TRENTON, N.J. (1010 WINS) — Workers from New Jersey’s state-run veterans homes have filed 41 lawsuits against Gov. Phil Murphy in August alone, threatening to add to the tens of millions of dollars that the state has already had to pay for similar litigation.
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The plaintiffs accused the Murphy administration of implementing rigid and dangerous policies at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that put them and residents at unnecessary risk, including a ban on masks.
The Division of Veterans Healthcare Services operates three nursing homes for veterans.
Almost 200 residents and two employees at facilities in Paramus and Menlo Park died during the spring of 2020, according to documents obtained by NorthJersey.com, and New Jersey had one of the highest nursing home death rates in the country at the time.
The lawsuits allege managers at the homes penalized staff for wearing masks under a Murphy policy. The veterans homes only changed their stance at the end of March 2020 when the health commissioner ordered universal masking for all nursing home employees.
The administration has already paid almost $69 million to settle 190 claims regarding its pandemic policies at veterans and nursing homes.
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, the Justice Department and the State Commission of Investigation have each launched independent investigations into the policies, though none of them have yet concluded or led to action.
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