DHS director grilled by Iowa Senate

DES MOINES — The head of Iowa's human services agency faced tough grilling Thursday from senators upset that state institutions serving troubled teens and mentally ill patients have been hastily closed without legislative consultation.

Chuck Palmer, Gov. Terry Branstad's choice as Department of Human Services director, spent nearly an hour answering questions from members of the Senate Human Resources Committee. The questions focused on the closure of the Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo, similar steps at mental health institutes in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant, and a plan to deliver Medicaid services via a managed-care vendor.

'Very open to input'

Senators will decide within the next month whether to confirm Palmer, 76, for another four-year term. At least 34 affirmative votes would be needed to confirm Branstad's reappointment of Palmer — a threshold several senators after the meeting said they expected would be met.

'I consider myself a problem solver and a bridge builder,' said Palmer, who was Branstad's DHS director from 1989 to 1999 and then returned in 2011 when the GOP governor won a fifth term. 'I consider myself very open to input.'

However, Palmer said significant budget pressures brought on by federal changes and funding cutbacks created more urgency this fiscal cycle to make difficult decisions. Those decisions included recommending to the governor that the state consider closing two mental health facilities and finding alternative ways for delivering services.

'We're at a place where the budget has driven decisions more quickly than we'd have liked, but that's the reality,' Palmer said.

Palmer said the recommendations to close the mental health facilities were among options he presented to Branstad, but it was the governor who made the final decision.

Transparency concerns

Senate President Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, expressed concern that lawmakers have been kept in the dark during the Branstad administration's decision-making, noting that if 'there's a master grand plan out … we've not heard it.' She said too often legislators 'find out about big changes when we open up the budget, and that the communication and transparency has really dwindled.'

Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, told Palmer that he senses that 'a lot of what you have to do is put a smiley face on a lot of decisions made in this building by your boss and the people in the Department of Management.'

Sen. Rich Taylor, D-Mount Pleasant, told Palmer he always respected him and thought he did a good job 'until recently,' when the Branstad administration began shutting down the mental health institute in his hometown and issuing layoff notices.

During a floor speech earlier in the day, Taylor said he has 'lost faith' in Palmer as DHS leader and would join Sen. Steve Sodders, D-State Center, in opposing his reappointment. He said Palmer either moved ahead to close the mental health institutes or did so at Branstad's bidding.

'Either way, Director Palmer fell on his sword for the governor, and, as you all know generally, when you fall on the sword, it will kill you,' he said.

Confirmation Expected

Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan, praised Palmer for collaborating well with legislators to redesign a regional mental health system and expand Medicaid through the Healthy Iowa initiative. He said he expected Palmer would do the same with the proposed managed care approach to delivering Medicaid services.

'This confirmation will move forward,' Johnson said.

Sen. Liz Mathis, D-Cedar Rapids, leader of the Senate Human Resources Committee, said she didn't know what the outlook was for Palmer's confirmation.

But she said she planned to vote for him because 'most of the time he's been very transparent with what he's done,' although she wasn't happy with the closing of the Iowa Juvenile Home and the two mental health institutions.