DOJ finds poor care at New Jersey state-run veterans homes during pandemic violated Constitution

Inadequate pandemic infection control and medical care at two state-run veterans homes violated the U.S. Constitution, the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey said Thursday.

The findings at the Menlo Park and Paramus veterans homes deal a heavy blow to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, whose response to the pandemic at those nursing facilities had been heavily criticized since Covid-19 reached New Jersey in 2020. The homes are run by the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

In its findings, the Justice Department quoted a worker at Menlo Park describing it as "pure hell" and one at Paramus as "a battlefield."

"Even by the standards of the pandemic’s difficult early days, the facilities were unprepared to keep their residents safe," the agencies said in their 40-page report. "A systemic inability to implement clinical care policy, poor communication between management and staff, and a failure to ensure basic staff competency let the virus spread virtually unchecked throughout the facilities."

The homes had among the highest numbers of reported deaths during the first wave of the coronavirus, but the federal agencies noted those figures were likely much higher.

More than three years later, the report said, there are still deficiencies in basic care at the homes, including "failures" to monitor residents for acute changes in condition, administer medications, and treat pressure injuries and wounds adequately.

“The Paramus and Menlo Park veterans’ homes fail to provide the care required by the U.S. Constitution and subject their residents to unacceptable conditions, including inadequate infection control and deficient medical care," New Jersey U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a statement. "These conditions must swiftly be addressed to ensure that our veterans and their families at these facilities receive the care they so richly deserve. We will not stop working until they do.”

The Murphy administration has hired an outside firm to examine its response to the pandemic. The governor's office and Department of Military and Veterans Affairs did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the findings.