Numerous nursing homes operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs face serious care quality issues, including high rates of medication use and bed sores, according to a joint investigation from USA Today and The Boston Globe.
The publications reviewed internal VA documents and compiled data on the agency's 133 nursing facilities nationwide that, as of Dec. 31, 2017, serve 46,000 veterans annually.
The VA nursing homes were ranked on a scale from 1 to 5, with for both overall care quality and surprise inspections, with 5 being the best. Sixty VA nursing homes received a one-star rating for care quality, which represents nearly half of the agency's nursing homes nationwide. Of the facilities that received a one-star rating for care quality in the first quarter of 2018, 11 also received one star for surprise inspections, according to the investigation.
Here are the 11 cities containing VA nursing homes with a 1-star rating for care quality and surprise inspections:
1. Bedford, Mass.
2. Biloxi, Miss.
3. Chillicothe, Ohio
4. Dayton, Ohio
5. Dublin, Ga.
6. Jackson, Miss.
7. Lyons, N.J.
8. Prescott, Ariz.
9. Salisbury, N.C.
10. Tampa, Fla.
11. Tuscaloosa, Ala.
To view USA Today and The Boston Globe's complete database on VA nursing homes, click here.