Widow of man who died at WI vet’s home sues state, others

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UNION GROVE, Wis. (AP) — The widow if a man who died at a Wisconsin veterans nursing home is suing the state as well as some of the facility’s employees who she said failed to properly care for her husband.

Luane Krall, in her lawsuit, said staff failed to ensure her husband, Randy, was hydrated, which led to his death in late 2020 at age 69. Krall said staff at the troubled home in Union Grove provided “reckless, wanton, demeaning and inhuman treatment” of her husband.

The lawsuit filed in Dane County this month names the center, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, department Secretary Mary Kolar as well as 14 of the home’s employees involved in Krall’s care. The lawsuit seeks unspecified financial damages.

Dehydration has been a chronic problem at the facility, which ranks among the worst state veterans homes in the country in terms of violations and fines, according to a recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation. The Union Grove facility was cited for 62 violations and received fines totaling $250,000 since 2017, records show.

A Department of Veterans Affairs spokeswoman, in an email, said the DVA’s medical director previously reviewed the case and determined that appropriate care was provided. The department denies the allegations in the lawsuit.

Krall’s death certificate lists “failure to thrive” as the cause of his death.