DOJ finds state-run veteran care in New Jersey was so bad it violated Constitution

New Jersey’s state-run care at two veterans homes was bad enough to violate the U.S. Constitution, the Justice Department said Thursday.

The DOJ found that the residents of New Jersey Veterans Memorial Homes in Menlo Park and Paramus faced “unreasonable harm and risk,” violating the 14th Amendment. The investigation alleged that the occupants had “inadequate infection control practices and inadequate medical care.”

“We owe the veterans who served our nation our deepest thanks, and those veterans and their family members who live in these facilities have the right to appropriate care,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement. “Based on our investigation, we have found that these facilities have provided inadequate protection from infections and deficient medical care, which have caused these veterans and their families great harm.”

“We look forward to working with the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to improve the conditions in these homes they operate and ensure these veterans and their families receive the care they need and deserve,” she added.

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The DOJ went on to allege that the inadequate infection control practices and medical care worsened thanks to incompetent management.

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“Such deficiencies expose residents to uncontrolled, serious and deadly infections and have resulted in the veterans’ homes suffering among the highest number of resident deaths of all similarly sized facilities in the region,” the DOJ wrote.

Fox News Digital reached out to the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs for comment, but they did not immediately respond.

News of the DOJ’s investigation comes just days after a veterans memorial in Philadelphia was vandalized, causing roughly $20,000 in damage. The damage included destroyed light fixtures as well as ripped-off medal medallions and skate guards. Damage to the marble is still being assessed.

The memorial bears the names of 648 Philadelphia natives who died in the Vietnam conflict, similar to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Caretakers plan to raise money to repair the damage, which includes 20 “Star” skate toppers pried off the marble and 10 recess light covers and some light fixtures removed or smashed.

Fox News’ Lewis Casiano contributed to this report.