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What Are Your Rights?
Moving from campus to career as a veteran with a disability
Quick Tips
- The ADA is the main law that protects veterans (and others) with disabilities against discrimination in employment and other areas of life.
- What counts as a disability? Disability means a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Also, the health condition or impairment must be permanent or long-term to be considered a disability under the ADA.
- Veterans with obvious disabilities (e.g. needs a wheelchair, missing a limb) or nonobvious disabilities (e.g. PTSI, TBI, or depression) have rights under the ADA.
- ADA rights apply when you’re applying for a job and once you’re employed.
- Veterans have rights under the ADA whether or not their health condition or impairment is service-connected.
- Two key rights regarding employment for veterans (and others) with disabilities involve disclosing (telling about) a disability and accommodation (job adjustments or supports).
- In most cases, disability disclosure is your choice. With a few exceptions, you do not have to tell about your disability during hiring or once you’re employed.
- If you do disclose your disability, this information can’t be shared with your co-workers.
- You have a right to an accommodation during hiring or when employed. An accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a job, the work environment, or the way things are usually done.
- You will need to tell your employer about your health condition or impairment when requesting an accommodation. But this information will not be shared with co-workers.
- All employers with 15 or more employees must comply with the ADA.