Congressmen Praise Probe Into Paramus Veterans Home

PARAMUS, NJ — Congressmen Josh Gottheimer and Bill Pascrell, Jr. have applauded news that a grand jury is investigating the Paramus Veterans Home.

The duo said what happened at the home during the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed 81 residents and a staff member, is a travesty.

"The handling of the Paramus Veterans Home during the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the greatest tragedies our state has ever witnessed," they said.

"The incompetence, negligence, and outright recklessness by facility management contributed to these residents’ untimely deaths. Because those failures may have been criminal, we have long called for accountability through the judicial system. The reports that the Attorney General has convened a grand jury can provide a measure of justice and accountability for the families and helps make sure a tragedy like this never happens again," they added.

First reported by Northjersey.com, the Attorney General's Office is investigating all three of the state-run homes.

The homes have been under fire since early in the pandemic, when outbreaks hit in Paramus and Menlo Park, and later when it was determined that leadership at the Paramus home dismissed health concerns, and valued the sanctity of their operations over staff health matters.

Gottheimer and Pascrell have long called for an investigation into the home, as has the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of New Jersey.

"The Veterans of Foreign Wars calls on the State Attorney General, along with the Bergen and Middlesex County Prosecutors, investigate the actions or inactions of the executive leadership whose duty it was to provide our veterans under their care with a safe and healthy environment," said State Commander Brian Wiener, in an August statement.

It appears the AG listened, but details of the investigation have not been made public.

In October, Gov. Phil Murphy announced changes in leadership within the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Among the changes included the removal of then-Paramus Veterans Home CEO Matthew Schottlander and then-Menlo Park CEO Elizabeth Schiff Heedles.