TOPEKA — The U.S. Justice Department in a federal lawsuit says the Kansas Department of Health and Environment fired an employee in 2010 because she was about to be deployed as a member of the Army National Guard.
Staff Sgt. Stacey Gonzales, of Garden City, is asking for lost wages and benefits as a result of KDHE’s “reckless disregard” for a federal law that protects the employment rights of military servicemembers. The Justice Department filed the civil lawsuit on Monday in federal court in Kansas.
Gonzales worked as a KDHE-funded disease intervention specialist in the Finney County Health Department. She traveled through western Kansas “performing disease intervention and prevention activities” and maintaining records on behalf of KDHE, the lawsuit said. She was hired to the position in 2001 and has served in the National Guard since 1998.
Ashley Goss, who is now the deputy secretary at KDHE, supervised Gonzales at the Finney County agency. Gonzales also reported to KDHE administrator Jennifer VandeVelde.
The lawsuit describes hostile encounters between Gonzales and VandeVelde about her military service. After returning from a 2007 deployment, the lawsuit said, VandeVelde questioned whether injuries Gonzales received while deployed would impact her ability to do her job.
“VandeVelde asked this question in a hostile tone and Gonzales understood her to be implying that Gonzales’ service injuries might be a problem at work,” the lawsuit said. “Gonzales responded ‘no’ and...
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