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County officials are looking into reports of problems with veterans getting into the Houghton County Medical Care Facility.
Board chair Al Koskela said Veterans Affairs will not pay for veterans trying to get into the facility due to what he called a “glitch” in an inspection last year. He did not elaborate on the issue.
A press release from the Houghton County Medical Care Facility says veterans already living at the facility are not affected. “The real issue is that the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center located in Iron Mountain, through their Home and Community Based Care Office, had given notice earlier in the year that HCMCF had been placed on an Immediate Deferment for new admissions. This notification was given via telephone in January of this year to the facility. HCMCF has attempted multiple times to resolve the issue with the VA in order to continue to meet the needs of the community. HCMCF remains in good-standing with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the State of Michigan. Houghton County Medical Care Facility is currently rated at a four-star rating for our Quality Measure which is better than national and state averages; and highest rating for quality measures in the tri-county area. The Administrator at HCMCF is optimistic that the issue will soon be resolved. HCMCF has also reached out to Congressman Jack Bergman, who serves on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, for additional assistance in this matter/issue. Houghton County Medical Facility remains committed to caring for the community and our veterans who have served our country.”
Koskela said Veterans are having to go to the DJ Jacobetti center in Marquette, which he says is currently full so veterans have nowhere to go unless they have Medicare or Medicaid.
There are a pair of public meetings scheduled to discuss the issue on November 27th at the VFW Post 6165 in South Range and November 28th at the National Guard Armory in Calumet at 10:00am.
