GRAND RAPIDS, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – On Monday, July 24, Attorney General Bill Schuette announced charges have been filed in the 61st District Court in Kent County against 11 former caregivers of the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans (GRHV).
In order to help ensure the health and safety of veterans residing at the GRHV, regular room checks were required to be performed. However, in many instances, evidence showed that staff did not perform the checks, yet falsely charted that they did.
A Holland man is among the 11 being charged. 59-year-old Eric Anderson has been charged with one count of violating MCL 750.492a, intentional inclusion in patient medical records or charts of misleading or inaccurate information.
Schuette’s investigation began immediately after the Michigan Auditor General issued a report in February of 2016 that was highly critical of operations and conditions at the home. The charges filed today flow from one of the findings in the Auditor General report dealing with falsification of room checks at the GRHV. While the federal Veterans Administration provides oversight of the home, it is operated and managed by the State of Michigan.
Schuette says that we owe our veterans a debt of gratitude for their service to our country. Allegations that our veterans are being abused or neglected runs counter to the duty we owe them. These allegations were thoroughly investigated by my office and the announcement does not represent the end of scrutiny of the GRHV or the close of the investigation. Schuette says they continue to aggressively follow-up on any new complaints of abuse or neglect of veterans at the home.”
Schuette also released a report providing additional details associated with his investigation of the home, which can be found online.
Anyone aware of misconduct at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans is encouraged to report it to Attorney General Schuette’s Health Care Fraud Division by calling 800-24-ABUSE.
