# Residency accommodation denied for something you never asked for Practical Guidance · Published 2026-07-11 · Resident Help **Short answer:** Read the denial against your original written request. If it describes the request differently, write back promptly: quote what you actually asked for, correct the description, and restate the request in terms that answer the objection the denial gives. Ask for the interactive process to continue, and keep a dated record of each step. Read the denial again. Is that what you asked for? Accommodation denials sometimes answer a different request than the one the resident made. A narrow, specific change is described as a broad one. A temporary request is described as permanent. A change to how a task is done is described as removing the task. Then the broader version is denied. Send us the denial and your original request: [start a confidential intake](https://www.residenthelp.org/intake). ## Compare the two documents Put your written request next to the denial and check: - Does the denial describe the change you asked for, in your terms? - Does it describe the duration you asked for? - Does it state a reason, and is the reason about your request or a different one? - Does it offer an alternative, or invite further discussion? ## Correct the record, promptly If the denial describes your request differently, write back soon: 1. Quote what you actually asked for, with the date. 2. Say where the denial's description differs. 3. Restate the request in terms that answer the stated objection. 4. Ask that the interactive process continue, and ask what alternative the institution would provide. Keep it short and factual. Keep a copy outside your institutional account. ## Keep the timeline going Record the date of each request, meeting, determination, and correction, and the first day anything approved is actually in place. Accommodations generally apply going forward, so the dates matter. See [how to request an accommodation](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/how-to-request-accommodation-in-residency) and [approved but not provided](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/residency-accommodations-approved-not-provided). ## One honest limit Accommodations usually work going forward. They rarely erase concerns raised before you asked, which is why asking early matters. ## Deadlines A charge for failure to accommodate carries the same 180- or 300-day federal limit as other discrimination charges. Whether you have a claim is a question for a lawyer who has reviewed your file. ## If this is happening to you Send us the denial and your original request, and tell us what has happened since. We will review your situation confidentially and point you to the right next step: [start a confidential intake](https://www.residenthelp.org/intake). Resident Help is not a law firm, and submitting an intake does not create an attorney-client relationship. If your situation needs a lawyer, we will tell you and help you find one. ## Common questions ### My accommodation request was denied in residency. What can I do? First, check whether the denial describes what you actually asked for. If it does not, correct the record in writing and restate your request. If it does, ask what alternatives would work, and ask for the interactive process to continue. Keep copies and dates. ### Can my program deny an accommodation? An employer may decline a specific accommodation, for example where it would cause undue hardship or where an effective alternative exists. The process is meant to be a dialogue, so ask what the institution would provide instead. ### Is there a deadline after a residency accommodation is denied? Internal reconsideration windows vary by policy. A charge for failure to accommodate carries the federal 180- or 300-day limit. Whether you have a claim is a question for a lawyer who has reviewed your file. ## Sources - U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship under the ADA, https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/enforcement-guidance-reasonable-accommodation-and-undue-hardship-under-ada - U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Time Limits for Filing a Charge, https://www.eeoc.gov/time-limits-filing-charge - Job Accommodation Network, https://askjan.org/ This post is general information and not legal advice. Institutional policies and board rules change, so confirm the version in force on your dates. ## Related guidance - [How to request an ADA accommodation in residency: a checklist](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/how-to-request-accommodation-in-residency): The request you make in writing is the one that counts. This checklist covers how to ask, what the interactive process is, what a determination should contain, and how to check that an approval was put into practice. - [Residency accommodations approved but not provided: what to check](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/residency-accommodations-approved-not-provided): Many residents do the hard part of the accommodation process. They ask, provide documentation, and receive an approval letter. Then nothing on the schedule changes. Approved is not the same as provided. - [ACGME report or EEOC charge? What each one can and cannot do for a resident](https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/acgme-non-compliance-report-vs-eeoc-charge-residents): Residents facing dismissal hear about two outside avenues: a report to the ACGME and a charge with the EEOC. They do different things, on different clocks, and neither is a substitute for the internal deadlines already running. ## Start here - [Questions residents ask, answered](https://www.residenthelp.org/faq): Short answers to every question our guides cover, from resignation offers and appeal deadlines to accommodations and visas. - [Know your rights as a resident](https://www.residenthelp.org/rights): What your program owes you under ACGME requirements, what federal law protects, and the first 72 hours. - [Court decisions on resident dismissal and probation](https://www.residenthelp.org/cases): Published opinions every resident should know before a probation, dismissal, or forced-leave decision. - [The free Residency Record](https://www.residenthelp.org/record): The documents every resident should keep, the dates that decide non-renewal, and a private place for both. --- Source: https://www.residenthelp.org/blog/residency-accommodation-denied-not-what-you-asked Publisher: Resident Help (https://www.residenthelp.org) This website provides general information and is not legal advice. Using this site or submitting a form does not create an attorney client relationship.