The Salvation Army is accused in a new lawsuit from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of denying an employee with cancer at its Lynchburg, Virginia, headquarters a reasonable accommodation to seek treatment and causing her to resign.
The EEOC, a federal watchdog enforcing civil rights laws, announced that it is suing The Salvation Army in the U.S. District Court of Virginia for its alleged failure to accommodate a caseworker with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The filing was made after the EEOC first attempted to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.
The employee provided the nonprofit with a medical note in October 2024 stating that she would need intermittent leave for her chemotherapy treatments and her recovery through February 2025, the filing states.
The federal agency alleges that instead of accommodating the employee, The Salvation Army presented her with two options. She could either resign and remain eligible for rehire once she was healthy, or be fired and no longer be eligible for re-employment with The Salvation Army.
The employee was forced to resign if she wanted to continue working for the organization, the EEOC alleges.
“Absent undue hardship, intermittent leave can be a reasonable accommodation that allows employees to continue to perform the essential functions of the job while receiving medical treatments for a disability,” said Melinda C. Dugas, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Charlotte District.
The EEOC maintains that The Salvation Army’s actions violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in many areas of public life.
Title I of the ADA “prohibits private employers, State and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.”
“The ADA covers employers with 15 or more employees, including State and local governments. It also applies to employment agencies and to labor organizations,” Title I of the ADA continues.
The Salvation Army did not immediately respond to The Christian Post’s request for comment. This article will be updated if a response is received.
Founded by English Methodist preacher William Booth and his wife, Catherine, The Salvation Army describes itself as “an international movement” and “an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church.” Originally established as the East London Christian Mission, the organization would later adopt The Salvation Army name in 1878.
“Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God,” the description on the website continues. “Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.”
The organization was specifically established to bring spiritual and physical aid to individuals who were unwilling or unwelcome to attend church, including thieves, prostitutes, gamblers, and drunkards.
On March 10, 1880, eight members of The Salvation Army arrived in the United States. The group consisted of George Scott Railton, the first Salvation Army commissioner, and a group of seven women, who sailed on the S.S. Australia and landed in New York City.
After landing, the group founded chapters in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, with Railton going as far west as St. Louis, Missouri, in his efforts to advance the organization.
“They went right to work, stopping to hold an outdoor evangelistic meeting even before leaving the waterfront. To say the least, it sparked a sensation,” wrote Salvation Army Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder in 2021.
“The Salvation Army serves in every ZIP code, with a ministry operated by and for every race, ethnic group, and identity. And our commitment is as strong as ever. We still welcome everyone, we still worship together, and we still serve anyone in need.”
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
