Filing a disability and sick-leave discrimination claim in Arizona

This probably doesn't feel like a legal problem yet. Here's what it feels like: you needed the sick days your condition demanded — and ended up written up or out of a job for it.

What this actually looks like

Most people don't walk in calling it “disability and sick-leave discrimination.” They describe a situation:

• A “no-fault” attendance or points system counted your disability-related sick days against you like any other absence.
• You were disciplined or fired for medical absences tied to a known condition.
• Things changed for the worse once you disclosed a diagnosis or a need for treatment.
• Time off that should have been handled as an accommodation was treated as misconduct.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, an employer with 15 or more workers cannot treat you worse because of a disability — including penalizing disability-related absences under a rigid attendance policy when adjusting it would be a reasonable accommodation — and cannot retaliate against you for taking medically necessary leave or asserting your rights. In Arizona there's no state fair-employment agency that takes this kind of charge, so it's covered primarily by federal law; federally, by The Americans with Disabilities Act.

The federal route: the EEOC

The same conduct can be filed federally with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The federal filing deadline is generally 180 days, or 300 days where a state or local agency shares jurisdiction, and the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to employers with 15+ employees.

Thurgood's representation before the EEOC is nationwide, so for employees in Arizona the federal charge is typically the lead route.

Arizona: no state agency — the federal route

It is an unlawful employment practice for an employer: 1. To fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to the individual's compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment because of the individual's race, color, religion, sex, age or national origin or on the basis of disability

File a charge with the EEOC, generally within 180 days of the act (up to 300 days where a state or local agency shares jurisdiction); the EEOC then issues a right-to-sue notice.

The statutes & deadlines

Both systems prohibit the same core conduct and protect against retaliation. Here are the specific provisions and the clocks that run on each.

What happens after you file

A charge isn't a lawsuit, and it doesn't go straight to a judge. Both agencies run an investigation first — but they end differently, and that difference is easy to miss.

Federal — EEOC

1. You file a charge with the EEOC.
2. The EEOC notifies the employer, which submits a position statement.
3. The EEOC investigates and often offers mediation.
4. It issues a cause / no-cause determination and attempts conciliation.
5. To compel relief, the case goes to court — the EEOC can sue, or issue a right-to-sue letter so the worker can.

Arizona — no state agency

Arizona has no fair-employment agency that processes these charges, so the federal EEOC process is the route — the steps to the left are what applies.

The contrast that's easy to miss: the EEOC investigates and conciliates, but compelling relief generally takes a court. In Arizona, the federal charge is the route Thurgood works through.

Examples of what can make a disability claim hold up

Strong claims are rarely built on a single overheard comment. They're built on quieter evidence an investigator can test. Examples of what can carry a claim:

• The policy applied mechanically. An attendance or points system that counted disability-related absences the same as any other — with no room to adjust — is the heart of the claim.
• Notice of the condition. Evidence the employer knew about your condition or your need for treatment ties the discipline to the disability.
• Comparators. Coworkers without your condition who were treated more leniently for similar absences anchor the comparison.
• The record. Medical documentation, attendance records, and the employer's own policy — documents an investigator can demand rather than leaving you to assemble them.

What you can recover

Remedies generally fall into a few buckets — lost pay, money for the harm itself, and orders that change what the employer does. Under the federal damages-cap framework (shared by Title VII, the ADA, and the PWFA), only compensatory and punitive damages combined are capped, scaling with employer size; back pay, front pay, interest, and attorney's fees sit outside the cap (front pay confirmed uncapped in Pollard v. DuPont; attorney's fees for a prevailing employee). Arizona's own limits differ — the table separates them.

Injunction, reinstatement, back pay, and attorney fees; compensatory and punitive damages are not specified by statute. Back pay and front pay are wage-based relief and fall outside these caps where available.

These outcomes come down to the facts of the case, and no one can promise a result.

How Thurgood represents you

Thurgood stands in for employees before federal agencies in every state, and before state agencies that allow representation. An Authorized Justice Practitioner — a trained non-attorney representative — documents the evidence and timeline, puts together the formal charge, and sees you through the agency process, from employer outreach through investigation and any hearing. You can start a free evaluation using Thurgood’s CaseFile AI — once the facts are clear, you’ll be offered a free consultation with an associate who can represent your claim.

Frequently asked questions