Your disability rights under California law
California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) protects employees with disabilities and medical conditions even more broadly than federal law. Your employer cannot fire you, demote you, or treat you worse because of a disability — and in most cases it must work with you to keep you employed.
The duty to accommodate
If you have a disability or medical condition, your employer generally must provide a reasonable accommodation — a change that lets you do your job — unless it would cause genuine undue hardship. Accommodations can include:
- A leave of absence to recover from an injury or illness
- Modified duties, a reduced schedule, or reassignment
- Ergonomic equipment or assistive technology
- Time off for treatment or medical appointments
The law also requires a good-faith interactive process — a real back-and-forth to find a workable solution. An employer that refuses to engage, or only pretends to, can be held liable.
Signs your rights may have been violated
- You asked for an accommodation and were ignored, denied, or fired
- You were punished after disclosing a medical condition or injury
- You were let go while on, or just after returning from, medical leave
- Your employer used a vague "performance" or "attendance" reason that doesn't match your record
What you can recover
A successful disability claim can include lost wages and benefits, emotional-distress damages, punitive damages for egregious conduct, and your attorney's fees and costs.
How I handle your case — at no cost to you
I take disability cases on contingency. You pay nothing up front and nothing out of pocket, and you'll work directly with me — in English or Spanish. If there's no recovery, you owe me nothing.