Disability Rating (sc)...do You Have To Disclose To Employer?

[MDB1968NM]

Hi everyone,

If this is not the right area then Mods please move this.

If someone is applying for a job after military retirement and they are disabled (SC), does that have to be disclosed to the employer?  The reason I ask is that many govt jobs ask if you are applying for preference.  Would the employer need to know what your disabilities are, OR, would they just have to know your rating percentage if that?

I would think that some employers might hold having a disability against the potential job seeker in certain instances.  Has anyone had any direct experience with this?

Thanks for the information in advance!

;)

[Ricky]

If you are speaking of the preference awarded to disabled vets by the federal govt all they want to know if the percentage. If it is a private employer and they send you to a physical I would be truthful with the doc.

[pacmanx1]

MDB1968NMPosted Today, 09:50 PM Hi everyone,

Hi everyone,

If this is not the right area then Mods please move this.

If someone is applying for a job after military retirement and they are disabled (SC), does that have to be disclosed to the employer? The reason I ask is that many govt jobs ask if you are applying for preference. Would the employer need to know what your disabilities are, OR, would they just have to know your rating percentage if that?

I would think that some employers might hold having a disability against the potential job seeker in certain instances. Has anyone had any direct experience with this?

Thanks for the information in advance!

It depends on the type of job you are applying for. Some government agencies and private companies need to know if you need some type of special accommodations to help you with the job. Examples: special chair, keyboard, small quiet room or something. You can always try to research the agency or company to find out if they have a policy for disabled persons. Also on any federal form make sure you tell the truth and try to be honest as possible.

Edited September 15, 2009 by pacmanx1

[Papa]

Is it your goal to do the same thing as a civil service employee as you did in the military? We have military personnel retire all the time and jump right into the civilian job. Where else can we find such experience. Does your SC disability keep you from doing your job while in the military? If not, it should not matter in civilian life. It should not matter unless it puts your safety or others at risk. It should not matter unless a person does not qualify for the position regardless medical condition. In fact, you can request accompandations that will make your jon easier, if it doles not conflict with the employers goals.

We had a man in our office (non-veteran) that has a bad back. For years his bosses had allowed him to lay on his back on a conference table. Well, we got this new guy in and he made the guy stop and if he wanted to lay on his back, he would need to take leave and go to his car. EEO complaint filed, the new boss looked like a fool and they had to maske him a cubicle with a door, and space for him to lay down.

Bottom line do not let this stop you. No government agency in their right mind would hold this against you.

Papa

[rentalguy1]

You do not have to disclose your exact percentage in seeking preference. The VA will issue a veterans preference letter at the vet's request that only states that you are a sc'd veteran with 30% or greater sc'd disability.

[MDB1968NM]

Thanks Everyone...

That all makes sense!  Appreciate the responses!!!

[Hoppy]

I developed three significant disabilities by the time I was 28 years old. I went to job interviews and discussed my disabilities with the interviewer. I had a college degree and applied for jobs where I was initially screened by interviewers in the personnel department. I went for over a year without being hired for any job. As such, the state of California paid me while I attended special job-search classes for persons with disabilities. I think that even though there are incentives to hire disabled veterans that some employers would rather not deal with any employee with a chronic back problem.

While attending the state-funded job-search classes we were taught to take special care to apply for jobs that would not aggravate a pre-existing disability. We are taught to read job descriptions and discussed job duties during interviews prior to making any statement as to what our disabilities were. We were told that employers only have the right to know about disabilities that will be aggravated by a job or that will prevent you from doing a specific job.

Believe it or not we were taught to hide all disabilities that might be visible to an interviewer in a personnel department. We were taught that these interviewers were trained to identify disabilities without asking questions. We were taught that these interviewers did not higher persons with neck and back injuries even if the doctors didn't think the job would aggravate the pre-existing condition. These employers did not want to hire an employee who might miss work or even later claim the back condition was related to their new job.

We were taught to turn our head before we turned our shoulders so as not to appear to have stiffness in the neck. We were taught to sit and stand normally. We were taught to move freely.

My neck problems have finally gotten to the point where it is difficult for me to type on my computer. I wrote this entire response using a voice to text program. It works pretty good. I just sit back in my chair and talk. I wish I would've found this program about 10 years ago. If I did not find this program I probably would have dropped off of hadit.

Edited September 17, 2009 by Hoppy