Insurers, agents and risk managers need simply visit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Web site for a quick look at what's at stake in terms of the cost of EPLI claims—which are predicted to increase in number based on the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act.

The EEOC frequently posts press releases describing its latest disability-related claims victories. For example:

• $55,000 to settle a suit against a Michigan-based print, manufacturing and distribution company that terminated an employee with cancer.
• $415,000 in damages and lost wages for a disabled employee of AutoZone, because the auto-parts retailer would not accommodate his disability.
• $30,000 from a Texas-based staffing company for not accommodating a disabled applicant and denying him employment
• $132,500 from Comfort Suites hotel for not accommodating a desk clerk with autism and firing him.
• $115,000 to settle charges against Maverick Country Stores, a gas station/convenience store chain, for firing an HIV-positive bakery clerk.

That's just from November—and it's easy to see claims aren't reserved for large companies. All are at risk, from small to large.