AJ

Araceli J. on July 7, 2020

Career Change, Job Search, Work/Life/Cancer Balance, Workplace Politics

I have felt "job lock" or the feeling that I cannot change my job or career because I am tied to having health insurance from being in that job, even when working in a toxic workplace environment. Now with COVID-19 concerns, I am faced with being exposed to coronavirus and people with coronavirus while I am immunodeficient. Though I have been a survivor for 5 yrs I do not feel safe or well accommodated for my health concerns and see that only Americas with disabilities qualify for further accommodations. I am not disabled and can work and love to work, however I am also at high risk to continue in my current job and see no other option but to resign something I enjoy and a place I have benefits in order to seek temporary remote work from home positions. I feel overwhelmed, stressed out and am asking for advise. What are my rights as an employee under the new FFCRA laws?

1 Comment

Image of Nicole Franklin, MPH

Nicole Franklin, MPH

Jul 8, 2020

Cancer and Careers Staff Comment:

Hi AJ,


Thanks for reaching out to us. It’s upsetting that so many people are facing these challenges and having to make extremely tough decisions when it comes to work and their personal safety/health. It’s definitely overwhelming and stressful. Having health insurance, especially as a cancer survivor, is of the utmost importance but so is maintaining a secure job. While we are not legal experts, I would like to mention that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) can provide protections to cancer survivors and the term “disability” can have a relatively broad definition.


Your employer may also be required to provide reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but there are also some eligibility requirements tied to this law as well. Your employer must be a private or state/local government employer with 15 or more employees. For more information on the ADA: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/legal-and-financial/cancer-and-the-ada-fmla. There are also state fair employment laws that might be helpful to consider. Some states’ laws protect individuals working for employers with fewer than 15 employees. Our partner, Triage Cancer, has a Quick Guide to Cancer-Related Laws by State available at http://triagecancer.org/resources/quickguides. They also have a COVID-19 section with up-to-date information on insurance, finances and work: https://triagecancer.org/covid-19.


The following resources might be helpful as well:



If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at cancerandcareers@cew.org or 646-929-8032.


Stay safe and well,


Nicole Franklin, MPH


Senior Manager of Programs


Cancer and Careers

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