Ischara Buxton
Senior Leaves/Accommodations Specialist
Perry,GA
Summary
With over 20 years of experience as a Leave and Accommodations Specialist, which has given me the skills to developed a deep expertise in leading ADA, FMLA, and state leave processes across diverse, high-volume organizations. I specialize in building compliant, people-first programs that reduce legal risk, streamline operations, and support employee well-being. Vast experience in partnering with HR Employee Relations on interpretation of applicable federal and state employment laws (HIPAA, FMLA, ADA, WORKPLACE ACCOMMODATIONS, PWFA, Pregnancy Workers Fairness Act). Proficient in MS Office Suites.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
Work History
Employee Relations/Accommodation Specialist-Remote
Aramark Corporation
08.2024 - Current
- Responsible all escalations that are transferred over from the 3rd party vendor when management denies an accommodation request.
- Consistently meeting with the business to discuss undue hardships that will cause the business to not accommodate an ADA request for an employee.
- Find other alternatives to accommodate employees on their ADA request, and get the business to follow through with the accommodation process
- Resolve and coordinate the collecting bargaining agreement (CBA) for Union employees that are requesting accommodation to see if it’s feasible to put an employee out on CBA leave, or a regular accommodation leave through the employers’ leave program.
- Educate employees and managers on the ADA rights and responsibilities, return-to-work process and complex accommodation requests
- Provide end to end case management, ensuring timely and compliant, empathetic resolution of the accommodation request.
- Investigate hotline cases that are created by employees, managers or anonymous callers
- Address employee concerns, resolving conflicts, and ensuring compliance with the policies and regulations
- Implementing strategies to improve employee morale, engagement, and overall well-being.
- Stopping a manager from retaliation when dealing with an ADA accommodation request from employees, when there is an investigation in progress for other issues.
- Assisting with other duties as needed.
Leave Administrator (Contract)-Remote
Penske Truck and Leasing
01.2024 - 08.2024
- Responsible for managing the leave of absence and ADA process, which involves FMLA, ADA, Accommodation and all other leave types
- Making sure that the communication between the 3rd party vendor and management goes smoothly when dealing with approval for an employee’s leave request
- Responding to all inquiries from employees and the management team
- Process all inquiries through the case management system and a leave of absence mailbox
- Making sure that the employee has a smooth transaction from the start of leave to the end of their leave to return to work
- Assist with other duties as needed
LOAA HRBP (Contract)-Remote
Russell Tobin
08.2023 - 01.2024
- Manage the day to process of leave of absence and accommodations, this includes FMLA, CFRA, ADA, Personal leave, military for a large group of employees.
- Assessing the LOA and accommodation email request and following policies and procedures
- Main consultant to managers, supervisors, stakeholders, and external clients, regarding absences, leaves, short term and long-term disability plans, paid family leave, workers compensation, return to work, and reasonable accommodation.
- Coordinate various programs during the employee leave process including company-provided STD, LTD, as well as locally mandated programs.
- Collaborate with the various stakeholders in the leave process including HR Business Partners, managers, and our Payroll and Legal teams Utilize your strong organizational and time management skills for caseload management.
- Respond to employee questions and inquiries.
- Process the initial intake, documentation, approvals, return to work process.
- Responsible for all open and upcoming leaves of absence and tracking the leaves on a tracker.
- Point of contact dealing with the leave process, payroll inquiries, and benefits implications.
- Maintain confidential and sensitive information.
- Works closely with vendors, benefits partners, and regulations to ensure benefits are maintained.
- Perform case management from beginning to end for leaves, disability claims, accommodations and return to work processes and any integration.
- Support with other initiatives as needed.
Leave/ADA Administrator (Contract)
GTM Payroll Services
09.2022 - 08.2023
- Effectively communicate with employees to understand their leave needs and modified work schedules.
- Ensure employees have a clear understanding of their responsibilities, necessary documentation, and notice requirements for qualifying and taking leave.
- Manage the entire FMLA leave administration process, starting from the employee's initial notice of leave and extending to their return to work.
- Collect and complete all required paperwork, assess leave eligibility, designate FMLA-qualifying leave, request medical certification when necessary, and accurately track intermittent and reduced schedule leave usage.
- Maintain regular and reasonable communication with employees on leave to support a smooth and timely return to work, while also facilitating necessary communication between employees and their managers during the leave period.
- Provide guidance and advice to managers and employees on the interplay between leave laws, paid time off, workers' compensation, and short-term and long-term disability benefits.
- Oversee the return-to-work process for employees coming back from extended FMLA, workers' compensation, or other types of leave.
- Handle various leave requests, including accommodation requests under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Leave of Absence Specialist (Contract)
Mindlance
11.2019 - 11.2020
- Provided timely and accurate information to employees, managers, and HR regarding Time at Work (timesheets), Time Off, and Time & Attendance Policy issues.
- Acted as a liaison between vendors, employee relations, managers, and employees, facilitating effective communication and resolution of issues.
- Demonstrated comprehensive understanding of regulations governing FMLA, state disability and leave laws, regulations, and ERISA as they relate to absence programs.
- Conducted analysis on related issues and determined appropriate actions based on regulatory requirements and organizational policies.
- Processed LOA requests and feed files received from vendors within the Workday HRIS.
- Managed HR Ticketing system Service Now, promptly addressing and resolving various HR requests from employees and managers.
- Served as the initial point of contact for gathering information from employees, managers, and stakeholders related to COVID-19, regular LOA, and COVID-19 related LOA.
- Processed all COVID-19-related leaves in accordance with applicable policies and guidelines.
Leave of Absence/HR Analyst(Contract)
Grady Hospital
04.2018 - 12.2018
- Manages the employee leave of absence processes to ensure accurate compliance with federal, state and local laws as well as company policies
- Acts as liaison between employee and employer and ensures that proper paperwork is completed by both parties.
- Provides regular status reports on active cases to all stakeholders. ·
- Review, update and maintain all LOA policies to ensure legal compliance, ensure proper distribution and integration with all other departments.
- Creates and delivers training to HR and field managers.
- Communicates with managers on status of leave and provides updates regarding return to work plans. ·
- Review and process the employees FMLA and all other eligible leaves ·
- Explain to the employees of the effect of how their leave can affect their benefits ·
- Send out billing statements to employees on LOA for premiums to be collected while out of work ·
- Also responsible for ADA Accommodation, assisting with approving the accommodation, along with communicating with legal team, the managers and HRBP ·
Leave Administrator
XPO Logistics
09.2017 - 04.2018
- Provided expertise and served as the go-to resource for all types of leaves of absence, including STD, FMLA, Intermittent FMLA, Continuous FMLA, Military, MLOA, PPL, PBL, etc.
- Tracked, monitored, and meticulously documented all activities related to leaves of absence.
- Collaborated with the Payroll department to ensure accurate payment and appropriate benefits enrollment for employees on applicable leave.
- Partnered with HR Employee Relations to interpret and apply relevant federal and state employment laws, including HIPAA, FMLA, ADA, USERRA, Pregnancy Discrimination Act, etc.
- Maintained regular communication with employees on leave to facilitate their smooth return to work.
- Worked closely with HR business partners and managers to review leave status and address any inquiries or concerns.
- Coordinated with third-party plan administrators and Legal staff to ensure compliance with federal regulations such as ADA and FMLA.
Sr. LOA Administrator/HR Shared Services(Contract)
Totem Solutions
12.2016 - 09.2017
- Experience with processing employee record and transactions that include salary, job, termination and etc.
- Process time and attendance accompanying payroll when dealing with employees on LOA
- Administer worker's compensation to ensure that all information has been submitted for the claim
- Responsible for the FMLA, STD, LTD, Military and Personal leaves of absence
- Educate leadership on what needs to be done when it deals with their employees being out on FMLA and etc.
- Ensure that the employees have all forms, medical certifications, HIPPA and etc. to take a FMLA or LOA
- Deal with escalations for ADA accommodation leaves, and workplace accommodations.
- Perform other duties when needed.
Senior LOA Team Lead
Ceridian
05.2015 - 09.2016
- Lead a team of 5 LOA analysts as the Team Lead in the leaves department.
- Handled escalated calls related to leave processing issues, including instances where an employee's leave was not processed correctly or when an employee failed to inform their manager or HR about starting a leave.
- Managed leave time and timecard tracking, collaborating with employees and managers to ensure accurate timekeeping in Dayforce.
- Deal with escalations of the ADA accommodation process via the third-party vendor.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Leave Administrator
ADP
02.2013 - 01.2014
- Oversaw all employees within the division during their leave of absence, including Military, FMLA, ADA, STD, LTD, maternity, and PLOA (Personal leave of absence).
- Provided clear and detailed explanations of the FMLA process, including state guidelines and approval requirements for FMLA and STD.
- Updated employee statuses in Success Factors to reflect qualified, non-qualified, or Qualified Military LOA.
- Ensured accurate effective dates for employee leaves and facilitated their timely return with the correct return date.
- Educated employees on the FMLA process and state-specific guidelines for FMLA and STD approval requirements.
- Resolved ServiceNow cases related to employees experiencing delayed STD payments or attempting to utilize PTO during the elimination period while waiting for STD benefits to be processed.
Leave Administrator/Case Manager
AON Hewitt
06.2003 - 02.2013
- Served as the subject matter expert for all leaves of absence – STD, FMLA (Intermittent and Continuous), Military, Paid Bonding Leave, Paid Pregnancy Leave, ADA.
- Tracked, monitored, and documented all leaves of absence activities.
- Worked on the case management system to resolve all tickets within the system, including leave requests.
- Worked with Payroll to ensure accurate payment of employees on applicable leave and their appropriate enrollment in benefits.
- Maintained appropriate contact with all employees on leave to coordinate their return to work.
- Partnered closely with all HR business partners and managers to review and address questions regarding an employee's leave status.
- Managed HR Ticketing system Service Now for all case-related items.
- Have interactive dialogue with employees, dealing with leaves, accommodation and workplace accommodation requests.
- Send, collect and monitor documentation that is sent to the employees.
- Communicate with HCP for clarification on CLOA, intermittent, accommodation and etc.
- Monitor the leave from start to finish, leading RTW.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Education
Master of Science - Human Resources Management
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH12.2026
Bachelor of Science - HR Management
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester 05.2001 -
Associate of Science - Business Administration
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester09-2021
Skills
- ADA Compliance
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- HR Operations
- Disability Accommodations
- Communication Skills
- ADA/Workplace Accessibility
- Leave of Absence Management
- Customer Service & Empathy
- Human Resource Strategy
- Problem Solving
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Worker’s Compensation
- Case Management
- Attention to Detail
Timeline
Employee Relations/Accommodation Specialist-Remote
Aramark Corporation
08.2024 - Current
Leave Administrator (Contract)-Remote
Penske Truck and Leasing
01.2024 - 08.2024
LOAA HRBP (Contract)-Remote
Russell Tobin
08.2023 - 01.2024
Leave/ADA Administrator (Contract)
GTM Payroll Services
09.2022 - 08.2023
Leave of Absence Specialist (Contract)
Mindlance
11.2019 - 11.2020
Leave of Absence/HR Analyst(Contract)
Grady Hospital
04.2018 - 12.2018
Leave Administrator
XPO Logistics
09.2017 - 04.2018
Sr. LOA Administrator/HR Shared Services(Contract)
Totem Solutions
12.2016 - 09.2017
Senior LOA Team Lead
Ceridian
05.2015 - 09.2016
Leave Administrator
ADP
02.2013 - 01.2014
Leave Administrator/Case Manager
AON Hewitt
06.2003 - 02.2013
Bachelor of Science - HR Management
Southern New Hampshire University
05.2001 -
Master of Science - Human Resources Management
Southern New Hampshire University
Associate of Science - Business Administration
Southern New Hampshire University
Similar Profiles
L. Annette NeddL. Annette Nedd
Assistant to both the Vice President Global Security and the Associate General Counsel, Legal Department at ARAMARK CorporationAssistant to both the Vice President Global Security and the Associate General Counsel, Legal Department at ARAMARK Corporation
Michelle ThompsonMichelle Thompson
Food Service Director at Aramark CorporationFood Service Director at Aramark Corporation
JANET HUGHESJANET HUGHES
Supervisor at Aramark CorporationSupervisor at Aramark Corporation
Christian CatesChristian Cates
Lead Autotech at Best BuyLead Autotech at Best Buy
Arleisha OliverArleisha Oliver
Assistant Rural Carrier at United States Post OfficeAssistant Rural Carrier at United States Post Office