Massachusetts announced that it would pay a $56 million settlement to the families of the veterans who died or became sick due to the COVID-19 outbreak at a state-run veterans’ care center.
As per the settlement, the veterans who died after contracting COVID-19 will get a minimum of $400,000 each, whereas the veterans who survived after contracting the disease will get a minimum of $10,000. The settlement is yet to get approval from the federal judge.
One of the families' attorneys argues that the issue is so severe that it deprives the veterans of their constitutional rights to be free from harms recklessly created by the government.
The attorney even said that no amount of money could compensate for the suffering of the affected families, nor it will bring back the deceased veterans, but the justice should make sure that the wrongs against the veterans should not go unaddressed. He further added that the settlement acknowledges that the catastrophe was preventable and should not have happened.
As per the previous reports provided by another lawyer representing the plaintiffs, the center recorded the deaths of 76 veterans due to COVID-19, but the further investigation by the state reflects a higher number. Many veterans' death certificates did not mention the cause of death as COVID-19, which resulted in a miscalculation of the deceased's list.
The veterans who lived at the facility between March 1, 2020 and June 23, 2020, and became ill or died due to COVID-19 during the period would be covered under the settlement. Even the attorney fees would be covered under the settlement.
