State legislators voted Wednesday to authorize an audit of a troubled veteran’s home in central Wisconsin after reports of negligent care, funding issues and infrastructure shortcomings.
The Joint Legislative Audit Committee approved the review unanimously after a firestorm of criticism following a Capital Times investigation into the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King near Waupaca.
The reporting has shed light on alleged issues at the home, where substandard care resulted in the death of at least two veterans living at the home. The state Department of Veterans Affairs, which runs the facility, has denied the allegations and maintained that the home provides adequate care.
“It is our top priority to ensure that we provide the safest and best quality care to our nation’s heroes,” DVA Secretary John Scocos told the committee. “We have a lot to be proud of in this regard. We welcome an audit to help underscore our accomplishments at the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King.”
But legislators pushed back on this assessment.
“I think veterans and their families, as well as legislators, need to know that funds are being wisely spent,” state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, said. “And that is the strength of the Audit Bureau, to be able to answer whether those tax dollars are being wisely spent and how to improve.”
Others noted the audit was an opportunity to review how the state provides care for veterans and work with the facilities to bolster treatment.
“Rather than catching them doing something wrong, we’re going to catch them doing something right,” said state Rep. John Macco, R-Ledgeview. “The last thing we would want to do is shut a facility down.”
The review, which will be carried out by the state’s nonpartisan audit bureau, is expected to last upwards of six months.
