Inadequate financial controls at the Minnesota Veterans Home - Minneapolis resulted in accounting inadequacies over resident trust accounts and payroll and administrative expenditures.
These were among the 18 findings of a July 1, 2004, through June 30, 2007, audit of the home, conducted by the Office of the Legislative Auditor and released Nov. 26, 2008. It was discussed during the House Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veterans Affairs Finance Division meeting Jan. 13.
“This is a very serious report and one we will watch over carefully as the oversight committee,” said Rep. Al Juhnke (DFL-Willmar), chairman of the division.
The home came under intense scrutiny after reports of inadequate patient care and facility and management concerns began to surface in 2002. The home’s oversight body, the Veterans Home Board, was dissolved in 2007 upon recommendation from the governor-appointed long-term care commission. Oversight was then moved to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Commissioner Clark Dyrud tried to assure division members that care for the more than 300 patients is not being compromised, and that this report is not a reflection of the management of the state’s four other veterans homes.
While many of the problems precede his oversight, Dyrud said he requested the audit as a baseline, but was surprised by the “depth of the problem.” He said that many of the findings are being addressed.
Among the findings, the audit states the home did not fulfill its management responsibilities to control its financial activities and ensure that transactions complied with state requirements and internal policies.
Further, it did not adequately restrict employee access to accounting systems or manage employee overtime costs. Nor did the home’s pharmacy adequately manage its non-controlled prescription drugs and other supplies.
While several division members requested another audit in the near-term, auditors said they would need at least a year or more of data to draw conclusions. It was suggested that Dyrud provide the division with quarterly updates.
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