By Aaron Kassraie
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) (click here) is allowing guests to visit some of its 134 nursing homes and 24 spinal cord injury centers depending on local coronavirus restrictions.
Since mid-March, no outsiders had been permitted to see these residents except for “compassionate cases,” when a veteran is in the last stages of life in hospice.
The VA created safety guidelines for admission to its nursing homes, referred to as community living centers (CLCs), to ensure that veterans are not positive for COVID-19. As of Wednesday, the VA had three active coronavirus cases across all of its nursing homes.
For admission to spinal cord injury and disorder centers, veterans should contact their nearest location to see if new patients are being accepted. All staff members are being screened daily.
As coronavirus deaths nationwide surpassed 238,000 people, the Veterans Affairs medical system — which includes both care homes and health care centers — exceeded 4,200 deaths, an increase of 163 in the past week. Those 4,223 deaths include only veterans diagnosed at VA hospitals and medical centers....
