State Senator Jill Schupp wants the full report released about the COVID-19-related deaths within Missouri’s veterans’ homes.
An independent, external investigation was launched in October into the roughly 154 veterans who have died so far from the coronavirus. Investigators from Armstrong Teasdale law firm were charged with reviewing what COVID-19 safety measures have been taken and if additional steps are needed within the seven state-operated veterans’ homes. The report found a “failure to recognize the outbreak” and the “lack of a comprehensive outbreak plan” as major reasons the outbreak happened. Senator Schupp is calling on Tim Noonan, chairman of the Missouri Veterans Commission, to release the full 415-page report, not just the 53-page summary.
Schupp, who is a member of the commission, says Noonan should follow the law and release the report that was paid for by taxpayers. A press release from Schupp, a Democrat, says the Governor’s Office and the Missouri Office of Administration both say the summary and full report are subject to the state’s open records law. Noonan is reportedly blocking the full report from getting out because he says he has concerns about personal legal liability.
