NJ commission echoes federal findings on botched veterans home response during pandemic

Two New Jersey veterans homes botched their COVID-19 response as the virus spread among some of the state’s most vulnerable residents, an independent state commission said in a report released on Tuesday that mirrors already-scathing findings from federal investigators.

The findings from the State Commission of Investigation echoed those from the Department of Justice last month that determined veterans homes in Menlo Park and Paramus were “overwhelmed” in the early months of 2020, during the height of the pandemic.

The watchdog report urged Gov. Phil Murphy and the state Legislature to reassign management of the homes from the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to a new oversight agency. More than 200 people who lived or worked at the state-owned homes died from COVID-19, with the vast majority coming from the Menlo Park and Paramus facilities.

“The veterans homes were entirely overwhelmed by massive absenteeism among nurses and other frontline staff in the initial weeks of the pandemic, leaving them unable to provide basic care to residents,” reads the state report.

The report excoriated state officials and facility administrators for failing to implement a “realistic strategy to get employees to report to work or to find replacement staff," such as by offering competitive pay compared to other facilities. The Menlo Park home saw a 480% jump in employee “call-outs” shortly after the virus started spreading there, per the report.

Employee "call-outs" at the Menlo Park home jumped 480% shortly after the virus began spreading there, per the report.

“Complicating the situation was that employees were genuinely fearful about contracting the highly contagious virus early in the pandemic and concerned about the lack of safeguards to protect them,” the report reads. “Employees told the Commission they feared contracting the virus and bringing it home to loved ones due to inadequate personal protective equipment and scarce testing.”

Staff at Menlo Park and Paramus told investigators they had “little to no equipment” to protect themselves from the virus in the pandemic’s earliest days and that “some workers were wearing plastic bags over their heads,” according to one worker at the former facility.

The state’s Vineland facility, “where COVID infection rates were far lower, had a warehouse full of equipment with no shortages,” the report reads.

Communication between the veterans affairs department and state health officials also experienced significant “breakdowns” over changing pandemic guidance, the report reads, with the health department providing “inconsistent answers” to veterans officials. Staff also allegedly left families in the lurch.

“No system existed to ensure family members of the residents received regular and reliable communication from the homes’ staff with information on their loved ones,” states the report. “As a result, some families received limited to no updates or, in some cases, inaccurate information.”

The findings delivered another blow to the Murphy administration just weeks after federal investigators released similar findings in early September.

The justice department's report laid into the state’s “dysfunctional management style and poor communication with staff members,” echoing complaints around nursing homes in New York.

Christi Peace, a spokesperson for Murphy, said the report’s findings will be “taken into consideration” as the administration works to improve veteran care in the state and that “all options are on the table.”

“While progress has been made in recent years to improve operations and procedures within the veterans homes, we understand more work must be done to fully address those challenges on behalf of the residents and staff,” Peace said in a statement Tuesday.