the U.S justice department is slamming New Jersey for failing veterans at its two state-run nursing homes in a scathing 43-page report issued today the department said the facilities quote violated the 14th Amendment rights of residents during the covid-19 pandemic and those violations continue with residents still at high risk for serious infections and illness the report concludes a sweeping three-year investigation into the Menlo Park and Paramus veterans homes where more than 200 residents died one of the highest death tolls nationally among long-term care centers during the first wave of the coronavirus the report cites poor communication and a lack of Staff competency saying they were unprepared to keep residents safe during the outbreak one worker in the report described the situation in Paramus as pure hell while another described Menlo Park as a battlefield during the pandemic Governor Murph Murphy's office today acknowledged the findings saying it is clear we have significantly more work to do and we're open to exploring all options to deliver a high level of care for our veterans [Music] [Music]