Legislators Welcome New Leadership of Veterans’ Homes

Trenton – Senate Health Committee Chair Joe Vitale, Military and Veterans Affairs Chair Vin Gopal, Senators Patrick Diegnan and Joe Lagana, and Assembly Military and Veterans Affairs Chair Cleopatra Tucker and Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle today issued this joint statement following the resignation of Major Gen. Jemal J. Beale, the New Jersey Adjutant General and Commissioner of Military and Veterans Affairs, and the replacement of the administrators at the state veterans’ homes in Paramus and Menlo Park:

“This is a positive step in the right direction. As a result of what happened at these homes, the public has lost total confidence – as have we. These individuals at DMVA were in charge when the Covid-19 pandemic swept through New Jersey’s state-run veterans homes, causing 190 deaths, including 101 veterans at the Menlo Park home, and 80 at the Paramus home. This was a terrible loss of life accompanied by the grief and suffering of residents and their families. We need to hold leadership accountable, especially in the face of a deadly pandemic. We thank General Beale and the others who served in uniform for their service to our country and wish them the best moving forward.

“We must show our veterans and their families that we won’t rest until we find out what happened at our state-run veterans homes and why so that we can identify and put in place measures that better protect the health and safety of residents and caregivers. We will continue to seek answers regarding the obvious structural, logistical and medical care breakdowns that led to the unprecedented number of Covid-19 deaths and illnesses at facilities that were home to those who proudly served our country. These veterans and their families deserve better.”