Investigation Clears Tomah VA In Veteran’s Death

A new report finds that staff at the Tomah Veterans Affairs Hospital responded appropriately after an Army veteran suffered multiple strokes and later died.

Having completed its investigation into the death of Thomas Patrick Baer, the VA’s Office of Inspector General says it could not substantiate allegations that Baer received poor care after he suffered two strokes at the Tomah VA. His family claims a series of mishaps and a lack of attention led to a delay in treatment of the 74-year-old, who passed away after being transferred to Gundersen Health System in La Crosse.

The IG’s report does say that a physician failed to recognize the first stroke, but “properly considered a broad diagnostic possibilities for the episode.”

Baer’s family disagrees with the findings. His widow, Suzette Baer of Marshfield, said she wants someone held accountable and was hoping for a different conclusion in the investigation: “That the VA was lax in their care of Tom. And they were, I’m sorry.”

She added: “There’s a lot of things in that report that are not correct. I truthfully think the IG is working for the VA in Tomah.”

Officials from the Tomah VA say they stand behind the report’s findings, and that they’re making a number of changes in light of the incident. The IG did issue a number of recommendations for the Tomah VA, such as educating families about what can be treated in urgent care and training staff on stroke assessment.

Acting Medical Center Director John Rohrer said the Tomah VA cannot treat strokes, so they’ve established transfer agreements with Gundersen, which can.

“We actually appreciate it when we get these kind of reviews,” said Rohrer. “When I came on, I was looking at, waiting for some of these to come back, because they truly are the blueprints that we use to move forward and become better and provide better care for our patients.”

Meanwhile, the Baer family is pursuing legal action. Staffers with the VA’s OIG and an attorney met with the family Thursday morning to go over the details of the report. Suzette Baer said she kicked them out of her home.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally an Associated Press story. It has since been updated with original reporting.