Posted on 12/16/2005 12:28:32 PM PST by Abathar
INDIANAPOLIS -- A federal jury has awarded a Pendleton man $78,000 in back pay, saying he was discriminated against because he is diabetic.
Gary Branham works for the Internal Revenue Service. His promotion was rescinded after he listed insulin as a medication during a health screening for the job.
The IRS feared he could go into diabetic shock while on the job, which required him to carry a gun.
Branham's attorney said discrimination against diabetics stems from misunderstanding about its treatment. But he said advances in treatment allow diabetics to control their illness.
Although Branham won money in his lawsuit, he won't be able to get the promotion. The age limit for the applicants to the position is 37 and Branham is now 41.
What branch of the IRS carries weapons?
The branch that takes care of those who don't file their returns on time.
I believe there are almost 500 federal agencies or departments that are armed.
Age discrimination is illegal.
Moreover, why do IRS agents (accountants) carry guns?
The material you posted in response #1 is from the Indianapolis Star, a Gannett publication. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1111944/posts
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In most cases, but not with the government. You can forget a career with the Office of the Inspector General if you're over 35 years of age. They just won't take you. And that's policy.
Enforcement
Must be the branch of the IRS that took a woman to court over $1 in back taxes.
Just my luck it'll be the branch that comes after me.
Lots of different things can happen if a diabetic goes low -- depends on the person, and on what he's been eating and doing. My son is well-controlled, but still goes low from time to time. Most diabetics do -- any number of factors can contribute, including stress.
I have to agree with the IRS on this one -- in a job like the one in question, which is high-stress, you really can't take chances on a somewhat unpredictable physical malady making them unable to perform when they need to. It's just asking for trouble.
My son gets angry when his blood sugars are too high. He never gets mad when he goes low. Interesting.
My son definitely gets angry when he's high, but he can get irritable when he's low. Some folks say that they get really mean when they're low, though I've never seen that.
I don't think the issue is a matter of temper, however, so much as it is the possibility of being incapacitated by a low at a bad time.
Sounds like his boss made a stupid move (or defense counsel lacked adequate skills.) I dealt with a suit brought by a cop (who obviously carried a gun) who said he was discrimated against because he is diabetic. We ended up winning because a federal judge agreed that his diabetes was not a physical disability which substanitally limited a major life activity.
Bad journalism! What part of a diabetic shock would require anyone to carry a gun?
The honest ones.
Air Traffic Controllers also have an upper limit for initial hires.
Odd. I'm diabetic (result of pancreatic cancer) but I do not experience anything even remotely close to anger when my blood sugar drops. I may get irritable, but that's to be expected when your energy level drops to nil, your heart starts racing and you start sweating like it's 120 in the shade. That sort of thing rarely happens since I can carry my glucose monitoring kit, testing strips, and a few glucose tablets in my shirt pocket.
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