given to both an employee’s work restrictions and the department’s business needs. The DMS Analyst assigned to facilitate the interactive process will be providing guidance to you and your department, with this in mind.

Your DMS Analyst will work closely with you and those knowledgeable about the workflow in the department to better understand the aspects of your job and how your job duties contribute toward the mission of the department and University. When engaging in the interactive process, your DMS Analyst may have confidential discussions with you, as well as your department.

The interactive process will also include collaborative discussions including you and your department.  This discussion will be facilitated by your DMS Analyst, and the goal of these discussions is to come to agreements that will meet your needs and the needs of the department.

In addition to the dialogue between department and employee, your DMS Analyst may need to request clarifying information from your healthcare provider. This is necessary because healthcare providers may request accommodations on behalf of their patients, without explaining the functional limitations that resulted in the requested accommodation, and it is important that all accommodations are based on the presence of specific functional limitations. Functional limitations are also referred to as work restrictions. We request this information by giving you a letter for your health care provider to complete. 

At the onset of the process, you will be given an Employee Guide to the Interactive Process for additional information regarding the differences between functional limitations, requested accommodations, and task limitations.

A note from a healthcare provider solely requesting an accommodation is insufficient for the interactive process to move forward.  For example, a note that reads "Remote work only" or "day shift only".

Accommodations are considered based on the presence of functional limitations and a note solely identifying a requested accommodation does not tell us what is limiting an employee from performing their essential functions. Essential functions refer to the specific job tasks necessary for an employee to meet the expectations of their job. We determine what job functions are essential by getting feedback from you and your supervisor or manager and reviewing the job description..

After we have confirmed the essential job functions and your functional limitations, the employee, DMS and the department will engage in an interactive dialogue evaluating all  viable accommodation options. Often, there may be more than one reasonable accommodation to address functional limitations. All reasonable accommodations, including a requested accommodation, will be considered as part of the interactive process in an effort to implement the accommodation that best supports both the employee’s needs and the needs of the department.