Governor’s office says Iowa Veterans Home is not closing

MARSHALLTOWN — Employees at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown have been sent an email titled “facility closure,” but a spokesman for the governor says there are no plans to close the home.

Alex Murphy, a spokesman for Governor Reynolds, says the document about closing the Iowa Veterans Home is nothing more than a policy statement required by the federal government.

The email was sent by the administrator who is now overseeing day to day operations at the home. Matthew Peterson, who had been Commandant of the Iowa Veterans Home, recently resigned from the post after 13 months in the job.

The president of the union that represents contract workers at the Veterans Home and a top Democrat in the Iowa Senate say the memo raises concerns because the governor ordered the closure of the state-run Glenwood Resource Center after saying it would not close. The governor’s spokesman says it’s irresponsible for Democrats to spread what he calls “a false rumor” and create unnecessary concern for Iowa Veterans Home employees, veterans and their families.

About 900 employees work at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown. There are more than 500 residents, making it one of the country’s largest state-owned nursing homes for veterans and their spouses.