Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Brock on Friday weighed into the controversy surrounding the federal decertification of the Vermont Veterans’ Home in Bennington.
After a string of violations dating back to March of this year, the federal government has issued two notices of termination, saying it “will” yank Medicaid and Medicare funding for the facility. That funding accounts for the majority of the home’s operating budget.
Brock, a Vietnam War veteran and former state auditor who has worked with the Bennington home, issued a press statement on Friday urging the parties involved — the state workers’ union and several state agencies — to work together.
When the Vermont Veterans’ Home consistently failed to comply with federal regulations this year, Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding pulled state commissioners together to assess and manage the situation.
In recent months, particular administrators at the Vermont Veterans’ Home and various staff members have blamed one another for the facility’s woes.
“I call on Governor Shumlin and the Vermont State Employees’ Association to join with me in committing to do everything possible on behalf of Vermont’s veterans to prevent the loss of their home,” he said. “It’s time to put aside finger-pointing and to come together to support Vermont’s heroes.”
Brock said in a Friday interview that he’s not privy to the intimate details surrounding the home’s situation, but he’s very concerned about the potential ramifications of the facility’s decertification. When Brock was asked on Friday what he’d do in Gov. Peter Shumlin’s position, he did not criticize Shumlin’s handling of the situation. He did say, however, he’d put a priority on unifying state officials, the home’s administration and the facility’s staff.
“I do see management and labor don’t seem to be on the same page, and as governor I’d try to lead folks to get to a point where we can be on the same page,” he said. “There are some really important interests here in protecting the vets in the home, protecting the home itself, the state’s interest in the home and 250 jobs of state employees who depend on this facility.”
