State Rep. Chris Markey (D-Dartmouth) is praising his fellow legislators for passing new supervision for state-run veterans’ homes.

The reforms, passed by the State House and Senate on Wednesday, come nearly two years after dozens of veterans were killed during a deadly Covid-19 outbreak at the state-run Holyoke Soldiers Home during the early days of the pandemic.

“As legislators, we should hold ourselves to the highest standards and always ensure we are providing our constituents the best solutions possible,” Markey, who fought for these reforms earlier in the year, said. “This new legislation addresses the issues in leadership and oversight that contributed to the tragedy at the veterans’ home during the pandemic.”

Markey served on the joint oversight committee to investigate matters including the home’s leadership and staffing at the soldier’s home.

Under the bill, the Department of Veterans Services will be elevated to a cabinet-level executive office that reports directly to the governor and allows the department to hire and fire superintendents at state-run veterans’ homes.

The legislation also requires inspections of the veterans’ homes twice a year by the Department of Public Health, facilities are certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and creates an Office of the Veteran Advocate to bring forward concerns surrounding veteran care. 

All of these are provisions Markey says he fought for when he was the lone vote against the initial bill in February.

“The original house version did not address the glaring crisis we experienced at the Holyoke Home at the dawn of Covid,” he said, “I felt strongly that we could do better.”

State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell (D-Methuen), who co-chaired the oversight committee, voted “present” at the time.

Along with expanded governance, the legislature also authorized $56 million to fund a settlement reached between the Baker Administration and the veterans and families who were impacted by the tragedy at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.

Families of veterans who died of Covid-19 in the Holyoke facility will be compensated $400,000. Veterans who lived in the home and contracted the virus will each receive $10,000.

“I hope this is the beginning of a new age in veteran care in the Commonwealth,” Markey said. “We owe everything to our veterans, and we should be doing everything in our power to care for them.”

The bill currently sits before Gov. Charlie Baker to be signed into law.