Florida Congressman Vern Buchanan (R) has called for a national investigation into allegations of neglect and misconduct at Department of Veterans Affairs nursing homes.
“A congressional investigation should leave no stone unturned in finding out how this happened in the first place and how it can be prevented in the future. Those responsible for gross misconduct or negligence must be terminated immediately,” Buchanan wrote in a letter to the chairman of the U.S. House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
The call for action comes after a report by USA Today and The Boston Globe that showed nearly half of VA nursing homes, which only made its rating public for the first time recently because of the newspapers’ investigation, received one out of five stars – the agency’s lowest possible grade for quality. The report also showed that three of the lowest-rated facilities are in Florida.
“We need real accountability and transparency at the VA, and every agency employee needs to fulfill their mission of caring for those who have served our country. It’s a national disgrace that any veteran should die from negligence. Heads must roll at the VA for those responsible for gross misconduct and negligence,” said Buchanan.
