Legislator on COVID-19 veteran deaths: ‘Pritzker promised accountability to the families’

During the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, 36 veterans at LaSalle Veterans’ Home died from the virus, CBS News Chicago reported.

State Rep. David Welter (R-Morris) introduced a resolution calling for an independent investigation of the deaths.

“I introduced House Resolution 62 because we needed a truly independent and thorough investigation into the LaSalle Veterans’ [Home] outbreak,” Welter told Will County Gazette. “The governor’s investigation was deceptive from the start, giving families of lost loved ones false hope of a full and complete picture of what went wrong to cause the deaths of 36 veterans. Instead, the investigation had a predetermined conclusion, assigning blame to only the ones under review.”        

The audit suggested that the facility was severely mismanaged during the peak of the pandemic, according to CBS News Chicago.

“Although the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) … officials were informed of the increasing positive cases almost on a daily basis … IDPH did not identify and respond to the seriousness of the outbreak,” an unnamed auditor said, as reported by CBS News Chicago. “All but four residents who died were positive prior to the date of the IDPH site visit.”

“The investigation’s scope was so narrow, it exempted the governor’s office and IDPH from any scrutiny, failed to interview crucial witnesses, and relied on hearsay and drew conclusions that proved counter to documents provided by Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs officials,” Welter said.

He called on Deputy Governor Sol Flores (D-Ill.) to resign.

“The deputy governor previously testified she was coordinating the multi-agency response, but the auditor general’s report said she did not recognize the significance of the outbreak until 10 days into it,” Welter said. “The deputy governor admitted the response to the outbreak was her responsibility, and it’s clear she fail[ed].”

If Flores does not resign, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-Ill.) should fire her, Welter said.

“Gov. Pritzker promised accountability to the families,” he said. “This is his opportunity to follow through on his promise if he meant it.”