BOSTON – The state senator and the state representative closest to the issue of the reformed management of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, told Reminder Publishing that while proposed legislation is a step forward there are still issues that need to be resolved.

Chris Lisinski of the State House News Service wrote on Feb. 10, “Without the support of the original bill’s lead sponsor and amid concerns from a former veterans’ affairs secretary, the House on [Feb. 10] approved redrafted legislation aimed at reforming oversight and governance at the state’s long-term care facilities for veterans.

“The bill that cleared the House (H 4441) with a 156-1 vote seeks several major changes at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home and the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home after a deadly COVID-19 outbreak swept through the former facility nearly two years ago, leading to the deaths of dozens of veterans and spawning multiple independent investigations.

“Its reforms include a new requirement that the top official at each facility hold a license as a nursing home administrator, the launch of a new statewide veteran advocate office, and creation of ombudsman roles to oversee operations in Holyoke and Chelsea.”

Lisinski’s report continued, “‘The legislation before us today is not about blame. It’s not about partisan politics, and it’s certainly not about control,’ Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Paul McMurtry said while introducing the bill. ‘It is first about ensuring that a tragedy like this never happens again and providing our veterans the best possible care we can. I believe this legislation takes the necessary steps forward toward achieving that worthwhile goal.’

“However, the bill that top House Democrats brought forward for a vote had been reshaped in several key sections from the version that Rep. Linda Dean Campbell and Sen. Mike Rush filed last fall after they oversaw a nearly year-long legislative probe into the Holyoke home tragedy.

‘“The original draft,’ Dean Campbell said in an interview, was ‘much more comprehensive.’

‘“This is a very different bill than the one that was filed by Senator Rush and I resulting from the input we received during the special investigation,’ Dean Campbell, a Methuen Democrat, said.”

State Rep. Patricia Duffy told Reminder Publishing, “At this step in the legislative process, I support the latest version of this bill. We have a statewide council that provides oversight and resources to all regions of the commonwealth housing veterans, and that council includes voting members from both Soldiers’ Homes. We have important requirements of our superintendents, that they be licensed nursing home administrators. We have Department of Public Health involvement. I look forward to seeing the Senate’s version of the bill and the continuing work on this crucial reform in caring for our veterans.”

State Sen. John Velis sent this reaction to Reminder Publishing, “There are serious differences between the initial bills filed and the one passed by the House, and my team is still in the process of doing our due diligence and scrutinizing each section of the bill.

“While I am glad that the local board of trustees retain more authority in the final House bill, I am still concerned about the chain of command at our Soldiers’ Homes.

“Something that I’ve learned from my time in the military is that if you add too many layers to a chain of command, you run the risk of breakdowns in communication and misinterpretations. You can really apply that to any organizational structure. The statewide council is another burdensome layer in an already muddled chain of command. The inspector general and myself see eye-to-eye on many parts of this legislation, especially that this statewide council will create more confusion when we really need to be focusing on the authority of the superintendent and who they report to.

“In addition, I absolutely believe there should be a veterans secretary position at the cabinet level to ensure there is a direct line of communication for veterans to the governor. But what is absolutely paramount, and what has been made abundantly clear, is that the Department of Public Health must have a robust role in this process to go into the facilities and ensure that there is appropriate medical oversight.

“Like all bills, the Senate will take this up next and the hope is that the final conference committee report will be the best of each individual product.”