Loughlin

I. BACKGROUND

A. Facts Plaintiff began working for the Department in June 2008. Department social workers supervise and place children who need protection on account of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. The essential functions of the job “include producing periodic timely and legally sufficient written reports to the court, assessing children’s safety and welfare through monthly home visits, assessing parents’ compliance with the child’s case plan, maintaining detailed files regarding each child, and responding to a variety of casework emergencies, among other things.”

1. Plaintiff’s medical history and requests for accommodation In October 2010, a water main broke and flooded plaintiff’s house, requiring plaintiff and his wife to relocate to a hotel. Plaintiff experienced stress as a result of the damage and temporary relocation, and he took a leave of absence from his job at the

1 All further undesignated statutory references are to the Government Code.

2 Department. He saw a psychiatrist for depression and anxiety, Dr. Talag, who authorized plaintiff’s absence from work from December 2, 2010, through June 15, 2011. Plaintiff’s return to work was authorized by Dr.…