DES MOINES – More than six months after the head of the Iowa Veterans Home resigned after allegations that he treated staff poorly, the state’s ombudsman revealed she is investigating complaints that veterans who live at the Marshalltown facility were mistreated.

Ombudsman Ruth Cooperrider, whose office oversees citizen complaints against the government, told the Senate Government Oversight Committee on Tuesday she is investigating the home but she couldn’t legally discuss details.

Discussion of the facility came as senators questioned Cooperrider about the state’s policies for investigating complaints and policies on access to state employees’ personnel records. The oversight committee’s investigation into those and other issues in the executive branch began more than a month ago when the issue of confidential settlement agreements with former workers surfaced.

Cooperrider said she has battled with the Iowa Attorney General’s office in the veterans home case for access to documents that she believes is provided to her office under current state law.

She said she had requested that the Iowa Department of Administrative Services provide reports from their investigations into allegations last year that former Commandant David Worley harassed and threatened workers at the facility, which provides nursing care for about 500 residents and residential care facilities for 100 more living mostly independently. Only after she signed a nondisclosure agreement was her staff allowed the view reports, but they were prohibited from taking copies.

“It’s my belief that’s contrary to our authority,” she said.

Cooperrider said if lawmakers don’t clarify her authority to access confidential records, she is contemplating suing the Iowa Attorney General’s office to take the issue to the courts.

“When you’re dealing with decisions made behind closed doors, in closed sessions, that impact citizens and potentially affect the safety of citizens, we think that’s something our agency has a role in, in terms of accountability and transparency of how government is working,” she said.