Recently, Wisconsin's Department of Justice released its final investigative report into overexpenditures at the King Veterans Home. According to the report, no criminal violations occurred within King or the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA).
However, it did cite communication concerns within the department. Partly based on those concerns, the Veterans Affairs Board fired Secretary Scocos and appointed then Assistant Secretary Ken Black as department secretary on Nov. 24.
Scocos' firing and Black's appointment are perplexing. During the period most of the communication concerns used to justify Scocos' firing occurred, he was in Iraq, and Black filled in as his acting secretary.
Repeatedly within the Justice Department report, Black contradicts staff at King and the Department of Veterans Affairs. For example, overexpenditures cited included purchased pharmaceutical equipment. When asked if he knew about the purchase, according to the report, Black claimed he, " ... had no idea that a pharmaceutical packaging system was even under consideration or was needed."
However regarding that purchase the report states, "Acting Secretary Black's statements are contradicted by OPPB Director Abrahamsen, Commandant Crowley and Finance Director Stead."
The report continues, "This initiative (which included the purchase of pharmaceutical equipment) was discussed during weekly video conference meetings that included Acting Secretary Black as well as the two commandants."
Other questions surround the Veterans Affairs Board's actions and its oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs. King's Finance Director Steve Stead reported that during a video conference meeting with Acting Secretary Black, Director Abrahamson and others, he was directed to prepare a list of items that caused King Veterans Home to exceed its budget.
In a follow-up e-mail dated July 13, 2009, Stead compared FY2008 with FY2009 budget figures for King in three expense categories: Building maintenance, food and medical supplies.
According to Stead, in March 2009, a new inspector in Governor Doyle's Department of Administration cited King for deficiencies previously not identified, totaling $263,000 in corrective costs. Higher fuel cost directly resulted in elevated food prices. Lastly, to address "an increasingly heavier population," bariatric beds and lifts were required. Their purchase increased medical supplies expenses.
Additionally, to address state budget deficits in October 2008, Governor Doyle initiated policies and mandates requiring all new government hires be approved through his Department of Administration. King Veterans Home was included in the hiring mandate.
A follow-up e-mail from Steve Stead to the Department of Veterans Affairs dated Oct. 15, 2009, reports: "The hiring freeze has been in effect for slightly more than a year now. While the Home's positions were not frozen, additional approval steps were added that has delayed the amount of time necessary to perform a new hire. The Wisconsin Veterans Home at King presently has 72 of the 902 positions authorized to the Home at King (not counting central office positions) vacant."
Stead further illustrated the hiring freeze's fiscal effect on King. He compared staff overtime expenditures for the 12 months prior to October 2008 to the 12 months following Governor Doyle's initiated hiring procedures. Altogether, staff overtime costs increased $366,180.
Next, Stead compared contract staff from staffing agencies. Costs for the period prior to October 2008 were $75,496. The subsequent 12 months following the hiring freeze saw costs rise to $182,574. In other words, as a direct result of outsourcing services because of staff shortages, King paid out $108,028 more in contracting costs.
To date, hiring delays have resulted in costing King in excess of $474,208. That total is growing monthly. Adding in the inspection discrepancies by the governor's Department of Administration, totaling $263,000, brings the cost to veterans at nearly $750,000.
Interestingly, Acting Secretary Black claimed in his referral letter to the attorney general that King exceeded its fiscal budget because of capital expenditures. These purchases, including a fire truck, packaging system, and storage units totaled $701,000.
In reality, the true costs of King's overexpenditures are not the purchasing of justifiable equipment as proven in the Department of Justice's report. But instead, they incurred from policy and mandate decisions directed by Governor Doyle that were unchallenged by his hand-picked Department of Veterans Affairs Board.
Those who'll pay the price are the dedicated understaffed caregivers at King as they tend to our most vulnerable heroes 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And ultimately, our veterans will pay the highest price at the place they come to spend the final years, months and days of their lives.
However, it did cite communication concerns within the department. Partly based on those concerns, the Veterans Affairs Board fired Secretary Scocos and appointed then Assistant Secretary Ken Black as department secretary on Nov. 24.
Scocos' firing and Black's appointment are perplexing. During the period most of the communication concerns used to justify Scocos' firing occurred, he was in Iraq, and Black filled in as his acting secretary.
Repeatedly within the Justice Department report, Black contradicts staff at King and the Department of Veterans Affairs. For example, overexpenditures cited included purchased pharmaceutical equipment. When asked if he knew about the purchase, according to the report, Black claimed he, " ... had no idea that a pharmaceutical packaging system was even under consideration or was needed."
However regarding that purchase the report states, "Acting Secretary Black's statements are contradicted by OPPB Director Abrahamsen, Commandant Crowley and Finance Director Stead."
The report continues, "This initiative (which included the purchase of pharmaceutical equipment) was discussed during weekly video conference meetings that included Acting Secretary Black as well as the two commandants."
Other questions surround the Veterans Affairs Board's actions and its oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs. King's Finance Director Steve Stead reported that during a video conference meeting with Acting Secretary Black, Director Abrahamson and others, he was directed to prepare a list of items that caused King Veterans Home to exceed its budget.
In a follow-up e-mail dated July 13, 2009, Stead compared FY2008 with FY2009 budget figures for King in three expense categories: Building maintenance, food and medical supplies.
According to Stead, in March 2009, a new inspector in Governor Doyle's Department of Administration cited King for deficiencies previously not identified, totaling $263,000 in corrective costs. Higher fuel cost directly resulted in elevated food prices. Lastly, to address "an increasingly heavier population," bariatric beds and lifts were required. Their purchase increased medical supplies expenses.
Additionally, to address state budget deficits in October 2008, Governor Doyle initiated policies and mandates requiring all new government hires be approved through his Department of Administration. King Veterans Home was included in the hiring mandate.
A follow-up e-mail from Steve Stead to the Department of Veterans Affairs dated Oct. 15, 2009, reports: "The hiring freeze has been in effect for slightly more than a year now. While the Home's positions were not frozen, additional approval steps were added that has delayed the amount of time necessary to perform a new hire. The Wisconsin Veterans Home at King presently has 72 of the 902 positions authorized to the Home at King (not counting central office positions) vacant."
Stead further illustrated the hiring freeze's fiscal effect on King. He compared staff overtime expenditures for the 12 months prior to October 2008 to the 12 months following Governor Doyle's initiated hiring procedures. Altogether, staff overtime costs increased $366,180.
Next, Stead compared contract staff from staffing agencies. Costs for the period prior to October 2008 were $75,496. The subsequent 12 months following the hiring freeze saw costs rise to $182,574. In other words, as a direct result of outsourcing services because of staff shortages, King paid out $108,028 more in contracting costs.
To date, hiring delays have resulted in costing King in excess of $474,208. That total is growing monthly. Adding in the inspection discrepancies by the governor's Department of Administration, totaling $263,000, brings the cost to veterans at nearly $750,000.
Interestingly, Acting Secretary Black claimed in his referral letter to the attorney general that King exceeded its fiscal budget because of capital expenditures. These purchases, including a fire truck, packaging system, and storage units totaled $701,000.
In reality, the true costs of King's overexpenditures are not the purchasing of justifiable equipment as proven in the Department of Justice's report. But instead, they incurred from policy and mandate decisions directed by Governor Doyle that were unchallenged by his hand-picked Department of Veterans Affairs Board.
Those who'll pay the price are the dedicated understaffed caregivers at King as they tend to our most vulnerable heroes 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And ultimately, our veterans will pay the highest price at the place they come to spend the final years, months and days of their lives.
