Trajector Medical Lawsuit: Allegations, Defense, and Court Status

The Trajector Medical lawsuit is a proposed federal class action accusing the Florida company of illegally charging disabled veterans between $4,500 and more than $20,000 for help with Department of Veterans Affairs disability claims while lacking the VA accreditation federal law requires. Filed on April 9, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California as Gilbert Quijada, Jr. v. Trajector, Inc., the case is currently stayed while the court considers a defense motion to move it to Florida.¹²

What the Complaint Alleges

The lawsuit names Trajector, Inc. and Trajector Medical, LLC as defendants. It was brought by Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, Bradley/Grombacher, and Pittman, Dutton, Hellums, Bradley & Mann on behalf of named plaintiff Gilbert Quijada, Jr. and a proposed nationwide class of veterans.²

The central accusation is that Trajector performed regulated claims work without VA accreditation. According to the complaint, the company marketed itself as helping veterans maximize their disability ratings while actually gathering medical records, completing VA forms, and advising on claim strategy. The plaintiffs argue those activities are “representation” that only accredited professionals may perform for a fee.³

Trajector’s billing formula is the second pillar of the case. Veterans were allegedly charged a fee equal to five times their monthly VA disability benefit increase, producing bills of $4,500 to $20,000. The complaint says an automated system called “CallBot” accessed VA phone hotlines using veterans’ Social Security numbers and dates of birth to detect benefit increases, and Trajector issued an invoice as soon as one was found, regardless of whether its own work had contributed.²³

The complaint further alleges that Trajector never told veterans the same help is available at no cost through VA-accredited organizations such as the Disabled American Veterans, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the American Legion. It also accuses the company of aggressive collections, including threats of legal action and repeated phone calls when veterans disputed the charges.²

What Veterans Say Happened

An NPR investigation published in December 2025 collected accounts from veterans who described unexpected bills and persistent collection calls. An Army Ranger identified as Dustin said he tried to cancel his contract but was billed $4,500 after receiving a 70% disability rating. Marine Corps veteran Enrique Miranda Cardenas, who said he did most of the claims work himself, received a bill of more than $12,000 and reported collection calls “sometimes even twice or three times a day.”⁴

Navy veteran Vernell Armstrong said she received an $877 bill after she won a rating increase on appeal, even though her initial Trajector claim had been denied and she pursued the appeal on her own. Another Navy veteran, Dwayne, said Trajector sent him a $3,600 bill after a separate attorney won his appeal. One anonymous veteran reported a $17,400 bill after a rating jump from 10% to 80%.⁴

Some veterans said they had not realized their contracts authorized Trajector to access their VA records through CallBot. Others said they discovered pre-populated VA forms they had not written, delivered through a platform called Benefit Karma, which is trademarked by an LLC registered to Trajector co-founders Jim Hill and Gina Uribe.⁴

How Trajector Defends Its Business

Trajector describes itself as a “medical evidence service provider” rather than a claims consultant. The company says it helps veterans identify undiagnosed conditions, map symptoms to potential disabilities, assess severity and onset dates, and compile “support packets” of medical evidence. Spokesperson Steve Zenofsky told Military.com veterans “pay us only if their VA disability benefits increase based on the evidence we helped them develop” and that the fees are for “medical-evidence work, never for filing a claim.”²

In a July 2025 company video, co-founder and CEO Jim Hill said, “We DON’T do claims consulting, claims preparation, or filing… You do it yourself, and we give you a medical evidence packet to attach when you file for claims.” The company has pointed to its 4.6-star Google rating and A+ Better Business Bureau rating as evidence of client satisfaction. Zenofsky called the class action “without merit” and said the company “intends to defend itself vigorously.”⁴²

The NPR investigation reported findings that push back on that characterization. Veterans provided VA fax confirmation screens showing Benefit Karma had submitted disability claims to the VA on their behalf, with forms pre-populated with first-person narratives the veterans said they did not write. A former Trajector employee described Benefit Karma as a “new product” launched in 2024 as “another vertical of the business,” rather than the separate, publicly available platform the company has described.⁴

The VA’s Prior Warnings

The accreditation question at the heart of the lawsuit is not new to Trajector. The VA’s Office of General Counsel has twice formally warned the company. On June 29, 2017, it sent a cease-and-desist letter to the firm (then Vet Comp & Pen Medical Consulting) stating that its marketing “strongly suggest[s] that your organization is unlawfully assisting in the preparation, presentation and prosecution of claims before VA.” A second, 12-page letter followed on January 28, 2022, addressed to Jim Hill and the company under its current name, warning that continued conduct could be referred to federal and state law enforcement.⁴

Trajector responded in writing to both letters, arguing its work is legal because it supplies medical evidence rather than claims assistance. The company says it has received no further reply from the VA since.⁴

Where the Case Stands Now

Court records show the case was assigned to Judge Christina A. Snyder and is currently stayed. On May 28, 2026, the judge granted a joint request to pause proceedings while a motion to transfer the case to the Northern District of Florida is resolved. Trajector filed that motion on May 26, 2026, with a hearing set for June 29, 2026.¹

No motions to dismiss, class certification rulings, or settlement discussions have been reported as of mid-2026. Plaintiffs’ attorney Jennifer Byrd told Military.com that the extent of the alleged practices and the validity of the company’s business model will be developed during discovery.²

Why This Is Being Fought in Civil Court

The lawsuit lands in a gap in federal enforcement. The VA has sent more than 40 warning letters to claims consulting companies over the past decade, but it lacks direct enforcement authority because Congress removed criminal penalties for unauthorized fee-charging in 2006. A 2024 VA Inspector General report found that 69% of nearly 32,000 claims sampled in 2022 contained indicators of potential fraud, with an estimated monetary value of $390 million.⁵⁶

Two federal bills would change that. The GUARD VA Benefits Act (H.R. 1732), introduced by Representative Chris Pappas with 134 cosponsors, would reinstate criminal penalties for unaccredited entities charging veterans for claims assistance. As of mid-2026, it remains in committee. On June 2, 2026, Pappas and Senator Richard Blumenthal introduced the broader SAFEGUARD Veterans Act, which would also ban the use of robocall technology to harvest VA claims information and preempt state laws that authorize fee-charging for claims assistance.⁷⁸ Until Congress acts, civil suits like Quijada’s are the main avenue for veterans seeking repayment of fees they say they should never have been charged.

1
PACER Monitor. Gilbert Quijada Jr et al v Trajector Inc et al
2
Military.com. Disabled Veterans Charged $20K to File VA Benefits Claims, Lawsuit
3
Bradley Grombacher. Trajector Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Alleged Deceptive and Abusive Practices Toward Nations Disabled Veterans
4
NPR. Disabled Veterans Investigation
5
The War Horse. Veterans Affairs Claim Benefit Company Letters
6
Military Times. VAs Review of Disability Claims for Fraud Wont Include Past Filings Officials Say
7
GovTrack. GUARD VA Benefits Act, H.R. 1732
8
Office of Rep. Chris Pappas. Pappas Blumenthal Introduce New Comprehensive Legislation to Crack Down on Claim Sharks Scamming Veterans