Audit finds problems at state veterans homes
HARRISBURG - A new audit has found problems with long waiting lists, sloppy admission practices, and grievance procedures at state-run veterans homes across Pennsylvania.
HARRISBURG - A new audit has found problems with long waiting lists, sloppy admission practices, and grievance procedures at state-run veterans homes across Pennsylvania.
State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said Thursday that irregularities in the operation of the six homes by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs has led to delayed care for veterans and their spouses 65 and older, many of them poor. The facilities, including in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, provide nursing care and lodging.
The longest wait time was 443 days, at the home in Pittsburgh. DePasquale deemed that "not an appropriate allocation of resources."
His audit also found that while several dozen beds were available at some homes, veterans' spouses remained on waiting lists elsewhere. The homes failed to communicate with one another to remedy the problem. In addition, veterans and their spouses have 10 days to decide whether to accept placement in a specific home, or start the process anew - an unreasonably short amount of time, DePasquale said.
"The state of Pennsylvania needs to develop a more effective strategic plan on how to make sure our veterans are getting the proper care," he said at a news conference announcing the audit, which covered the period from July 2014 to this past March.
The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs did not return calls for comment Thursday.
DePasquale's audit, however, included a response from department officials saying they have begun making the recommended corrections, including closer monitoring of the veterans database and additional training of admissions staff. They said more long-term fixes were in the works.
DePasquale said that the audit did not show negligence by the department and that the grievances were not health- or life-threatening.
The report found fault with the state's grievance system, specifically the lack of a standardized process to handle complaints.
A review of the system's wait lists uncovered some discrepancies between the dates when veterans completed their admission applications and the dates those documents entered the state system. As a result, of 254 people on the wait lists, 28 were out of chronological order.
"Bureaucratic errors should not lead to poor care for our veterans," DePasquale said.
Jeff Sheridan, a spokesman for Gov. Wolf, said in an email that the Military and Veterans Affairs Department has been diligent in responding to the audit's criticisms.
"Ensuring high-quality care for our veterans is at the forefront of DMVA's mission," Sheridan said. "The Wolf Administration will continue to ensure we provide" high-quality care, he wrote, "as well as fight for more funding for veterans' homes."
@coltshaw