The issue I seek assistance with comprises my concerns for VA patients who become individually unemployable during the Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) gainful employment deliverable process.
The VA rated me individually unemployable in 2019, shortly before the pandemic. Regardless of my status, DVR required I continue and fulfill my obligations with my employment plan or face the consequences of paying back grant-funded opportunities I received as a client.
By October 31, 2025, I received a letter from the VA stating my individual unemployability benefit was on notice for earning above the VA’s TDIU income guidelines reported by Social Security to their agency resulting from scheduling abuse by an employer who refused to engage in good faith upon hire. DVR left me prey to the CEO who unleashed his fury on me after 13 months of employment.
I explained to my employers the complexities of my situation upon hire. DVR was a key witness. When I brought the matter to the Wisconsin Division of Equal Rights through complaints, the Division determined “No Probable Cause.” On March 12, 2026, I faced my first of many appeals before an assigned administrative law judge who became frustrated and allowed the Respondent’s attorney to escalate to the point of shouting that aggravated my traumatic brain injury.
No respect was provided to me by the judge. In this matter, three judges were assigned, and the case was remanded resulting from a frustrated investigator giving up before fully analyzing my case. I then became intimidated and overwhelmed when the investigator requested additional information after the first administrative law judge remanded the case. Then, the Respondent’s attorney came at me with burdensome requests I could not give. At the hearing, the judge lost her temper on multiple occasions and did not receive a fair opportunity to try to advocate what the VA instructed me to relay to the employer.
I have nine complaints total each cross-filed with the Federal Equal Opportunity Commission. In Federal Court, I plan to show Probable Cause built upon violations to the USERRA ACT of 1994 all DVR employers must comply with. My situation has escalated my mental health to the point of exhaustion and I cannot undue the damage by the employers. I have proven through my weekly job searches and exhaustion of unemployment that I am truly unemployable resulting from the failures modeled by the State of Wisconsin Dept. of Workforce Development who failed to protect my bio-digital profile.
Disabled veterans who use DVR will receive the same treatment and unless the Federal government holds the State of Wisconsin accountable, more disabled veterans will receive the same fate. The VA cannot get involved in private employment matters and the disabled veterans who exercise GI Education benefits will not receive respect for their military service. Rather, the relentless employers will demand the employee avail a PTSD condition despite no PTSD accommodations requested by the VA primary care doctor. The employer will attack the VA patient and intimidate them to avail their condition or face getting terminated built upon hearsay by coworkers who carry out their mission to stereotype the VA patient as a threatening with the interactive dialogue process questionnaire bad faith business practice modeled by two Human Resources managers during my employment duration as a DVR client.
Veterans “self-report” their medical record conditions. The employers argue this is not proper even though the VA patient seeking employment does not have to answer the interactive dialogue questionnaire without having a good faith conversation first to see if the situation even qualifies for accommodations. This happens when the DVR client enters the workforce and at no point was I required to provide medical information until after I began opposing discrimination.
RESPECTULLY SUBMITTED,
