BEDFORD, Mass. — Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren on Thursday both called for “persistent” and “troubling” issues to be addressed at the Bedford Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center after a veteran was found dead last year in a stairwell there.
Their remarks followed two U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reports regarding the death of Tim White, whose body was found in June 2020, one month after disappearing on property leased by Caritas Communities from the Bedford VA.
“I was pleased to see the VA Office of Inspector General heed our calls and conduct its own investigation into the death of Mr. White and the quality of care at the Bedford VA,” Markey said in a statement. “From these reports, it is clear that there are persistent and troubling issues at the Bedford VA that must be addressed thoroughly and quickly. Our veterans committed their life to protecting us, and it is imperative that VA now do everything in its power to protect them.”
Warren also called for more to be done to address the “ongoing lack of care at the Bedford VA.”
“I’m glad the VA Office of Inspector General conducted their own investigations into the death of Mr. White, a veteran who went missing for weeks before his body was found in a stairwell, and into the quality of care at the Bedford VA,” Warren said in a statement. “VA has work to do here, and needs to act quickly. The results of these disturbing investigations show that serious mistakes were made in the case of Mr. White, and that there are ongoing problems at the VA nursing home in Bedford. Our veterans deserve excellent care across the board, and the VA must implement the recommended changes at Bedford to keep our veterans safe.”
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