Two top officials at the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs have been fired two weeks after current and former caregivers spoke out publicly about allegations of a long-standing toxic work environment at the Hastings Veterans Home.

Larry Herke, commissioner of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, said Sunday in a message to workers that Saturday was the last day for Doug Hughes, deputy commissioner for veterans health care, and Mike Anderson, administrator of the Minnesota Veterans Home in Hastings.

“I am aware of ongoing issues that have been raised at the Hastings Veterans Home,” Herke’s message said. “I have decided to go in a different direction with the home’s leadership.”

Herke’s decision to remove the two top leaders comes before he is expected to testify Tuesday evening to the Senate veterans committee, which is investigating allegations from more than a dozen former and current caregivers at the domiciliary facility in Hastings.

Herke also plans a ‘listening session’ before the hearing Tuesday in Hastings, according to a copy of a flyer obtained by the Pioneer Press.In an interview Sunday evening, Hughes said the Hastings Veterans Home operated well under Anderson’s leadership. Hughes said any allegations or problems brought forward from caregivers were properly addressed.

Hughes said employees rejected several management changes Anderson implemented when he became administrator of the home, including that caregivers work weekends.

“It is very difficult to performance manage state employees,” he said. “Mike and I are scapegoats, there’s no doubt about it.”

Hughes also questioned why commissioner Herke had not visited the facility to look into the allegations. “If this is such a big problem, why didn’t he go there himself?” Hughes asked.

Leaders, caregivers respond

Sen. Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, who chairs the veterans committee, said the panel would “take testimony and ask questions of Commissioner Herke, veterans home staff, and others.”

Murphy praised the staffing decision announced on Sunday.

“I am grateful to see the MDVA acting to address the unacceptable conditions for veterans and their caregivers in Hastings,” Murphy said in a statement. “Our committee and our caucus take seriously the allegations of mismanagement, retaliation, and staff turnover, and its impact on the care and the lives of our treasured veterans.”

In a statement through their attorney Chris Wachtler, the caregivers who raised the concerns said: “While these necessary changes are significant and a positive step forward, many have suffered tremendous pain and loss which cannot be undone and should not be forgotten.”

More than a dozen caregivers described an ongoing culture of workplace harassment, retaliation and bullying at the Hastings veterans home. They told the Pioneer Press that unsafe conditions are ignored, unqualified people interfere with medical decisions and staffing levels are dangerously low.

Caregivers said the toxic workplace culture endangers some of the state’s most vulnerable veterans who turn to these state-run domiciliaries because they have nowhere else to go. Many suffer from chronic medical conditions, mental health challenges and substance abuse.

In a statement Sunday, Gov. Tim Walz said the state’s veterans were a priority for his administration and they should receive the “highest level of compassion and care.”

“The men and women who serve our country deserve nothing less,” said Walz, who served 24 years in the Army National Guard. “This is one of many positive steps the Department of Veterans Affairs is taking to improve the situation for staff taking care of residents at our veterans homes.”

Hughes said he took offense to Walz’s comment that this leadership change will benefit the residents of the veterans home. Instead, Hughes insisted that their departure will take the home in the “wrong direction.”

Ongoing problems went unaddressed

While the coronavirus outbreak led to the widespread burnout and departure of medical staff at many facilities, caregivers say the problems in Hastings predate the pandemic.

Anderson was the administrator for the Hastings home, which has room for about 150 veterans, since 2018 and he also oversaw the domiciliary in Minneapolis where about 50 live. Hughes was his boss and was in charge of ensuring the state provided veterans with adequate health care since 2016.

Both previously had declined to comment about the allegations.

Caregivers say they brought their concerns to Hughes and Anderson as well as other superiors, but the problems went unaddressed. They eventually wrote to Herke and Gov. Walz in the summer of 2022.

The allegations were sent to the Minnesota Department of Management and Budget, which handles human resources for state agencies. In September, a deputy commissioner for the department sent a letter saying the Department of Veterans Affairs had “identified improvement areas” and would be “implementing continuous education.”

The complaint was closed, the letter said. Caregivers who raised the concerns said no one from the state contacted them to learn more about their allegations.

Hughes said the allegations were “taken seriously” and that the department made a “good effort to address those concerns.”

New facilities and concerns about care

Residents at the Hastings home have also raised concerns about their care. They say staffing levels have fallen to a bare minimum and they may have to wait days to see a doctor unless it is an emergency.

The domiciliaries in Hastings and Minneapolis are care homes, not skilled nursing facilities. Nevertheless, the homes are charged with providing residents round-the-clock “guidance and support by trained professionals in the areas of nursing, mental health, social work and senior care.”

The state Department of Veterans Affairs plans to open three more homes this year — in Bemidji, Montevideo and Preston — and some workers worry the state hasn’t allocated enough funding to operate what will soon be eight facilities statewide. Gov. Walz has proposed a $57 million increase, or about 43 percent, in the next two-year budget for veterans health care.

The Minnesota Legislature also is debating spending $78 million to replace the Hastings campus, a more than 100-year facility. That’s the state’s portion of the proposed $220 million project with the rest coming from the federal government.

The project has broad bipartisan support with Democrats and Republicans also agreeing workplace issues need to be addressed.

“Allegations of a culture of abuse at the veterans home are alarming and deserve a hard look,” Sen. Judy Seeberger, DFL-Afton, and Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, DFL-Minneapolis, wrote to Gov. Walz March 13.

Rep. Shane Hudella, R-Hastings, praised Herke’s decision to move quickly to address workplace complaints. “As a member of the veteran community myself, I will always place the treatment of our heroic service members, and those that care for them, at the top of my list of Minnesotans to fight for,” Hudella said in a statement on Sunday.

In his note to staff, Commissioner Herke said the search to replace Hughes and Anderson was underway and in the meantime Brad Lindsay, currently deputy commissioner of programs and services, will oversee veterans health care. Craig Smith, a licensed nursing home administrator, will be the interim administrator of the Hastings veterans home.

“We will be moving forward with new leadership at the Hastings Veterans Home, and we are looking forward to continuing to make positive changes in the service of our Veterans,” Herke said.