Retired Army Colonel Steve Toft Reminds Voters of Ron Kinds Failures to Protect Veterans

Osseo, WI – Ahead of the Memorial Day Weekend, Steve Toft urged voters in the 3rd Congressional District to remember how Ron Kind failed to take urgent action to protect veterans getting care at the Tomah VA. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security released evidence in 2016 that Kind’s office received a call from a veteran who later died and did not take action.

“As we take time this weekend to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice, we cannot forget that veterans here at home who were suffering and dying while politicians like Ron Kind did nothing,” says Retired Colonel Steve Toft. “The tragedies that took place in Tomah are a blackeye for our country and cannot be forgotten.”

In addition to not logging or following up on the call to his office, Kind failed to follow up on another complaint sent to his office in 2011. The anonymous notice was forwarded to the VA Inspector General Hotline, but no attempt was made to follow up or highlight the issue by Kind or his office.

Toft Continued, “Few congressmen have a major VA facility in their backyard. For Ron Kind to ignore the signals that were being sent by veterans is a disgrace. If elected, it will be a priority of mine to keep a close watch on the Tomah facility and the Veterans Affairs system as a whole. Our veterans deserve to be treated with the utmost respect. This weekend especially, we should remember this.”

Toft grew up on a farm in West Central Wisconsin, graduated from UW-Eau Claire and returned to Osseo after 32 years of service in the Army and obtaining the rank of Colonel. He lives there with his wife of 28 years Carla, together they have two grown children. His wife Carla also retired with rank of Colonel.