Last August Republican State Senator Luther Olsen requested an audit into Kings Home for Veterans near Waupaca. In this year alone Governor Scott Walker’s administration has transferred $12 Million from the Veterans Trust Fund. New reports of staff shortages and complaints about conditions at the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King are surfacing.
Waupaca Mayor Brian Smith who challenged Luther Olsen is his district questioned the timing of Olsen's audit. Since he knew about the issues at King's Veterans Home since 2012. These issues include resident neglect. Inspectors found 38 instances of medical mistakes. One situation led to a resident's death. Most recently a situation with the operation of an oxygen tank is the latest issue that happens at King's.
According to the complaint, a staff member at King was called to the home’s liquid oxygen room where the staff member witnessed another staff member incorrectly operating the equipment used to fill liquid oxygen containers to be used by residents at the home. The staff member had left a valve on the liquid oxygen equipment open, which caused liquid oxygen to leak into the ventilation system and create a white fog. ( CapTimes)
According to the complaint, the staff member who discovered the mishandling of liquid oxygen was told that King’s security officers were directed not to write a security incident report. ( CapTimes)
Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, received the liquid oxygen complaint from an anonymous whistleblower at King in September. He filed the complaint with CMS, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Gov. Scott Walker’s office, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Sen. Ron Johnson, and Rep. Mark Pocan’s office. Erpenbach wants to see the liquid oxygen incident report and said it is troubling staff members were directed not to write one. (CapTimes)
U.S Senator Tammy Baldwin (D) is again asking the federal Department of Veterans Affairs to investigate king's veterans Home following a hazardous liquid oxygen incident there and additional federal health violations. ( Cap Times)
This is Baldwin's second request for a "for cause survey" of King from the federal VA. A "for cause survey" is an unannounced federal review to investigate any incidents, complaints or deficiencies that might jeopardize the health or safety of residents at a veterans home, according to the agency. (CapTimes)
The federal agency denied her request in June, noting that the home has performed well in the agency's routine annual survey. The home received no citations when the VA last surveyed the home in June. (CapTimes)
Wisconsin Veterans Sec. John Scocos, who announced his resignation last month, has dismissed concerns about the home's quality and staffing levels. He has said that news reports about issues there are politically motivated and inaccurate. (CapTimes)
I would like to credit Katelyn Ferral of the Capital Times for continuing to follow this story and the continuing issues that are going on at King's Homes for Veterans. I find these acts appalling and this should not be an example of how we treat our brave veterans who have made huge sacrifices for our freedom.
With that being said I would like to thank my Senator Tammy Baldwin for her continued support for our Veterans. Her persistence to look into the issues at King's shows that she really cares about the people she represents. Senator Tammy Baldwin will have my continued support going beyond the 2018 election cycle.
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