The management of unemployment claims filed by Iowans is under the responsibility of Iowa Workforce Development, as depicted in the photograph by Getty Images and the logo courtesy of the State of Iowa.
A judge has ruled that an Iowa nursing home worker, who was terminated for disregarding residents’ complaints of pain as mere drug-seeking behavior, is not eligible for unemployment benefits.
According to state records, Leann McVay used to work for Care Initiatives, one of the largest nursing home chains in Iowa, as a state-licensed practical nurse. Her employment with the company came to an end on March 18 of this year due to issues at Avoca Specialty Care, the nursing home where she was working at the time.
During a recent hearing, Care Initiatives presented evidence that revealed a complaint made by the daughter of a resident at the Avoca facility regarding the care provided by McVay. The concerned daughter contacted a supervisor in March and reported McVay’s inadequate care to her mother. The supervisor then instructed McVay to consult the resident’s doctor for guidance. However, McVay reportedly claimed that there was no need to contact the doctor as the resident was merely seeking drugs and pain medication that the doctor would not provide.
According to reports, the supervisor reminded McVay that decisions about the resident’s medical condition were solely for the doctor to make, not for the nursing staff. The supervisor also asked McVay if she had checked the resident for signs of a yeast infection. However, McVay apparently refused to make the assessment and simply replied, “I’m not doing that.”
After the resident’s doctor ordered the staff to administer an anti-fungal medication, the resident’s daughter contacted the supervisor again. However, this time she was upset and crying. According to Care Initiatives, the daughter reported that when she asked about the doctor’s orders, McVay was unkind and rolled her eyes. As a result, the daughter made it clear that she did not want McVay to ever provide care for her mother again.
During the same time, a resident who was experiencing pain and was visibly upset reportedly approached the supervisor to express dissatisfaction with the care provided by McVay for her chronic pain. McVay was questioned about whether she had reached out to the resident’s doctor regarding the pain, to which she responded by calling the resident a “junkie” who was only seeking access to medications that the doctor was unlikely to approve, according to the company’s allegations.
Care Initiatives reported that McVay disregarded an instruction to get in touch with the woman’s doctor, despite being informed by the physician that the woman required further pain medication to manage her diagnosed medical condition.
According to reports, McVay eventually gave in and promised to contact the doctor. However, it was later claimed that she informed her superiors that the physician was unavailable and wouldn’t be back for a few days. Additionally, she was accused of not attempting to reach the on-call physician who was covering for the absent doctor.
According to Care Initiatives, shortly after the aforementioned incidents, McVay allegedly threw a set of tube-feeding devices at an overnight nurse at Avoca Specialty Care and asked if she was “f—ing blind” for not being able to locate them. The nurse reported the incident to the facility administrator.
According to state records, McVay received a reprimand in February 2024 after complaints were filed by Atlantic Specialty Care, another facility under Care Initiatives. The complaints stated that McVay had occupied the director of nursing’s chair for an hour while on the clock without any apparent reason. Additionally, there were allegations that she was not available to assist the certified nursing assistants.
According to the company, McVay was disciplined in 2022 for several violations during the pandemic. These included using her cell phone during work hours, not properly wearing her protective mask while at the nurses’ station, and failing to assist aides with resident care.
Following his termination, McVay filed for unemployment benefits. This, in turn, resulted in a hearing before Administrative Law Judge James Timberland.
Upon reviewing the evidence presented in the case, Timberland has recently concluded that McVay’s workplace misconduct was the reason behind her ineligibility for benefits. The company found that McVay had shown a “callous disregard” for the residents and their needs. As a result, Timberland has instructed McVay to return the $841 in benefits that she has already received.
According to records from the Iowa Board of Nursing, McVay’s license is currently valid and in good standing without any history of disciplinary action taken against her by the board.
Several Iowans have had their unemployment cases recently resolved, including:
Nichole Van Houten, a former communications and events coordinator for the City of Bondurant, resigned from her position in April. According to reports, Van Houten had posted a message on Facebook asking for comments in support of her professional growth and encouraging her followers to provide feedback in support of the parks and recreation department, which she hoped to lead in the near future.
City Administrator Marketa Oliver accidentally sent an email to Van Houten which contained her personal notes on terminating Van Houten’s employment with the city, after the post was published online. Later, Van Houten was informed by Oliver that she had violated social media usage policies during working hours and that her post was self-serving. Van Houten was given the option of either resigning or being fired and she chose to resign. However, an administrative law judge awarded Van Houten benefits, as the city failed to prove any workplace misconduct.
Stephanie Coble-Day was the former principal of Community Christian School of Fort Dodge. However, she was dismissed in March due to allegations of not completing multiple applications for program funding properly, not reporting a gun violence threat, and creating a hostile work environment.
Coble-Day’s employer had accused her of using a grant to acquire excessive supplies for the school, which were not needed by the teachers and did not serve any immediate, legitimate purpose. However, Coble-Day denied these allegations and defended herself by stating that the “threat” she had failed to report was actually a 5-year-old child who was simply mimicking information from a television show. Recently, an administrative law judge ruled in favor of Coble-Day and awarded her benefits, as the school failed to prove any misconduct on her part in the workplace.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported that a nurse working at a care facility in Iowa was terminated for exhibiting a “callous disregard” towards the needs of the residents.