A day after it was revealed that the State-run veterans home at Menlo Park was hit by hundreds of thousands of dollars of penalties for failing to care for its residents and putting their lives at risk, New Jersey State Senator Joe Pennacchio asked if any of the Democrats in power in Trenton really care.
A day after it was revealed that the State-run veterans home at Menlo Park was hit by hundreds of thousands of dollars of penalties for failing to care for its residents and putting their lives at risk, Sen. Joe Pennacchio asked if any of the Democrats in power in Trenton really care. (©iStock)
“Does anyone in power in Trenton really give a shit about our veterans homes?” Pennacchio (R-26) asked. “Because after three years of inaction, it sure doesn’t look like it. Our most vulnerable veterans deserve every effort we can make to prevent them from unnecessary harm.”
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced yesterday that more than $340,000 in civil penalties have been levied against the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park after inspections last fall determined that improper care put the lives of residents in “immediate jeopardy.”
Since 2020, Pennacchio has been calling for a special legislative investigation to be conducted by the Legislature to examine the management and policy failures that led to hundreds of unnecessary deaths in the three State-run veterans homes and thousands of deaths in other nursing homes during the pandemic.
He sponsors a resolution, SR-32, that would form a special legislative committee with subpoena power to conduct the investigation.
“The federal fines are proof that the same mismanagement that led to the tragic loss of life in the early days of the pandemic is still occurring today,” Pennacchio added. “Nothing is going to change until the Democratic majority in the Legislature stops stonewalling the comprehensive investigation we’ve called for that veterans and nursing home residents and their families deserve.”
On six separate occasions since May of 2020, Senate Democrats have blocked efforts by Pennacchio and Senate Republicans to bring his resolution up for a vote.
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