Iowa senator says abuse claims at Iowa Veterans Home ‘swept under rug’

DES MOINES - Lingering concerns over alleged abuse of residents and employees by the former commandant of the Iowa Veterans Home are spurring senators to look at new whistle-blower protections and expanded access to investigative reports being kept from public view.

State Ombudsman Ruth Cooperrider told lawmakers Tuesday she continues to probe allegations brought by residents before David Worley was replaced as leader of the Marshalltown home, while Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, said he reviewed a 'troubling” taped recording of an ex-employee detailing claims of sexual harassment and threats of workplace violence that was part of a confidential state investigation.

Jeff Panknen, a performance & development solutions official within the state Department of Administrative Services, told the Senate Government Oversight Committee that he conducted two investigations into complaints about Worley - including seven to 10 taped interviews - but was uncertain he could publicly disclose details.

Michelle Minnehan, DAS human resources enterprise chief operating officer, said she discussed Panknen's report with Gov. Terry Branstad's former chief of staff Jeff Boeyink, but neither verified the findings nor any recommended action associated with the Veterans Home case.

McCoy said he had access to a taped interview Panknen conducted with a senior level management team employee who discussed sexual misconduct, threats and a hostile work environment that she personally witnessed. The woman was told the information would be forwarded to the governor's office, McCoy said, but shortly thereafter 'the governor came out and doubled down and endorsed Worley as commandant.”

'I think the allegations that were brought forward and obviously sent to the governor were never acted on and that's what I'm alleging today because I have no evidence to the contrary,” McCoy told fellow committee members. 'I think the governor swept it under the rug.”

Jimmy Centers, Branstad's communications director, did not answer McCoy's contentions directly, but issued a statement saying 'allegations about a state employee are within the individual's personnel file” which is protected under state law.

'It's ironic Senate Democrats are discussing personnel matters on the same day they unveiled a bill which disregards the increased transparency measure passed by the Iowa House in a bipartisan fashion,” Centers said. 'If Senate Democrats were truly interested in increased transparency they wouldn't be caving to union opposition to openness of personnel files.”

Worley, who was hired by former Gov. Chet Culver and stayed on under Branstad s commandant of the Iowa Veterans Home, resigned in October 2013. In announcing Jodi Tymeson as the new leader at the Marshalltown home, Branstad issued a statement thanking Worley 'for his years of service and important changes at the Iowa Veterans Home.”

Cooperrider said her office has reviewed the state's investigative reports but had to sign a memorandum of understanding with DAS to have access to the confidential file under supervision and was barred from making copies of the documents. She also said her authority is limited to investigating complaints brought by the home's residents but not its employees.

Later Tuesday, an Oversight subcommittee approved a wide-reaching rewrite of state transparency, openness and accountability policies that includes greater protections for whistle-blowers and access to confidential documents. The full committee is slated to consider the bill Wednesday.