Money for nursing home inspectors going elsewhere

DES MOINES (AP) ? State-allocated money meant for rehiring 10 nursing home inspectors whose jobs were lost amid budget cuts is instead going elsewhere.

The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals said the $650,000 that state lawmakers restored to its budget isn?t needed for those inspectors.

Department spokesman David Werning told the Des Moines Register that the department has become more efficient since the jobs were lost in February, bringing the number of inspectors to 28 for 442 nursing homes.

?The bureaus that deal with long-term care facilities ? the nursing homes ? are, right now, probably about 50 percent ahead of their workload,? Werning said. ?We aren?t behind on anything in terms of long-term care inspections. I know that raises the question of whether there ever was a need for those 10 positions. Frankly, probably not.?

So, the department said, the money is going toward general operation of the department?s Health Facilities Division and to better oversight of residential facilities for disabled Iowans.

The decision doesn?t sit well with some lawmakers and advocates for nursing home residents.

Democratic Sens. Pam Jochum of Dubuque and Jack Hatch of Des Moines said the money was restored with the expectation it would go toward rehiring the inspectors.

?When a family makes the painful decision to place a loved one in a nursing home, they assume the facility has been inspected and everything is in order,? Jochum said. ?Families rely on government to ensure that these facilities will take good care of their loved one.?

John Tapscott, a former state lawmaker who now advocates for nursing home residents, called the decision not to rehire the inspectors ?an outrage.?

?This just goes to show you that it?s the nursing home industry that is running our state inspections department,? he said.