Personal Assistance Services

Personal Assistance Services (PAS) are "assistance with performing activities of daily living that an individual would typically perform if he or she did not have a disability, and that is not otherwise required as a reasonable accommodation, including, for example, assistance with removing and putting on clothing, eating, and using the restroom."  PAS:

• do not help individuals with disabilities perform their specific job functions, such as reviewing documents or answering questions that come through a call-in center;
• differ from services that help an individual to perform job-related tasks, such as sign language interpreters who enable individuals who are deaf to communicate with coworkers, and readers who enable individuals who are blind or have learning disabilities to read printed text.
• differ from medical services and services that are typically performed by someone who often has the job title of "personal assistant.” 
• are non-medical services such as helping an individual take off and put on a coat, eat, and use the restroom.  These services are needed by individuals whose specific disabilities make it difficult for them to perform such activities on their own.  

Federal agencies, as an aspect of affirmative action, are required to provide PAS to employees who need them because of a targeted disability unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the agency.

• FAQ about PAS answers some of the most common questions about the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s new regulatory requirement for federal agencies to provide PAS.
• Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 makes it illegal to discriminate against a qualified person with a disability in the federal government and to retaliate against a person because the person complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit.
• TTB adopts the Department of the Treasury’s PAS Policy and Procedures.
• Information about Reasonable Accommodation