If Rory Armstrong were content to stay a pothole patcher and occasional snowplow driver for the city of Davenport, he'd still have his job and his house today.

But Armstrong decided to apply for a promotion. And, as a result, the 43-year-old was fired in 2008 after failing a vision test. Armstrong, who had received favorable job performance reviews and maintained a valid commercial driver's license, or CDL, was forced out because the city's human resources department adopted new standards from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

In the two years since, his credit score has plummeted and he lost his house to foreclosure.