The report released by the U.S. Department of Justice last week that blasted conditions at state-run veterans homes in Menlo Park and Paramus has led to an outcry. This has included lawmakers, some of whom have called for the Legislature to reconvene to address the issue.
“To me this is a crisis situation that needs to be addressed,” said Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-Bergen). “I don’t know that we can wait the full time for them to file a response or say what they’re going to do, and I think along those lines is the fact that clearly there were people interfering with the Department of Justice doing their job during their investigation, following them around, trying to control the questioning, calling people back in and asking them what they were asked. That’s not the way it should have been handled by the state.”
While Democrats credit Gov. Phil Murphy for proposing some reforms over the past two years, they have also joined the calls for more answers. “It’s offensive,” said Sen. Joseph Cryan (D-Union), who chairs the Senate Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “It’s appalling. Frankly, we need to do more than we’ve done. I have a host of options that I think are important to follow through. The committee will be back in November to address this issue.”
With parental rights and offshore wind already big issues for the elections in November, it seems as if veterans homes will also be an issue during the election cycle. “It is something that I think the Democrats have not fully come to terms with and the Republicans have rightfully taken them to task for it and continue to take them to task over,” said Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University.
