Hi Tim

Thanks for writing us. I’m so sorry that in addition to your diagnosis, you were laid off from your job. While I don’t know the details of what happened at your job and what might have prompted the lay off, your question does sound legal in nature. Cancer and Careers can’t provide legal advice, so our immediate recommendation would be to reach out to a legal organization to discuss all the specifics of your situation.  A good place to start is the National Cancer Legal Services Network – which provides listings of pro-bono legal services by state.  You can find more information at http://www.nclsn.org/. 

You might also want to check out http://apps.americanbar.org/legalservices/lris/directory and www.lawhelp.org.

I would also like to mention is that in general, you are under no legal obligation to disclose your medical condition to your prospective or current employer (however if you want to access a reasonable accommodation you may have to disclose some information to show you are entitled to it). Although this is a completely personal decision, I would recommend watching our webinar to get a better understanding on issues around disclosure: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/videos/bwc/2020-webinar-online.

The following resources might be useful as well:

• Your Legal Rights in the Workplace: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/Legal-and-Financial/Cancer-and-the-ADA-FMLA
  


• Finding Legal Assistance: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/Legal-and-Financial/Finding-Legal-Assistance
  


• Top Three Legal Questions about Employment: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/Legal-and-Financial/top-three-legal-questions
  

I hope that this is helpful. Please reach out to us at cancerandcareers@cew.org or 646-929-8032 if you have any additional questions.

Kind regards,

Nicole Franklin, MPH

Senior Manager of Programs 

Cancer and Careers