Spouses could enter veterans homes before veterans under new bill

MADISON - Spouses of veterans could soon be admitted to state veterans homes before the veteran themselves, under new legislation brought forward this month.

The bill, which is currently being circulated for cosponsors, would allow the spouses of veterans to be admitted to state veterans homes before the veteran spouse is admitted, or even if the veteran spouse is never admitted.

Department of Veteran's Affairs Secretary James Bond said in a release that the agency will be glad to work with the legislature on the bill.

"It will create peace of mind for the dependent of a veteran whose medical needs require a long-term care facility before their spouse reaches that threshold," he said in an emailed statement.

Sen. Joan Ballweg, R-Markesan, one of the bill authors, said she's heard of instances of veterans gaming the system and entering homes before they need to, in order to secure desperately needed care for their spouse.

Under this bill, that would no longer be necessary and veterans wouldn't have to enter the home until they actually needed its services.

"We just thought, let's get rid of this bureaucratic red tape all the way, to serve the spouses of retired veterans," said Ballweg, who was joined by Sen. Van Wanggard, R-Racine, and Rep. Kevin Peterson, R-Waupaca and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, in authoring the bill.

The bill is a step in the right direction, advocates said, and places emphasis on the service spouses provide when the veteran they love serves.

The bill is being introduced at a time when veterans' homes in Wisconsin are under intense scrutiny over problems with care and deteriorating facilities.

At the Wisconsin Veterans Home in King, several people have passed away from preventable issues in recent years, including a veteran who accidentally lit himself on fire while smoking a pipe and did not have a fire-preventing blanket or apron as had been suggested for him.

More: Two deaths, including man who caught fire, underscore problems at Wisconsin veterans home

At a home in Union Grove, patients were reportedly not receiving enough water, resulting in dehydration and trips to the hospital. The home ranks among some of the worst state veterans homes in the country in terms of violations and fines, according to a Journal Sentinel investigation last year. The Union Grove facility was cited for 62 violations and received fines totaling $250,000 between 2017 and 2022, records show.

Veterans advocates support the bill. Ellen Jante, who volunteers at Union Grove, said that just like veterans, spouses have also played a role, suffered and served.

"Spouses deserve a place to go as well as the veterans," Jante said. "They paid the price when the veteran served. They were at home, maybe they didn't have their veteran to help them financially or personally. Many of them raised families without their veteran because they were shipped out. I really think it would be a benefit."

Chris Sekerka, a former employee of King and a veteran, said allowing spouses into homes first would actually be an aid to veterans, who would no longer have to worry about finding quality care for their loved one.

"It's benefitting those veterans out there," he said. "It's just another benefit that veterans can count on."

Still, concerns remain that admitting more people to veterans homes will make waitlists longer than they already are.

"I really want the spouses to have that opportunity, but I'm afraid to bring up 'Where are you going to put them?' but it's a fact," Jante said. "We're taking care of who we've got but if you pass this bill, where are we going to put the spouses? It's kind of a conundrum."

Sekerka said the homes need to focus on hiring and retaining good staff, so there is a larger capacity to admit new people

"They have waiting lists at all of the homes, they can't bring in more veterans because they don't have staff," he said. "And until they fix that piece of the puzzle with the veterans that are waiting, they're never going to be able to increase the census."

Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X at @SchulteLaura.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Spouses could enter state veterans homes before veteran under new bill