Wisher v. Coverdell

782 F. Supp. 703, 2 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 115, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1726, 63 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 42,637, 58 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 95, 1992 WL 21804
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedJanuary 27, 1992
DocketCiv. A. 89-2570-K
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 782 F. Supp. 703 (Wisher v. Coverdell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wisher v. Coverdell, 782 F. Supp. 703, 2 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 115, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1726, 63 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 42,637, 58 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 95, 1992 WL 21804 (D. Mass. 1992).

Opinion

OPINION

KEETON, District Judge.

This is a handicap discrimination action under Sections 501 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. On October 7, 1991, ten days before trial was scheduled to commence, defendant filed a motion to dismiss on the ground that plaintiff may not state a claim under either § 501 or § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. A bench trial was held on October 17, 1991. At the start of trial the court stated that it would proceed to conduct the one-day trial, hear closing arguments, and then rule on defendant’s motion to dismiss as appropriate. At the close of the evidence the court gave the parties a *705 briefing schedule with the understanding that the court would decide the action based on the briefs and evidence before the court.

I. Background

The parties have stipulated to the following facts. The plaintiff, Doris Wisher, is a 39 year-old woman. From June 28, 1982 until September 25, 1984, she served in the United States Peace Corps (“Peace Corps”) as a volunteer in Makokou, Gabon, West Africa. Upon completion of her Peace Corps service, plaintiff submitted to the Peace Corps her application to become a United Nations Volunteer (“UNV”). The UNV program utilizes volunteers from countries around the world by placing them in assignments in developing countries. The program was established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1970, maintains its headquarters in Geneva, and is administered by the United Nations Development Program (“UNDP”).

The UNV program requires each volunteer to be sponsored by an agency in the country from which the volunteer is applying. The Peace Corps is the sponsoring agency for American participants in the UNV program, and is responsible for recruiting, selecting, and screening all Americans applying to the program. An applicant for a UNV position must submit both a Peace Corps application and a UNV application to the Peace Corps.

Because an American UNV volunteer receives benefits from both the UNV program and the Peace Corps, the volunteer must meet qualifying standards for both Peace Corps and UNV service, and a volunteer who is selected is sworn in both as a Peace Corps volunteer and a UNV. A UNV receives a monthly living allowance, settling-in grant, housing, basic furniture and utilities and other similar in-country expenditures. The Peace Corps is responsible for paying the UNV’s travel and readjustment allowances, at the same rate paid to Peace Corps volunteers. The United Nations funds all other expenses and allowances arising under the program, including living expenses and in-service medical costs. The Peace Corps will pay for emergency medical evacuations of its sponsored individuals.

After a candidate has submitted the appropriate references and application materials, the Peace Corps determines whether the candidate meets the requirements, exclusive of medical clearance, for UNV service. If the Peace Corps determines that a candidate is suitable for UNV service, it recommends the applicant to the UNV program. If the UNV program accepts the application, the candidate’s name is placed by the program on a Roster for Qualified Candidates. Because of the length of the application process, the Peace Corps does not require a medical clearance examination until after the candidate has been accepted by the UNV program. The acceptance is contingent upon medical clearance.

Medical and dental information submitted by a UNV applicant to the Peace Corps is reviewed by an Occupational Health Nurse. In making the determination for medical clearance, the Occupational Health Nurse utilizes the Peace Corps medical review guidelines (“guidelines”) as a guide. If the Occupational Health Nurse is unable to clear the applicant medically, the case is presented to the Medical Review Board for a case-by-case review and decision. The Peace Corps guidelines indicate that an individual who is diagnosed with chronic hepatitis, type B, is medically unqualified.

Upon receipt of plaintiff’s UNV application, the Peace Corps immediately forwarded it to UNV headquarters in Geneva. On July 4, 1984, plaintiff was notified by UNV headquarters that she was accepted to the Roster of Qualified Candidates for UNV service, contingent upon medical clearance. Between October 1984 and April 1985, plaintiff was nominated for several UNV positions. In particular, in February 1985 the UNDP asked the Peace Corps to sponsor plaintiff for the Mauritania position, subject to medical clearance.

Later that month plaintiff consulted a physician, Richard E. Bryant, to obtain the physical examination for UNV service. On May 3, 1985, as a result of further testing, plaintiff tested positive for hepatitis B sur *706 face antigen and negative for hepatitis E antibodies. Plaintiff was then diagnosed by Dr. Emmet Keeffe to have mild chronic hepatitis B, without evidence of any progression towards scarring or cirrhosis, and with no serious impairment to the liver. She was advised by Dr. Keeffe not to donate blood and to be sure any long term sexual partner was vaccinated.

On May 8, 1985, plaintiff and Paul Knepp, the former Coordinator of the UNV program at the Peace Corps, were advised by the Peace Corps that plaintiff would not be medically cleared based upon the results of Dr. Bryant’s examination and indicated that her name must be withdrawn from UNV consideration. Mr. Knepp thereafter advised the UNDP that plaintiff could not be medically cleared for the Mauritania position.

Because the Occupational Health Nurse was unable to clear plaintiff’s application, plaintiff’s application was referred to the Medical Review Board (“Board”). At the time the Board reviewed plaintiff’s application, the Board was comprised of a medical advisor, the director of nurses and Dr. Philip Pierce, an outside expert medical consultant. After review, the Board determined that plaintiff was not medically qualified and, by letter dated September 17, 1985, the Peace Corps notified plaintiff that her chronic hepatitis B medically disqualified her from service.

On October 9, 1985, upon the appeal of plaintiff, the Board reconsidered its decision to medically disqualify plaintiff. The Board once again denied plaintiff’s appeal because they determined that she was potentially infectious to others and that the Peace Corps should not send such chronically infected individuals to a host country. The Board also stated that they believed her medical situation might progress to cirrhosis and the rate of progression might be unpredictable, and that the countries of potential assignments lack the medical facilities to treat plaintiff. Plaintiff was notified of this final decision on October 10, 1985. On June 21, 1988 plaintiff filed a formal complaint alleging that the Peace Corps violated § 501 and § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act by medically disqualifying her on account of her handicap.

II. Plaintiffs § 501 Claim

Defendant argues that because plaintiff is a volunteer, rather than an employee of the Peace Corps, she cannot state a claim under § 501 of the Rehabilitation Act. Under § 501 a federal agency has an affirmative “duty to structure its procedures and programs so as to ensure that handicapped persons are afforded equal opportunity in both job placement and promotion.” Salmon Pineiro v. Lehman, 653 F.Supp.

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Bluebook (online)
782 F. Supp. 703, 2 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 115, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1726, 63 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 42,637, 58 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 95, 1992 WL 21804, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wisher-v-coverdell-mad-1992.