On Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Senator, Chuck Grassley, applauded the passage of bipartisan legislation that will require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to release detailed information about the quality of its 133 nursing homes nationwide. “America’s veterans are deserving of world class care,” Grassley says. “If that care is not being delivered, [the] VA must be transparent so that veterans and their families can make informed decisions.” He adds that this legislation is a move in the right direction, but now is the time for the VA to follow through and step up their efforts in caring for the men and women who have given so much. The amendment, which was co-sponsored by Senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Doug Jones of Alabama, was in response to a story by USA Today and The Boston Globe, reporting the VA had been collecting data that revealed very poor quality at some of their nursing homes, but had not released the data to the public. The VA has taken the step of releasing star ratings for the facilities, but the underlying data is still not being made publicly available. This amendment requires the release of the information and the underlying metrics and criteria used to develop the ratings within 90 days of its enactment, and then again on an annual basis.
