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

Inadequate pandemic infection control and medical care at two New Jersey 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 the Murphy administration, 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.

“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’s 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.”