Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs Director Matt Snead never hires people on the spot, but said he made an exception for the agency's newest veterans home administrator.
A veteran and third-generation nursing home operator, Lindsey Clyburn was exactly who Snead felt should guide the soon-to-open Arkansas State Veterans Home at North Little Rock through its infancy. So he didn't hesitate.
"I asked him to step outside and wait on the couch," Snead said, recalling the interview. "I turned around and looked at my staff and said 'I'm gonna hire that guy.' Then, I opened the door, he wasn't even at the couch yet, and I called him back in here and offered him the job on the spot."
Clyburn, 48, is uniquely positioned to run the new veterans home, Snead said. He earned his first paycheck at age 12 working in his grandparents' Lonoke nursing home, and the Carlisle native owned and operated his own nursing homes until 2012 when he sold the Golden Years Manor in Lonoke, which his family had operated since the 1960s.
Recently, he worked as a "fix-it man" for several private companies, parachuting into struggling long-term care facilities to correct mismanagement.
Clyburn assumed his new role at the state Department of Veterans Affairs last week at a yearly salary of about $84,000.
Snead and Clyburn hope to open the new home in November if construction workers avoid further delays. The long-term care facility, which will accept veterans and their dependents, will start by welcoming six, privately paying residents.
The department eventually plans to accept up to 96 residents as it becomes eligible for Medicare, Medicaid and reimbursements from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which fund long-term care for veterans who are considered 70 percent disabled.
A privately paying resident can expect a cost of about $180 per day.
The $24 million construction project is primarily funded by $15.6 million from the federal VA. The state covered the remaining costs with $7.5 million in general improvement funds and about $916,000 from the state Department of Veterans Affairs and donations.
The facility will use a "home-style" approach. There will be eight cottages that can house up to 12 residents each. Home-style facilities feel less institutionalized than traditional long-term care homes, said Martha Deaver, president of the Arkansas Advocates for Nursing Home Residents.
"It's a totally, totally updated concept," Deaver said. "It's focused on the quality of resident care and letting them feel comfortable making their own decisions."
Each resident will have a private room and bathroom, and the cottages are staffed with personnel who provide direct medical care along with a variety of household services such as cooking, cleaning and laundry. Those caretakers are assigned to only one cottage, where they're encouraged to interact and develop relationships with the veterans in their care.
There are only two other similar facilities in the state, Deaver said.
Clyburn's family operated something similar to a veterans cottage several decades ago in Lonoke. They designated one of their buildings strictly for veterans.
"This is kind of coming full circle for me," Clyburn said.
Clyburn joined the National Guard at age 32 after watching the World Trade Center towers fall down on television on Sept. 11, 2001, with a veteran at his parents' nursing home. He felt compelled to serve after a conversation with the Korean War veteran.
"It changed my life," he said, adding that the military experience added to his already high appreciation for former service members.
About 270 people have expressed interest in the home. The agency plans to begin vetting those who are interested in the coming weeks.
The new facility provides an opportunity for the state VA to continue to improve its reputation after Deaver exposed abuse and mismanagement at both of the state's veterans homes in 2011.
The Little Rock Veterans Home, located since 1980 in a long-closed school for the blind on Charles Bussey Avenue, shut down in 2012 because of deplorable living conditions and a lack of funding. The closure came shortly after the ouster of former state VA Director Dave Fletcher over allegations of illegal fee collection, missing inventory and other administrative concerns.
Since the Little Rock home's closure, the veterans home in Fayetteville has been the only state-run veterans home in Arkansas. Neighboring states all operate at least three similar long-term care facilities for former armed-services members. Tennessee, for example, runs four such homes; Missouri runs seven.
The Arkansas State Veterans Home at Fayetteville in 2012 was cited by the Office of Long Term Care, the state's nursing home watchdog, for 22 patient-care violations, including medication errors, unsanitary conditions and cold or inedible food. Prior to those citations, the home was flagged multiple times, including for allegations of neglect, failing to file reports and staff members providing false reports.
Problems continued throughout 2013 when one patient died due to neglect, according to a report from the Office of Long Term Care. The agency in May settled a claim with that veteran's family for $250,000.
Conditions at the Fayetteville home have improved, and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently gave the facility a five-star rating -- its highest mark, which is awarded to only 10 percent of the state's nursing homes.
Deaver said she is comfortable with the state again opening a veterans home in central Arkansas. She praised Snead, who took over the agency in early 2015, saying he has brought about positive change. She also endorsed Clyburn for the administrator job.
"He has a very knowledgeable background," Deaver said. "After looking at his resume and his past work and his ability to stay within compliance, I'm convinced he's the best applicant for the job."
The department expects to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the North Little Rock site on Veterans Day.
Metro on 10/05/2016