A career employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs has filed a lawsuit alleging discrimination and retaliation by her employer. Wytonya Byrd, an African American woman, lodged her complaint against Douglas A. Collins, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana on September 12, 2025. The complaint outlines a series of alleged discriminatory actions taken against Byrd based on her race, age, and disability.
Wytonya Byrd’s case revolves around claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. According to the complaint, Byrd experienced adverse employment actions after being detailed as Acting Chief of Community Care on April 28, 2023. Despite taking on increased responsibilities, she was denied any corresponding increase in grade or pay. Her detail was abruptly terminated on July 18, 2023, leading to her reassignment to “special projects” pending an investigation into alleged misconduct. This reassignment extended through December 2023.
Byrd alleges that she faced discriminatory treatment compared to a similarly situated Acting Chief who was allowed to work off-site while she was required to perform duties onsite. She claims that this disparity was not enforced consistently across all chiefs and questions why it applied only to her. On December 29, 2023, Byrd faced proposed removal from her position due to alleged timekeeping and overtime scheduling violations. This proposal was later mitigated to a demotion effective February 11, 2024.
The plaintiff further contends that despite applying for a permanent detail as Chief of Community Care on February 1, 2024, she was not selected for the role due to ongoing investigations and disciplinary actions against her. Instead, another official continued as Acting Chief until a new hire could be made. Byrd asserts that these adverse actions were taken because of her race as an African American woman over forty years old with a disability.
In addition to racial discrimination claims under Title VII (42 U.S.C §2000E-16), Byrd accuses the Department of Veterans Affairs of age discrimination under ADEA (29 U.S.C §633A) by favoring younger employees for advancement opportunities over herself—a qualified candidate with leadership experience—and disability discrimination under Section 791 et seq., Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C). Furthermore, she argues that these actions were retaliatory measures following protected Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) activities opposing unlawful discrimination practices within their agency environment.
Represented by Zamudio Law Professionals PC located at Griffith Indiana Attorney Dan Zamudio advocates behalf client seeking declaratory judgment confirming violation aforementioned acts injunction preventing future unlawful practices reinstatement position absent discriminatory conduct compensatory damages attorney fees costs among other remedies deemed just proper court presiding Judge Case ID:1:26-cv-01857
Source: 126cv01857_Wytonya_Byrd_v_Douglas_Complaint_Northern_District_of_Illinois.pdf