(BOSTON – 1/13/2023) Following the Office of the Inspector General’s letter last week on reports of conditions at the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home, and yesterday’s firing of Superintendent Eric Johnson, Senator John Velis (D-Westfield) today urged for continued focus on the facility and its needs.
“The deeply concerning issues outlined in the Inspector General’s letter simply cannot fall by the wayside. No Veteran should ever be living in the types of conditions reported, and no employee should be working in that type of environment as well,” said Senator Velis, who Chairs the Senate’s Soldiers’ Home Working Group. “I look forward to leading the Senate Soldiers’ Home Working Group on a deep-dive fact-finding mission to determine if there are systemic problems plaguing the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home. Anything less than providing the best in the nation care to our Veterans’ Homes would be a perpetual stain on the seal of our Commonwealth.”
Last week’s letter from Inspector General Jeffrey S. Shapiro summarizes a series of complaints received about the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home since 2021. It includes information from several reports completed by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, as well as complaints collected by the Commonwealth’s Investigations Center for Expertise.
As Chairman of the Veteran’s and Federal Affairs Committee, Senator Velis played a leading role this past session in the Soldiers’ Home Governance and Oversight reforms that were passed last summer and go into effect this March. Along with the legislation, the Senate created the Working Group chaired by Senator Velis to oversee implementation of the legislation and identify issues at the Commonwealth’s Soldiers’ Homes that might need additional improvement.
Senator Velis, who met with the Inspector General last week and with the Department of Veterans’ Services and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services this week, noted that he will continue to bring all relevant stakeholders to the table to investigate these concerns surrounding the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home.
“I will be visiting the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home next week to meet with Veterans and staff directly and will continue to work with the Inspector General, the administration, and my colleagues in the Legislature to mobilize on these pressing problems facing the facility,” said Senator Velis. “This has to be a comprehensive effort and one that cannot be placed on the backburner. Our Veterans deserve much more than that.”
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