T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Rep. Sue Cahill (D-Marshalltown) speaks during a protest outside of the Iowa Veterans Home on July 17. On Tuesday, Cahill wrote a letter to State Auditor Rob Sand requesting a comprehensive audit of the facility after a controversial restructuring plan took effect Aug. 15.

Rep. Sue Cahill, a Democrat who represents Marshalltown and southeastern Marshall County in the Iowa House, has formally called on State Auditor Rob Sand to investigate the Iowa Veterans Home (IVH) in light of recent staffing changes.

IVH, a state-run facility that opened in 1887 in the northwest part of Marshalltown, is home to around 400 residents and is also one of the city’s largest employers with around 700 staff members. On July 8, Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs leadership announced a restructuring effective Aug. 15 that eliminated 11 positions, primarily in the activities department, and reduced four positions from full-time to part-time. The number of onsite chaplains at IVH was also cut from two to one.

In her letter to Sand, Cahill, who was first elected in 2020, raised concerns about the fact that the legislature had allocated an additional $1 million for IVH during the most recent session, and she said the changes were made without input from lawmakers.

“Veterans have sacrificed so much for our country, and we have to ensure they receive the highest level of care and respect in their later years. I am calling on the State Auditor to ensure that the Iowa Veterans’ Home meets the highest standards of care and transparency,” she said. “This call to action follows cuts that undermine the quality of care our veterans deserve as most of these positions worked directly with the residents in recreational services. These cuts conflict with the Veterans Home’s mission to provide a continuum of care to Iowa’s veterans and their spouses in an environment focusing on individualized services to enhance their quality of life.”

Fellow Democrat Mike Wolfe of Maxwell, who is running for the Senate District 26 seat covering all of Marshall and most of Story County, shared his support for Cahill’s request in a statement to the T-R.

“Our veterans served Iowa and our nation. We need to fulfill our duty to care for them in recognition of that service. The Iowa Veterans Home must justify their reduction in staff and programs for veterans,” Wolfe said. “The Iowa Treasury is holding a $2 billion horde of cash right now. Iowans deserve an explanation of why cuts are needed in this critical service when our cup is so full.”

In a press release announcing the request, Cahill said she hoped the audit would involve “a detailed examination of identifying why these positions were eliminated, the reduced quality of care of the facility due to the cuts, and enhancing the overall management of this critical facility.”

During a brief subsequent interview, she told the T-R she hoped the results would come out clean and show that IVH leaders are spending the money allotted to the facility wisely.

Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs Communications Specialist Karl Lettow responded to the news with a statement of his own Tuesday afternoon, noting that all but three of the affected employees have been hired for other positions at IVH.

“We are aware of the press release requesting an audit. We just received the results of our FY23 annual state audit with no discrepancies, and we’re already in the FY24 process. We always fully cooperate within the scope of any audit engagement letter,” Lettow said. “Our new structure is built to improve service delivery for our residents. Unfortunately, there’s been disinformation throughout the transition, and the main points of the press release also appear misinformed and factually wrong. The assertions that 11 employees were laid off and the realignment would negatively affect our quality of care are objectively, verifiably false.”

He then pointed out that new positions were simultaneously created, a fact Lettow said had been “consistently, selectively omitted by multiple sources.”

“In the end, the vast majority of the affected staff filled the new positions created by the realignment, and three were promoted. Three others will pursue other opportunities, but IVH currently has multiple open positions available,” he said. “Our people are what make Iowa Veterans Home the greatest place in Iowa for our veterans and spouses. Thanks to them, we’ve achieved and sustained a 5-Star CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid) rating since 2016, meaning IVH has been in the top 10-percent of long-term care facilities in the U.S. for eight straight years. Any change we even consider, must improve our home for our residents or staff. Our realignment is already proving to enhance our service delivery and quality of care. Providing more than 30 staff supporting activities, direct interaction with residents has actually increased. We invite anyone interested to visit and see for themselves.”

In a brief statement, Sand, a Democrat, said his office will review the request and “make a determination on how we might move forward to ensure Iowa’s veterans receive the highest level of care and tax dollars are spent as intended and consistent with the law.”

Republican David Blom of Marshalltown, who is running against Cahill for the House District 52 seat, told the T-R it “made sense” to be transparent about how veterans are being cared for but added that the situation also showcased the need for a new representative.

“Marshall County is long overdue for a Representative that has a seat at the table in Des Moines to properly advocate for our veterans,” he said. “In the statehouse, I’ll fight for resources for our veterans who deserve the utmost respect, gratitude and support once they return home.”

At presstime, fellow Republican Kara Warme of rural Ames, who along with Wolfe is seeking the SD26 seat made vacant by the retirement of incumbent Jeff Edler (R-State Center), had not responded to a request for comment.

Just over a week after the staffing changes were announced, a large and at times contentious protest was held on the IVH campus July 17 as demonstrators called for cuts to upper management instead of frontline positions and verbally sparred with Commandant Todd Jacobus outside of the Sheeler Administration Building.