If an employee mentions anything outside the scope of religion in the request, they are at risk of the request being denied. However, while all but four states mandate the Hib vaccine for day care or pre-K, 10 dont require the pneumococcal shot, and only eight require immunization against rotavirus. Currently, only six states in the country do not allow religious exemptions: In a recent case, a New York judge ruled that religious exemptions would be allowed in the stat regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Religious exemption indicates that there is a provision in the statute that allows parents to exempt their children from vaccination if it contradicts their sincere With COVID-19 mandates rolling For more on fetal cells and the COVID-19 vaccines, see here, here, here and here. Some employees may ask for a religious exemption because they are opposed to abortion and they believe that fetal cells derived from abortions have been used in the development and production of the COVID-19 vaccines. Media reports suggest that employees are asking for religious or religious medical exemptions in significant numbers. Fill out an exemption request form. Although religious exemptions are legally allowed thanks to the EEOC, its very common for employers to be skeptical of a requests legitimacy. On the specific subject of COVID-19 vaccination, numerous religious leaders have encouraged their followers to get vaccinated. This could include scientific data, politics, or health reasons. The list includes the following popular formulations: For Conway Regionals complete list, see here. In the near future, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the North Carolina Division of Occupational Safety and Health (NC OSH) are likely to require most larger employers to adopt a vaccine mandate (see here). Copyright 2009 to Present School of Government at the University of North Carolina. By submitting an appeal letter, you make it possible to take legal action against an employer in the future. The Rush University Medical Center in Chicago has formed a committee to review religious exemption requests from its employees, according to the Washington Post. By not asking whether an employee used a specific medication and merely asking for an attestation that they did not use any of the listed products, Conway Regional avoided making a medical inquiry that would be prohibited under the ADA. Faith-based groups remain ready to play our role, but we need partners," IFYC president and founder Eboo Patel said. Employers have to tread carefully as to not violate the Civil Rights Act but they also cant just grant a religious exemption to anyone who asks. By the way This is not legal advice or personal advice. Reiss says religious exemption requests tend to focus on one or more of the following four issues: Vaccines are linked to abortion. Going through the process of submitting a religious exemption as an employee or accepting requests as an employe can seem complex. If the answer is that it prevents the employee from receiving only some vaccines, the form asks the employee to specify which vaccines they cannot receive and what is different about them. When it came to mandates for public schools and government employees, the exemptions were often automatically built in. Weve provided a request form template for you to download and fill out here.