His doctors cleared him. The hospital’s screening did not
He had the job. He had a start date. His doctors had cleared him to work. Then the hospital asked about a medical device in his chest - and everything stopped.
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit on September 17, 2026, alleging that MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center and its parent company MedStar Health denied employment to a job applicant because of a disability, refused reasonable accommodations, and conducted an unlawful medical examination under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The applicant has pulmonary hypertension, a condition that affects the circulatory, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems. Before applying for work, he had undergone a procedure to insert a PICC line - an intravenous catheter placed in his chest wall that delivers medication to treat his condition. His healthcare providers cleared him to work.
In late February 2024, according to the complaint, he applied for a registrar position at MedStar's hospital in Clinton, Maryland. The role is sedentary: front-desk reception, collecting information and payment from patients, verifying insurance eligibility, and receiving completed forms.
MedStar offered him the position in March 2024. He accepted. His start date was set for April 8.
Then came what the complaint describes as an "occupational health evaluation." The filing alleges MedStar required the applicant to complete a "pre-placement screening form," during which he disclosed his pulmonary hypertension and noted he might need leave for medical appointments. From there, the EEOC says, MedStar conducted a medical examination, gathered information about his condition and treatment history, and asked questions about his medication and the PICC line.
According to the complaint, MedStar denied him medical clearance and concluded he could not perform the job based on his disability.
The complaint alleges MedStar then told the applicant his healthcare providers would need to remove the PICC line before he could begin work. The filing says MedStar discussed internally whether it could accommodate him by allowing him to keep the device. The hospital told him it was looking into the matter. It never got back to him, the EEOC says.
On March 27, 2024, the complaint alleges, MedStar delivered what it calls its "final decision": the PICC line had to be removed. The start date was pushed to May 20, purportedly to allow time for that procedure. The applicant told MedStar he would consult his own doctors about whether removal was even possible, and that he planned to do so in May. His doctors had not yet determined whether the line could or should come out.
What followed, the EEOC alleges, was a five-week silence. According to the complaint, MedStar did not contact the applicant or engage in any back-and-forth process between March 28 and May 8, 2024.
On May 8, the filing says, MedStar reached out to ask whether the applicant would start work on May 20 - despite having imposed requirements that made that impossible. He reminded them of the situation. MedStar did not reply. On May 14, the complaint alleges, the hospital contacted him again with the same question. He again reminded them their own decision prevented him from starting. MedStar confirmed that was correct.
Later that day, according to the filing, MedStar contacted him a third time, now demanding an answer by the following morning. The applicant confirmed what MedStar already knew: he could not start because he still had the PICC line and they required its removal.
After that, the complaint says, MedStar revoked the job offer.
The EEOC brings three claims. The first alleges MedStar discriminated against the applicant by denying him employment because of his disability. The second alleges MedStar failed to provide reasonable accommodations - the complaint lists several that could have been offered, including letting him keep the PICC line, adjusting his start date, modifying its procedures, or placing him in another role while his doctors assessed the situation. The third alleges MedStar's post-offer medical examination violated the ADA because its results were used to discriminate rather than in accordance with the statute.
Before filing suit, the EEOC issued a determination in August 2025 finding reasonable cause that the ADA had been violated, and invited MedStar to settle informally. When those talks failed, the agency issued a formal notice in June 2026 and proceeded to court.
The EEOC is seeking a permanent injunction, back pay with prejudgment interest, front pay, compensatory damages for past and future losses, punitive damages, and a court order requiring MedStar to revise its policies. A jury trial has been demanded.
For HR teams running post-offer medical screenings, the case is a practical test of where the line falls - and whether requiring a new hire to alter their own medical treatment crosses it.
The allegations in the complaint have not been tested, and no court has made any findings or rulings in the matter.
