BATAVIA, N.Y. (WKBW) — According to a VA Office of Inspector General report, deficiencies in medical care at the Batavia VA community living center contributed to a resident’s death.
According to the Inspector General’s 65-page report on the Batavia facility, in late Winter 2024, a resident at Batavia’s VA community living center on Richmond Avenue received deficient care, which “may have contributed to a preventable decline in health, which necessitated palliative and end-of-life care.”
WATCH: Deficiencies in care at the VA Center in Batavia contributed to resident’s death
According to the findings, the resident, who was in their 70s and had a history of dementia, anxiety, and diabetes, was admitted to Batavia’s community living center after receiving treatment from the VA Hospital in Buffalo.
That patient fell on the first night of living in the Batavia facility. Over the next 36 days of treatment, the Inspector General says staff mismanaged the patient’s dementia and diabetes care and failed to document medication administration and nutritional intake properly.
That patient was then taken to the VA Hospital in Buffalo for hospice care and died two days later.
Inspector General findings also include:
- deficiencies in the staffing at the community living center, including a lack of full-time providers
- “ineffective nursing education and training organization, due to unclear roles and responsibilities and a perceived lack of support from the nurse education department”
- “similar deficiencies in care for a second resident”
The Inspector General left ten recommendations with the VA to prevent this from happening again:
“The entire VA Western New York Healthcare System team grieves for the loss of this Veteran. The employee overseeing this Veteran’s care is no longer with VA. We are working closely with the Batavia Community Living Center to implement the recommendations provided by the Office of Inspector General, ensuring that all Veterans receive the highest quality of care that they deserve.“
“The Inspector General’s report is heartbreaking and infuriating. A veteran lost their life due to gross negligence at the Batavia VA in 2024—and that is simply unacceptable. This was a catastrophic failure of leadership, oversight, and basic care. Just as I fought to overhaul the failed leadership at the Buffalo VA, I’m now demanding the same level of accountability and sweeping reform in Batavia. I’m actively working with VA Secretary Doug Collins to ensure this never happens again. Our veterans deserve better, and I will not rest until the VA delivers the high-quality care our heroes have earned—with no excuses and no delays.”
“As a healthcare professional, I am appalled by the findings of the recent OIG report detailing devastating failures in care at the Batavia Community Living Center. It is completely unacceptable that deficiencies in care contributed to a veteran's death and that similar issues were found with another resident. The report's findings, including preventable failures in dementia and diabetes care, poor documentation, and a lack of accountability from leadership, indicate a systemic breakdown that puts our veterans at risk.
“Most troublingly, these actions occurred prior to the Trump Administration’s mass layoffs at the VA, which could potentially further exacerbate the situation and put current and future Batavia residents at risk. As a member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I am demanding a full review of these issues and will work to ensure that all veterans receive the highest quality of care they rightly deserve in Western New York.”
