Iowa Veterans Home sued for alleged workplace discrimination

A pharmacist fired from the state-run Iowa Veterans Home is now suing the state, alleging discrimination based on age, gender and disability.

Kimberly Helmbrecht, who was hired at the Iowa Veterans Home in early April 2020 during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, is suing the facility as well as Commandant Tom Jacobus, Operations Executive Nathan Wilson, manager Melissa Sienknecht, and pharmacy supervisor Doni Keeling in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

In her lawsuit, Helmbrecht alleges that in 2023, the Iowa Veterans Home’s planned rollout of a new pharmaceutical dispensing system was “delayed multiple times due to software and hardware failures, ineffective leadership by the defendants and poor project management by the IVH executives.”

According to the lawsuit, the new system would have required Helmbrecht to handle the after-hours processing of medication orders on an on-call basis, and so she sought accommodations for a modified work schedule that would take into account her sleep disorder and mental health issues.

The lawsuit alleges that in December 2023, Helmbrecht met with Sienknecht and Keeling who terminated her employment at the home, citing an inability to agree to Helmbrecht’s request for accommodations.

Prior to her termination, the lawsuit claims, Helmbrecht’s performance reviews had been positive, with her superiors stating that she had met or exceeded the state’s expectations. In the months leading up to her firing, Helmbrecht alleges, she suffered panic attacks and possibly a heart attack as a result of the stress associated with her working conditions.

The lawsuit asserts the conduct of the defendants in the case was “calculated” and deliberate, and was designed to push Helmbrecht “past her breaking point, such that manifestations of physical harm overcame her.”

The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for alleged violations of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and the state and federal civil rights acts, as well as alleged retaliation and defamation.

The state, which does not comment on pending litigation, has yet to file a response to the lawsuit. A trial date has not yet been scheduled.