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Veterans Affairs nursing homes with low ratings in Hampton Roads

Documents from our partners at USA TODAY show patients in more than two-thirds of VA nursing homes were more likely to have bed sores and pain, compared to private nursing homes.

NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — For the first time, the Veterans Affairs is making its annual nursing home ratings public.

The House Veterans Affairs Committee is investigating 133 VA nursing homes. The investigation comes after the committee learned the VA gave almost half of its nursing homes the lowest possible score in internal rankings.

All the nursing homes were rated on a scale from one to five stars. Ratings are evaluated on staffing, health inspections, surveys, and quality measures, according to an email from the Hampton VA media department.

Those quality measures include: the residents' health, physical functioning, mental status and general well-being.

Documents from our partners at USA TODAY show patients in more than two-thirds of VA nursing homes were more likely to have bed sores and pain, compared to private nursing homes.

In response to the report, a Hampton VA spokesperson told 13News Now the department cares for sicker patients in its nursing homes than do private facilities on average.

The VA has nursing homes in 46 states.

We looked into which of our community living centers made the list in Hampton Roads. Through the VA's website, we went to the ratings link. When you put in a Hampton Roads zip code, it pops up with at least three one-star rated nursing homes including: Carrington Place of Chesapeake, Coliseum Convalescent and Rehabilitation Center, and Autumn Care of Suffolk.

We reached out to all three VA nursing homes with one-star ratings. So far, we only heard back from one.

A statement from Autumn Care of Suffolk's attorney Gregory Nicoluzakis, Esq. our official comment is as follows:

"At all times Autumn Care of Suffolk acts in the best interests of its residents and promotes their health, safety, and welfare. A unitary star rating determined from afar by folks who may not have ever visited the facility does not accurately reflect the quality of care the facility provides and the number of positive outcomes encountered by residents and their families."

Butch Schupska is with the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Norfolk. When we showed him the results he said, "It's sad."

"All veterans are family,” and this report makes him "just makes you want to go out there and just take them out and bring them home."

Family Law professor Lyanne Marie Kohm told 13News Now, "There are rights that the VA resident has. That any resident has."

Kohm said most times, those through the "resident's bill of rights," nursing home tenants have the right to be safe, have proper health care, privacy, and more.

So in light of this report she suggests, "Family members really need to keep an eye out for them (nursing home residents) and to follow up on any leads the person living in the home would suggest, gosh I've been mistreated,” said Kohm.

She suggests going directly to the first nursing home administrator if there’s an issue, and then working your way up to higher supervisors and a lawyer if needed.

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