Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Federal Lawmakers from both parties call for review, more oversight of troubled Wisconsin veterans home in Union Grove

Federal lawmakers from both political parties have asked for an investigation and more oversight of the troubled state veterans home in Union Grove and a state senator is calling for a hearing on the facility.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, whose administration oversees the nursing home, said in an interview Thursday he welcomes additional oversight and will cooperate with any federal investigation.

"If you get fined, it is because you've done something wrong. And in this case, we have been unable to fulfill our duties to these great veterans, by having adequate staff and adequately trained staff," he said.

"We have to do a better job. Obviously, we're concerned. Our veterans served our country with great honor and dignity, and they deserve that."

The calls for more oversight and accountability come in the wake of a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation last week that revealed a pattern of violations at the Union Grove veterans home reaching back five years.

Union Grove ranked in the top five out of 117 federally certified state veterans facilities for having the most violations and fines, the Journal Sentinel found.

The Union Grove facility, one of three veterans homes in the state, was cited for 62 violations and received fines totaling $250,000 since 2017, records show. Federal regulators are still reviewing the latest five violations from March and considering a possible additional fine.

The violations include medication mistakes, failing to keep patients hydrated, not investigating patient abuse, infection control, poor food and filthy conditions. Residents and family members said care has steadily declined as leadership frequently changed and the home struggles with chronic understaffing.

Union Grove and other veterans homes like it are run by states, but they are funded with federal dollars.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., separately sent letters to Denis McDonough, secretary of Veterans Affairs. Steil also included Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services.

In a statement Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said the findings of poor care and abuse at Union Grove "must be fully investigated."

In her letter, Baldwin asked the VA to review conditions at Union Grove and identify ways the facility could be better held accountable. She noted the state has been trying to improve recruitment and retention of staff since 2019.

"Despite these efforts, complaints regarding treatment of residents highlight the need for additional oversight and inspections by the VA," Baldwin wrote.

Steil, whose district includes the Union Grove facility, said he wrote the letter to make sure officials in Washington know about these problems and seek solutions.

"My work is to now get the eyes and ears and the attention of decision-makers in Washington so that we can hold folks accountable. But also and equally importantly, make sure that a situation like this never happens again, anywhere in the United States," Steil said.

State Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, is calling for hearings on issues highlighted in the Journal Sentinel investigation. He also plans to seek a state investigation or audit into the home.

"We have got to get this moving forward as quickly as we can because there is no excuse for this," Wanggaard said in an interview.

State Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Green Bay, chairman of the Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs and Constitution and Federalism, where a hearing would be held, called the Journal Sentinel investigation "beyond troubling."

"We are getting a full accounting of the facts and will use all levers of the state to make sure this nightmare is over for our vets and that the promise made to these heroes is restored," he said in a statement.

Wanggaard and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, whose districts include the home, toured the facility in early May and heard from residents about poor care and short-staffing.

They have pressed Mary Kolar, secretary of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, which operates the veterans homes, to allow more volunteers back in the facility as COVID has eased, which could help with the staff shortages.

Laurie Miller, who has volunteered at the home for more than five years, said there are good staff members at Union now; there just aren't enough of them.

"They are not the problem — the administration is," she said.

Evers backed Kolar, whom he appointed in 2019, saying she is doing "as good a job as possible." He said he hoped a new commandant, who is in charge of the facility, will be in place soon in Union Grove and the state will continue to push to increase hiring with bonuses and advertising.

"This is an urgent issue that everybody should care about," he said. "We need to solve it. It started several years ago, even before my time, but that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if it started 100 years ago. We have to change it today. And that's where we're headed."