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* As we’ve already discussed…
The director of the state’s Veterans’ Affairs Department is stepping down, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday, capping a tenure that saw the coronavirus claim the lives of 72 veterans living in state homes.
A former Democratic state representative, Linda Chapa LaVia was tapped by Pritzker to lead the department in 2019.
* Tribune…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker called Chapa LaVia’s departure a “mutual decision.” But her resignation came just hours after she and her chief of staff, Tony Kolbeck, faced blistering bipartisan criticism from members of a House committee investigating the outbreak.
During the nearly three-hour hearing, Democratic state Rep. Dan Didech of Buffalo Grove called on LaVia to resign, noting he has “lost confidence that the current leadership is equipped to address the many challenges.”
The committee chairman, state Rep. Andre Thapedi, a Chicago Democrat, said lawmakers were being “stonewalled” by agency officials in response to “very simple questions.”
Following Chapa LaVia’s resignation, Republican state Sen. Sue Rezin, whose district includes the LaSalle home, said in a statement that the state’s VA leaders “failed the residents it was tasked with protecting.” Rezin said Pritzker should have removed her from leadership “long before today.”
I don’t disagree with any of that.
* It sure didn’t help that the department was being evasive at the committee.
“No more answers about how that’s a part of an investigation,” admonished the chairman of the House Judiciary - Civil Committee André Thapedi when the witnesses refused to respond. “This is the investigation.”
* But some of the Republican questions at yesterday’s hearing were a bit much. A couple asked about reports that workers had partied together on their own time. This from legislators who have consistently opposed the Pritzker administration’s mitigations. They’ve been saying publicly for months that the administration has overreacted and then are shocked, shocked! when people listen to them.
Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, who spoke at a reopen rally, also asked why IDVA didn’t prevent employees from leaving the facility after they tested positive. She was surprised when told employees were not stopped from going to their own homes, so she asked why. IDVA’s chief of staff Tony Kolbeck should’ve probably explained the Emancipation Proclamation or pointed out that the LaSalle Veterans Home is not a prison for workers, but took the polite route and said state personnel policies would not allow such a thing.
* More…
Following Chapa LaVia’s resignation on Monday, House Civil Judiciary Chairman Rep. Andre Thapedi, D-Chicago, wrote in a text message to Capitol News Illinois that the systemic problems at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs are enormous and most of them predate Chapa LaVia’s tenure.
“The care and treatment of our most vulnerable people – and especially our heroes – must be entrusted to our most capable and compassionate care givers. My only hope is that the necessary reforms at nursing homes and veterans homes across the state takes this principal to heart,” Thapedi wrote in the message.
Mazzochi wrote in a statement before Chapa LaVia’s resignation that she was “particularly disturbed” that IDVA had outsourced an investigation on to the state Department of Human Services, “with no concurrent self-assessment on the practices and policies that led to the outbreaks.”
“As members of our committee from both sides of the aisle agree, what they heard today was stonewalling of our legislative investigation; and a distinct lack of corrective action being taken by the agency. And, that no steps were taken to ensure the investigative cooperation of the administrator in charge of the facility at the time is an independent critical oversight error,” Mazzochi’s statement read in part.
1) Chapa LaVia had plenty of time to correct the problems. It’s just not an excuse.
2) If IDVA had done an internal investigation, they’d be accused of a cover-up. You shouldn’t investigate yourself, and Kolbeck explained that to Mazzochi during the hearing. What would happen, he asked, if the probe led in his direction and he was running it?
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 2:38 pm
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She was never qualified to run this massive bureaucracy and quite a sensitive state agency (especially during this pandemic) which deals with service members’ lives.
I recall when she lambasted then-Gov. Rauner’s VA director during the Legionnaires disease-related death hearings. Rauner was publicly criticized for his weak leadership on this issue and agency.
Though these issues may predate her tenure, she is was in a lose-lose situation.
Comment by Pizza Man Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 2:49 pm
I think DHS is running the investigation because they are investigating both Veteran’s Affairs and Public Health. It is too broad for the Inspector General of IDVA to cover, and i think they were less worried of an IDVA investigation pointing at Kolbeck than an IDVA investigation pointing at Public Health. That inestigation is probably coming out Friday.
Comment by Thomas Paine Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 2:55 pm
=== “As members of our committee from both sides of the aisle agree, what they heard today was stonewalling of our legislative investigation; and a distinct lack of corrective action being taken by the agency. And, that no steps were taken to ensure the investigative cooperation of the administrator in charge of the facility at the time is an independent critical oversight error,” Mazzochi’s statement read in part.===
The fact that this statement makes clear the real problems of the last director and agency united the committee in thoughts to honesty of the problems and rooting out causes should make the unifying to correct all problems better with the change of leadership too
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 3:00 pm
Chapa LaVia has been replaced… all the best to who successor. He will need it.
As to Rezin, her memory is short. She led a charge against covid safety mitigation from the Gov. Which is it Sue? Mitigate or freedom? Actions have consequences, and your public posturing is a contributing factor to the spread of the disease in your area.
As to Ms. Mazzochi, her own words define her value to any intelligent conversation on the topic. I can’t add anything to that.
Comment by Lincoln Lad Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 3:00 pm
I’m still not 100% sure what the specific problems/allegations are. Slow and/or sporadic testing and being too lax with mask wearing/social distancing in staff areas of the home seems to be the worst “infractions” I can find from Google, which still don’t seem like neglect to me. The problems with testing could be. And I’m not sure what the administration should have done to stop some employees from going to a Halloween party.
The part of the Quincy-Legionnaire’s outbreak that made me mad was that the home, with Rauner’s office, decided to keep quiet about it. Hiding information about an outbreak smacks of neglect and indifference to me, because you care more about appearances than helping people. I’m still not sure I see that here, though I will admit I didn’t sit through the hearings, so there is likely info I missed.
Comment by Perrid Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 3:00 pm
I would point out that Mazzochi repeatedly thought DHS meant the federal Department of Homeland Security until finally Kolbeck corrected her that it’s the state Department of Human Services.
Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 3:12 pm
If the Governor wants to hold a director of IDVA accountable for nursing home deaths, maybe he should choose a medical professional to lead the department.
Comment by Now I'm down in it. Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 3:37 pm
If there were problems that predated her and after the problems under Rauner why wouldn’t a competent person with a background in managing an agency like this have been sought after instead of making it a political appointment. Not following science or good business practice.
Comment by Arock Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 3:41 pm
- Arock - Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 3:41 pm:
Someone else withdrew before the Chapa LaVia appointment.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/ct-abn-chapa-lavia-st-0218-story.html
Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 3:53 pm
It should also be noted that this is not limited to the state-run veterans’ homes; there are serious outbreaks at public and private nursing homes throughout the state. In LaSalle Co, there have been 4 outbreaks where deaths exceeded 20 residents. While I understand the specific concern and responsibility for the folks in state-run facilities, this problem is far broader than the two Veteran’s homes. It is not clear to me that the Veteran’s homes outbreaks are due to circumstances that are somehow unique to those facilities.
http://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/long-term-care-facility-outbreaks-covid-19
Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 3:55 pm
Correct Precinct Cap…
It was never known why he either didn’t take the job or why he had to withdraw (something possibly found in his background check?)
Comment by Pizza Man Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 3:56 pm
I think some of the committee member’s points on IDVA doing an investigation was “hey we know IDHS is doing an investigation, aren’t you curious of what happened too?” The one member asked “don’t you have any intellectual curiosity?” when the continued to say we didn’t ask that question or we didn’t know. IDVA does not have its own OIG. They would be deferred to the OEIG. But I think after 6 years of IDVA messes it is time for them to have their own OIG.
Comment by Loyalty Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 4:09 pm
=== the real problems of the last director and agency united the committee in thoughts ===
Uniting lawmakers around blaming agency staff is never hard. It is their default position.
Comment by Thomas Paine Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 4:18 pm
=== Uniting lawmakers around blaming agency staff is never hard. It is their default position.===
And yet the unity was getting rid of Chapa LaVia in the end, and moving on to finding out what happened without her around.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 4:21 pm
==If the Governor wants to hold a director of IDVA accountable for nursing home deaths, maybe he should choose a medical professional to lead the department.==
Yes. It is run like a military agency by former military but when you at its mission, it is a social service agency that runs long-term care facilities.
Comment by Sangamo Girl Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 4:29 pm
Does this mean Chief of Staff Tony Kolbeck is out too?
Comment by Dutch Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 4:33 pm
=== moving on to finding out what happened without her around. ===
Is that what happened at IDES? No.
Once people decide to blame the Director, they usually stop looking for other explanations. It would be counterproductive if a report came back and said “Actually, IDPH is the one who screwed up here.”
Comment by Thomas Paine Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 4:37 pm
=== Uniting lawmakers around blaming agency staff is never hard. It is their default position.===
The sheer incompetence of Chapa LaVia needs to be looked at, and with her gone it makes most sense.
=== It would be counterproductive if a report came back and said “Actually, IDPH is the one who screwed up here.”===
Yeah, Chapa LaVia already says she’s responsible for her agency.
Well, it was time for her to go.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 4:41 pm
=== Is that what happened at IDES?===
Were there deaths at IDES?
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 12, 21 @ 4:46 pm