“The contractor vaccine mandate is the talk of the government contracting community. As contractors scramble to understand the ins-and-outs of the new requirement, my colleagues and I are seeing some of the same misconceptions repeatedly arise.”
“Without further ado, here are five common misconceptions about the contractor vaccine mandate, and the actual rules you should know in regards to each.
- Misconception: the vaccine mandate automatically applied to all prime contractors and subcontractors on October 15 (or will automatically apply to all contractors and subcontractors on November 14).
The vaccine mandate does not apply automatically. Instead, a contractor becomes subject to the mandate when an implementing clause is included in a prime contract or subcontract (including lower-tier subcontracts) … - Misconception: the vaccine mandate does not apply to employees who work from home.
Some contractors assume that the vaccine mandate does not apply to work-from-home employees. In fact, unless an employee is entitled to an accommodation or works outside of the United States and its outlying areas, the vaccine requirement applies to any employee who works “on or in connection with” a covered contract or subcontract, even if the employee works from home… - Misconception: the government will consider (and approve or reject) an employee’s requests for medical or religious accommodations.
An employee may be entitled to an accommodation (essentially, an exception) from the vaccine mandate if required by applicable employment law, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. Understandably, some contractors assume that if an employee seeks an accommodation, the contractor should forward the request to the government for a decision.
Except in unusual circumstances, the contractor – not the government – is responsible for determining whether an employee is entitled to an accommodation…” Read the full article here.
Source: Five Things You Should Know: Common Misconceptions about the Contractor Vaccine Mandate – By Steven Koprince, October 27, 2021. SmallGovCon.
