Jasper County’s VA administrator on paid leave pending investigation

The administrator of Jasper County Veterans Affairs has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, but the alleged misconduct has not been made public. It is likely the veterans affairs commission will hold a closed session after its regularly scheduled meeting this week to discuss the matter.

If any action is to be taken to discipline or terminate administrator Alyssa Wilson, then the commission will have to do so when it returns to open meeting following the closed session discussion. Until then, the veterans affairs department is still operational with the shared benefits coordinator, Josh Price, helming the office.

Dennis Simon, director of human resources for Jasper County, declined to give a comment on Wilson’s administrative leave, saying he cannot speak on employee issues that are under internal investigation. However, Simon explained that in the administrator’s absence veterans are still able to receive assistance.

“Josh has completed all his documents and they’ve been sent to national, and we’re waiting on them to sign off,” Simon said. “He’ll get his PIV (Personal Identity Verification) card and he’ll be able to process the claims in-house. He’ll be able to do everything that the administrator was doing.”

Newton News has learned that Price’s accreditation was approved. When his PIV card is finished, he will be able to process claims without the need of another county veteran service officer (VSO). Until then, veterans will work with another county VSO to get everything processed in the system.

“So they can still get services here,” Simon said, noting it is his understanding they will not have to go to Polk County or another adjoining county for claims processing. “The office is open. Josh is there. He is responding to phone calls, emails and walk-ins. So still open for business.”

Over the past year, there has been a great deal of friction between Wilson and the commissioners that have unraveled at public meetings. In May, a number of veterans flocked to their first ever veterans affairs commission meeting in support of Wilson, whom they said needed additional support to run the office.

Many defended Wilson for her work in helping veterans, and others suggested there is a movement or conspiracy to oust her from her position. Prior to Wilson taking on the job, there was some initial hesitancy from officials regarding her status as a non-veteran. Many veterans have condemned that sentiment.

Regardless, the issues between the commission and Wilson came to a head in a June. Commissioner Ed Spangenburg, who was unhappy with the number of Wilson’s unreturned phone calls, placed responsibility on her if veterans decide to kill themselves after having no one to answer the phone.

Again, local veterans came to Wilson’s aid to express their disgust with the commissioner’s comments, and the daughter of a Vietnam veteran wrote a letter condemning the things Spangenburg said. Over time the bickering had quieted, especially when a third party provided input to Wilson and commissioners.

In recent meetings, some progress had been made when it came to tracking Wilson’s work and how she is supposed to conduct at-home visits. Both of which were major issues for commissioners, who stressed the need for productivity and satisfactory evidence that concludes she, indeed, needs more help in the office.