EEOC Issues Final Regulations To Implement The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued final regulations and Interpretative Guidance to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The PWFA went into effect on June 27, 2023. The PWFA requires that employers with at least 15 employees provide reasonable accommodations, absent undue hardship, to qualified employees and applicants with known limitations related to, affected by, or arising out of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.

The PWFA required the EEOC to publish final regulations by December 29, 2023. However, the EEOC did not issue final regulations until today, April 15, 2024. The final regulations are slated to be published in the Federal Register on April 19, and will go into effect 60 days after publication. The final regulations were issued after over 100,000 public comments were submitted in response to the proposed regulations.