A group of state legislators, including Senators Shelley Mayor and Pete Harckham and Assemblymembers Dana Levenberg and Matt Slater, along with Town of Cortlandt Board Member Robert Mayes, called today for an investigation into alleged abuse of a resident by a staff member at the New York State Veterans Home.
The announcement was made at a press conference held in Cortlandt Town Hall. A video of the press conference can be viewed here.
News 12 recently broadcast a report of the alleged abuse of Albert O’Toole, a 60-year-old resident at the New York State Veterans Home in Montrose. The legislators were joined by Angela Sangro, O’Toole wife, who spoke about the treatment of her husband, which she discovered after placing a hidden camera in his room at the Veterans Home.
“We are calling on the Attorney General and the state’s Department of Health to immediately investigate the treatment of veterans at the state-run Veterans Home in Montrose,” said Harckham. “The images of Albert O’Toole’s abuse are deeply troubling. Swift action must be taken to address this systemic failure and hold those responsible accountable. Our veterans deserve dignity, respect, and quality care every step of the way, and loved ones should not have to worry their veterans are being abused.”
State Senator Shelley Mayer said, “I join my colleagues today in expressing our outrage over the documented abuse of Albert O’Toole, a Gulf War veteran, at the New York State Veterans Home at Montrose. The disturbing treatment is unacceptable. This horrific case also raises broader concerns about oversight at our state-run veterans’ homes. The documented history of violations makes clear that stronger accountability and more rigorous oversight by the Department of Health is urgently needed—across all state operated Veterans homes. Our veterans deserve to spend their later years with dignity, respect, and the assurance that they will be treated with compassion and humanity every single day. Those responsible for any form of abuse must be held fully accountable, and the Department of Health must take every necessary step to restore public trust, strengthen oversight, and ensure that no veteran or family ever experiences a tragedy like this again.”
Assemblymember Dana Levenberg said, “I am beyond outraged by the video capturing the abuse of Albert O’Toole at the Montrose Veterans home. Abuse anywhere is unacceptable, but all the more so in the homes we pay for with our tax dollars, to care for those who put their lives on the line for us. The mistreatment of even one veteran at a state-run care facility is one too many, and we need to know if this is part of a pattern. We need a thorough and transparent investigation into this particular incident, as well as the entire facility.”
Assemblyman Matt Slater said, “This disturbing incident is a betrayal of the trust placed in those responsible for caring for our veterans. Every veteran deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion, especially in a state-run facility entrusted with their care. I am calling for a full review of this case and the facility’s oversight procedures to ensure accountability and prevent anything like this from happening again.”
Assemblymember Chris Burdick said, “I am shocked and outraged at the reports that Gulf War Veteran Albert O’Toole was the victim of abuse by an aide at the New York State Veterans Home in Montrose. As a member of the Assembly’s Standing Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I join my colleagues in calling for an immediate investigation into the alleged abuse itself, as well as a determination of whether there are broader issues of concern at the facility. As elected officials, we have an obligation to do all that we can to ensure the safety and health of the brave veterans who place themselves in our care. It is essential that the NYS Attorney General and the NYS Department of Health promptly launch an investigation into this matter.”
Angela Sangro began to suspect something was wrong with her husband’s care last December after he was moved into the state’s Veterans Home in Montrose. On March 1 she placed a hidden camera in O’Toole’s room and within a day had a video recording of abuse from one of the home’s staff members.
“I hope all the awareness this case is now generating will help end the kind of abuse that my husband has suffered through,” said Sangro.
