Help

[Angels82]

Hi everyone! Im new here and didnt really know where else to turn since no one I work with or family really knows what Im going through. I am happily married to a man who has epilepsy. My question to those who have it, do you have any advice on how to keep a job? My husband has been working for this company since june of last year, 3 months as a temp, and got hired permanently in Sept. He has had 2 seizures back to back within the last month but doesnt qualify for FMLA yet. Does anyone know of anything he can do to protect himself against getting fired over his epilepsy? Its a great job with great benefits which is what he needs and I dont know how we are going to manage if he loses it. Any any any information is much appreciated. Thanks

Mary

[Nakamova]

Hi Mary --

Welcome to CWE! You've found a great site -- lots of great info and advice to be found here, and many of the members (including the site creator, Bernard) are partners or caretakers of people with epilepsy.

If you think your husband may be discriminated against because of his epilepsy, make sure to keep detailed notes/records of everything that happens -- i.e any exchanges with Human Resources -- and get stuff in writing where possible. If you think discrimination has occurred, you can lodge a complaint with the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).
http://www.eeoc.gov/

There's also a lot of great info here about disclosing health information: http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/epilepsy.html

Do his employers know of his epilepsy? Are there any restrictions in terms of what work he can do? Has his recent seizures affected his ability to work? Does he know if the company has a history of accommodating employees with health issues of any sort?

Best,
Nakamova

[Endless]

Hi, Angels,

I'm so glad you found us!

FMLA relates to time off. If he can keep his sick leave within his benefit time, they can't fire him for that. If they fire him for seizures, he can sue them for that. The problem is that sometimes they fire people with seizures anyway and find another excuse for it. He needs to make sure he does a very good job at all times, including starting on time every single day, and following every single rule, to help minimize the chance of that.

All employees that work in a company of over 15 employees are covered by the ADA. Here's a link:
http://www.ada.gov/

If you think your hubby needs accomodations at work, that's a good place to start.