U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, has requested a thorough investigation into recent allegations of neglect at the Floyd E. “Tut” Fann State Veterans Home in Huntsville.
Jones sent a letter to the VA Inspector General calling on him to investigate allegations of abuse and negligence at Tut Fann State Veterans Home
In the letter to Michael Missal, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Senator Jones implored the agency to investigate the allegations of abuse and the federal VA facility inspection process.
Reports of abuse at Tut Fann surfaced last week as former employees of the state-owned facility said that staff negligence led to the mistreatment of veterans in their care.
The nursing home passed a federal inspection in August 2018, however, the employees allege negligence led to bed sores, improper feeding of the veterans and an inadequate response to a Scabies outbreak.
The facility was determined to be “deficiency free” during last year’s inspection. The two disgruntled former employees, however, say that reports of negligence at the facility go back years. Tut Fann has an official record of violations that date back to 2013.
“This fact begs the question: was the 2018 inspection of the facility deeply flawed, or was the evaluation intentionally misrepresentative?” Jones asked in the letter.
“I am asking that you investigate these allegations and the apparent failures in our inspection process that led to these egregious circumstances in Huntsville,” Jones continued. “I am committed to working with you and my colleagues in Congress to ensure the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has all resources necessary to fulfill this mission.”
Jones voted for legislation that requires the federal VA to submit an annual report to Congress on the ratings given to VA-run nursing homes. His legislation was signed in to law in 2018.
Two former employees made the allegations to WAFF Channel 48. One is a former housekeeper and the other is a former cook at the facility.
Jones was elected in a special election on December 2017.
