Quick Answer
In California, a workplace accommodation request should explain the job-related limitation and the change that may allow the employee to apply for or perform the job. It does not need magic words or a special CRD form. For employers covered by FEHA, the request should trigger a timely, good-faith interactive process when the need for accommodation is known.
The best documentation focuses on function: what task is difficult, what restriction applies, what accommodation might be effective, how long it may be needed, and what happened after the request. Preserve the employer’s response and any medical certification that is actually requested and appropriate.
Checklist 1: Write Down the Essential Job Tasks
Start with the work, not the diagnosis. List the recurring tasks, physical or cognitive demands, schedule, location, equipment, travel, communication requirements, and productivity expectations that are relevant to the limitation. Use the employer’s current job description if you have it, but also note what the job actually requires in practice.
Mark which tasks you can perform without change, which are difficult, and which may need a temporary or ongoing adjustment. This creates a practical starting point for the interactive process.
Checklist 2: Describe the Functional Limitation
State what the limitation prevents or makes difficult at work. Examples may include lifting above a stated weight, prolonged standing, repetitive hand use, exposure to a trigger, concentration for extended periods, or the need for medical appointments. Use the restriction your provider actually gave you; do not create a medical restriction yourself.
California disability protections can be broader than federal law, and the legal definition is not limited to permanent conditions. Still, whether a condition is protected and what accommodation is reasonable is a legal question that depends on the facts.
Checklist 3: Make the Request Clear Enough to Act On
A simple request can identify the limitation and the workplace change you need. You do not have to write a legal brief. If you know an accommodation that has worked before, propose it. If you do not know the exact solution, ask to discuss options.
Possible accommodations can include changes to duties, schedule, work area, equipment, or time off for medical care. The effective accommodation may be the one requested or another reasonable option that addresses the limitation.
Checklist 4: Use Medical Documentation Narrowly and Purposefully
CRD states that employers may ask for medical certification of the need for reasonable accommodation. A useful provider note generally focuses on the restriction, its expected duration when known, and the type of work change needed rather than unrelated medical details.
Keep a copy of what you give the employer. If HR asks for more information, note the specific question and the stated reason. Do not assume the employer is automatically entitled to an unrestricted medical release.
Checklist 5: Keep an Interactive-Process Log
For each contact, record the date, participants, issue discussed, documents exchanged, accommodation proposed, and next step. Save meeting invitations, follow-up emails, forms, provider notes, and written decisions.
California CRD describes a timely, good-faith interactive process as an individualized assessment of the job and the person’s limitations. A long unexplained silence, repeated requests for the same information, or an abrupt denial may be important context, but each situation must be evaluated on its facts.
Checklist 6: Document Trial Accommodations and Whether They Work
If the employer offers a temporary or trial accommodation, record the start date, the specific change, whether it allows the essential work to be performed, any new problems it creates, and the follow-up date. An accommodation that looks workable on paper can fail in the actual job, and the record should show why.
If the accommodation is effective, document that too. The goal is an accurate record, not a one-sided file.
Checklist 7: Record Denials, Counteroffers and Delays
Keep the written denial or, if the denial was oral, make a dated note of who said what. Ask what alternative accommodation the employer is offering and when it will begin. If the employer says the request creates undue hardship or that a task is essential, preserve that explanation rather than paraphrasing it later.
If your medical restrictions change, update the employer promptly and keep the new documentation. Accommodation is often an ongoing process rather than a one-time form.
Leave Can Be an Accommodation, but It Is Not the Same as CFRA or FMLA
CRD lists leave for medical care as a possible reasonable accommodation. Separately, an employee may qualify for job-protected leave under CFRA or FMLA. Those legal frameworks have different eligibility rules and should not be collapsed into one answer.
If the limitation arose from a work injury, workers’ compensation restrictions and modified-duty issues may also exist. The employment accommodation record and the workers’ compensation record can overlap, but they are not the same claim.
If the Request Is Ignored or Denied
Preserve the request, medical support, employer response, interactive-process history and any employment action that follows. CRD accepts complaints involving disability discrimination, reasonable accommodation and related retaliation.
CRD currently states that an employment intake generally must be submitted within three years of the last alleged harm. Other laws and claims can use different deadlines, so do not wait for the internal process to end before checking the correct legal timeline.
Bottom Line
A useful accommodation record explains the job, the functional restriction, the workplace change requested, the medical support actually needed, and each step of the interactive process. Keep the request practical, document follow-up, and separate accommodation rights from workers-compensation benefits and family/medical leave rules.