Tammy M. Besaw, Esq. Glenn S. Morgan, Esq. Whether the defendant's act of terminating claimant's vocational rehabilitation benefits was justified, and if not, whether those benefits should be reinstated. The continuation of vocational rehabilitation benefits pursuant to 21 V.S.A. 641, specifically tuition, books, computer, software, mileage and fees necessary for claimant to earn an Associate Degree in computer technology. Notice is taken of the Department of Labor and Industry's Workers' Compensation file.
Defendant is no longer in business.
Claimant was determined to be eligible for vocational rehabilitation benefits, stemming from his injury while employed by defendant. Claimant was interested in computers and wished to pursue employment in that field. None of the IWRP's or Amendments submitted to the department by Wagner Rehabilitation were approved by the Commissioner. In fact, the Commissioner's designee rejected those plans in letters sent to the claimant, Traveler's and Wagner explaining that the plans or amendments failed in several respects, including failure to specify a goal, lacked detail, and costs that were out of proportion to the services provided or were inconsistent with our rules. This rehabilitation objective was expected to be complete within eight weeks of the department's approval.