DeKalb Times

Illinois lawmakers called for a criminal investigation into the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans' Home that resulted in the deaths of three dozen veterans during a public hearing.

It was the first of two scheduled hearings. It followed an April 26 report from the Illinois Department of Public Health that blamed the devastating outbreak on mismanagement along with a lack of planning, training, and poor communication, according to WGN TV.

"We need to hold officials at the highest levels of government accountable for the COVID deaths of 36 of our veteran heroes while in the state's care," Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) wrote in a May 12 Facebook post. 

Richard Cieski, a Korean War veteran, was among the veterans who died during the outbreak. WGN-TV reported that his family and more than 20 others had filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the veterans' organization. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker appointed Navy veteran Terry Prince to turn the Department of Veterans' Affairs around while officials questioned why protective measures weren't implemented. 

The state conducted an investigation and released a 50-page report that revealed ineffective hand sanitizer, improper symptom screening and staff touching residents without proper hygiene helped fuel the outbreak, according to WGN-TV.