News  Office of the Inspector General Issues Letter to Secretary Marylou Sudders

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) sent a letter on January 3, 2023, to Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EHS) Secretary Marylou Sudders about the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home (Home). In the letter, Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro expressed concerns about leadership at EHS and the Home, based on investigative reports that EHS produced to the OIG on December 22, 2022, which the OIG had requested in October 2022.

The EHS investigative reports, most of which date back to the summer of 2022, document leadership failings at the Home, as well as inadequate conditions for some veterans and a dysfunctional work environment for the employees. The reports also document that the leadership at the Home lacks the capacity and integrity to manage the Home. EHS has been aware of these serious issues for several months but has failed to take timely and appropriate action to correct them.

Inspector General Shapiro urged Secretary Sudders to provide a complete, transparent briefing to her successor on these issues. The OIG will continue to monitor the management of the Home, share these concerns with the incoming Secretary of Health and Human Services, and make further recommendations to promote the quality, integrity and efficiency of the management team and to safeguard the Commonwealth’s resources.