Eleven former employees are charged with falsifying records at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.
A report by the state Auditor General found the veterans home was chronically understaffed and failed to investigate instances of abuse and neglect.
Attorney General Bill Schuette then launched a criminal investigation, which found workers were writing down room and safety checks that never happened.
Schuette says that endangered patients.
“If the standard of care that veterans deserve is violated, then there are legal consequences.”
“And that violates their security and safety, and people were not doing the required checks, but the video surveillance caught that.”
Schuette filed the charges Monday.
“We have an obligation to make sure that our veterans at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans are treated with dignity, respect, and honor – and if they’re not safe, if they’re not secure, and if the standard of responsibility is violated, then there are consequences.”
The charges are the result of a 13-month investigation.
Problems at the facility were first revealed in a report by the Michigan Auditor General. It said abuse and neglect by staff may have contributed to injuries and one death.