New Jersey has agreed to pay nearly $53 million to 119 families of veterans home residents; the families sued after their loved ones died during the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the settlement, families will receive $445,000 on average. The settlement does not include an admission of guilt by the state. Republican lawmakers say the Murphy administration’s policy decisions directly led to the deadly COVID-19 outbreaks at the state-run veterans homes.
A report from federal investigators released in August 2020 found that during the early months of the pandemic, veteran-home residents with COVID-19 were allowed to live around those who were not sick. The report also found poor mask use among staff.
