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    Recently Fired

    I was fired Tuesday March 23rd "we need to let you go".

    Employed for 10 years...never been written up.

    Wisconsin is an "at will - hire/fire state" basically you are lucky to have a job and they can let you go whenever they want. However your employer" lets you go and has a written termination policy (verbal, 2 written) they cannot fight unemployment." My employer is not fighting unemployment.

    I do have to complete 4 work searches per wk. This too is fine...with the exception that...

    All applications ask: Are you disabled or are you a veteran?

    I have never been classified as disabled. Wisconsin will not classify me disabled until I am bed ridden because they sent me to school back when I was diagnosed with MS - "occupational therapy". This education provides me and the state the opportunity for me to work; so long as I can sit at a desk 90% of time which makes me 100% employable until "something changes" (like I cant be held upright in a wheel chair with duct tape).

    There is a list of disabilities; one of which is MS. I have remittent remissive. I have in the course of 10 years needed to call in due to debilitating migraines, have had to leave work early due to muscle contractions and then there is the fatigue. The fatigue...you look somewhat awake, however you comprehend little and want to drool on yourself.

    Do I answer the question and circle MS or do I opt out and say "do not wish to answer".

    I need income; I have to work.

    My worry if answer and say I have MS I risk losing an opportunity to work. If I answer no; do I risk getting fired by lying on an application?

    Obviously an employer cannot deny employment based on vet status or disability...the glitch is...It's up to you to prove that is why you didn't land the job.

    #2
    Not all people with MS are disabled. Even SSDI indicates that a diagnosis of MS alone does not mean you qualify for benefits.

    To me, I would not check the MS box, as it appears to be asking the reason you are disabled. If you are not disabled and do not require an accommodation, there is no reason to answer the question.

    I know there are some programs that are trying to increase the amount of disabled vets hired. However, I am not aware of any that specifically target MS.

    Unless the employers are part of some subset trying to hire people disabled by MS, it seems discriminatory to even ask.

    I wish you good luck with your search.
    Kathy
    DX 01/06, currently on Tysabri

    Comment


      #3
      While I was job hunting last year I filled out many, many online applications, and all of the applications for large employers had the disability/veterans section. Almost always, it came up only after the main application was completed. Sometimes it appeared at the end of the application, in the same "session"; other times it came up separate from the application, as a second "session." A couple of times I got a separate email containing a link to the section.

      The section appears for two reasons:

      1. The federal government requires employers of some minimum size to keep statistics about their applicants. So when used for this purpose, the disability/veterans portion of the application goes to a separate file, and the HR office and the people involved in direct hiring don't even look at it, and no one knows the applicant is disabled or a veteran. Your answer doesn't help or hurt you in your individual job search.

        The government uses this information in audits of employers' hiring to look for patterns that they are excluding applicants based on disability or veterans status alone. This is the primary reason the section appears, and why this section of the application looks almost identical no matter which employer it's for.

        Note that the list of applicable disabilities is just a list -- it doesn't ask the applicant to state the reason for their disability. You don't check or circle MS. The answer to the category is only yes I'm declaring a disability, no I'm not declaring a disability, or I don't wish to answer.

        The federal requirement is also why the section requires an answer of some kind from the applicant or the application isn't processed. I'm sure the employers would prefer not having to do this.
      2. The employer might be actively involved in diversity and inclusion, and might look at the information as part of the hiring process for an individual job to ensure they're interviewing across as broad a spectrum of applicants as possible. But there's no way to know in advance which employer does or doesn't do this.


      Remember, the declaration is voluntary, and you can answer "don't wish to answer." This section of the application has nothing to do with "lying on an application."

      As far as the declarations portion of the application, that's the end of it. You can check the box of your choice and move on.

      A different portion or phase of the application process may ask the candidate whether or not they can perform the functions of the job. That question is specifically about the applicant -- you -- and that's a different issue.

      Comment


        #4
        Thank You!

        I appreciate both responses. Thanks a million!!!!

        Comment


          #5
          Yep say nothing, disclose nothing, until you have no choice.

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