Rock Island Today

Rep. Dan Swanson (R-Woodhull) recently was heard on the "Have All Voted Who Wish" podcast to discuss the passage of House Bill 359, legislation written to provide better care for veterans in veterans' homes.

Swanson said the origins of the bill came in the deaths of 36 veterans at the LaSalle County Veterans Home due to COVID-19.

Swanson said, "Now one of the bigger problems discovered during the veterans’ deaths at our veterans' home was there was no senior home administrator who actually worked for the director of the Department of Veterans affairs. They're the ones that oversee all veterans' homes to ensure they're all on the same standards, the same operating procedures throughout; whether it’s how departments work in general or the department’s special areas within the VA itself within those homes, how they do their day-to-day business."

Swanson said that with a senior home administrator that works with the VA, veterans' interests would be better looked out for and facilities could be held accountable for instances of neglect or recklessness.

Swanson continued, saying that a "senior home administrator could have proved to be a very valuable resource through this (pandemic) at our homes because they would have looked at the reports that identified deficiencies from previous inspections, and safety concerns and medical concerns, but that person was not existent."

House Bill 359, which becomes effective June 1, directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a veterans' accountability unit to take complaints and recommendations from veterans and other Illinois residents who seek services from the department; residents of veterans' homes, their families, and visitors; vendors and contractors of the department; and staff of the department. The director of a veterans' accountability unit will be appointed for a 4-year term. They are expected to ensure that the unit maintains regular office hours and establishes both a toll-free helpline and a dedicated electronic mail address to take complaints, information, and recommendations.

Swanson isn't the only legislator who has been asking for changes after the deaths at LaSalle Veterans' Home. In May 2021, Rep. David Welter (R-Morris) filed HB4077 with Rep. Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa) that would require the Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) and Department of Public Health (IDPH) “to conduct the site visit as soon as practical, but in no event shall the visit be delayed later than the end of the next business day,” if an outbreak occurs.