Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) can no longer provide residential substance use treatment to veterans as the state moves to revoke its license to do so, the state Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) said Monday.
The state notified Veterans Village of the decision to temporarily suspend its license Thursday. The suspension is effective Monday, Sept. 9.
Veterans Village is a not-for-profit organization that provides a number of services, including housing, for veterans experiencing homelessness or at risk of being homeless.
The state's action was first reported by KPBS media partner inewsource. Since 2022 the news outlet has published a series of reports about conditions at Veterans Village.
California DHCS said in a statement its decision came after Veterans Village failed to adhere to an agreement it made with the state to make improvements.
"Between January 2022 and October 2022, five deaths at VVSD were reported to DHCS, prompting investigations that uncovered multiple health and safety violations," the agency said in a statement. "As a result, DHCS and VVSD entered into a Stipulated Settlement Agreement in March 2023; However, additional client deaths in September 2023 and March 2024, along with further violations, revealed VVSD’s failure to adhere to the agreement, leading to this licensing action."
Kimberley Monday, the vice president of development and communications at VVSD, told KPBS in a statement Monday the organization was shocked by the state's action.
"This decision has come as a profound shock to our team, who have consistently worked to meet every request aimed at enhancing the quality of our programs and services," Monday said. "The impact on our staff and the clients we serve is deeply distressing."
She said VVSD won't address specific allegations but took issue with inewsource's coverage of the organization, calling it "misleading and inaccurate."
"We are troubled by what seems to be an orchestrated attempt by inewsource to manipulate the narrative and incite action against us," Monday said.
inewsource managing editor Jaimie Self stands by their reporting.
"We have given Veterans Village leadership numerous opportunities, before and after publication, to respond to our reporting, which has been rigorously fact-checked. We stand by our reporting," Self said in a statement.
What's next?
This latest development leaves Veterans Village ineligible to receive funds from Medi-Cal, which pays for some of the residents' treatment.
Officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs and San Diego County scrambled to find alternative treatment options for Veterans Village residents impacted by the suspension.
Veterans Village receives funds for its residents from various sources. Some residents receive funds from the VA while others are supported by Medi-Cal. Not all residents receive substance use treatment at Veterans Village.
Evan Hinkley, a VA San Diego spokesperson, said VA staff have been on-site at Veterans Village checking in with all its residents.
"The VA San Diego Healthcare System ... is committed to ensuring a fast and efficient continuation of substance use services for all Veterans impacted by this license revocation," Hinkley said in an email.
About one-third of the 141 veterans living at VVSD via the VA are receiving substance use services, he said. They can continue living at VVSD and enroll in substance use services elsewhere or enroll in one of VVSD's other residential transitional housing programs, Hinkley said.
The same options are available to residents in the residential substance use program under Medi-Cal if they transition to the VA.
