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Can I Keep My Job?

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Last Modified: May 2, 2010

Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts,"

I’ve just been diagnosed with cancer. Will I be able to keep my job?

Rodney N. Warner, Staff Attorney at The Legal Clinic for the Disabled, Staff Attorney at The Legal Clinic for the Disabled, responds:

You are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, if there are 15 or more employees. You may be covered by similar state law, which often covers smaller employers. If you can perform the essential function of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, your employer needs to reasonably accommodate you, unless that accommodation would present an undue hardship on the employer. It’s a case by case issue, depending on the facts of what you can and cannot do, the nature of the job, and the impact on the employer.

A great resource for work related issues is Cancer and Careers.

This question and answer was part of the OncoLink Brown Bag Chat Series, Legal & Financial Challenges Facing People with Cancer. View the entire transcript here.