To Governor Glenn Youngkin, Attorney General Jason Miyares, Members of the Virginia General Assembly—

And to the editors, reporters, and newsrooms across Virginia:

The silence is no longer just unacceptable—it’s damning.

For more than two months, I have sounded the alarm about systemic abuse, neglect, and fraud inside Virginia’s long-term care facilities. I’ve sent letters. Filed complaints. Shared verified findings of abuse. Written legislation. And now, another update, because the response from Richmond—and the media—continues to be: Nothing.

Senator Mark Obenshain issued a Facebook post on March 28 saying elder safety is “very important” to him. Since then? Not a single action. Not one. His office even told a grieving family member that calling a special session to address elder abuse would be “too difficult.”

Too difficult?

You’ve had time to fast-track bills banning books, micromanaging school libraries, and stoking culture war politics. But ensuring our elderly aren’t left in urine-soaked briefs, denied basic catheter care, or billed for services never rendered? That’s apparently too much to ask.

Let’s call it what it is: complicity.

Complicity, because elected officials are accepting campaign donations from the very corporations committing this abuse.
Complicity, because they refuse to revoke licenses from facilities with confirmed violations.
Complicity, because their inaction is enabling felony-level Medicare and Medicaid fraud.
This is not just neglect. It is criminal.

And while lawmakers play defense for the long-term care lobby, Virginia’s press corps has also gone quiet.

You’ve had documentation. Names. Testimony. Evidence. Deaths. Confirmed abuse cases. Yet, with few exceptions, the media response has been silence. Stories about this barely get a mention—if they get published at all. Investigative reporting has been replaced with ribbon-cutting coverage and election-year softball.

Ask yourselves:
 • Why hasn’t this been front-page news?
 • Why is a criminal enterprise masquerading as elder care treated like a back-page inconvenience?
 • Why are families screaming into the void just to be heard?

When the media fails to report and lawmakers refuse to act, no one is safe. And the message sent to families, caregivers, and victims is this: Your suffering doesn’t matter—because your suffering doesn’t fund campaigns.

This petition exists because a man named Dale Painter was left in filth. He developed sepsis and MRSA from neglected catheter care. He deteriorated in a facility with a known track record of violations—still licensed, still operational, still receiving public funds. Dale didn’t die right away. But the abuse stole his future.

And what has the Commonwealth done?
Nothing.
No staffing standards.
No emergency inspections.
No license revocations.
No accountability.
No justice.

This is what happens when we allow lobbyists to write policy and politicians to hide behind platitudes. This is what happens when watchdogs stay leashed.

So here’s what I’m asking:

To Virginia’s lawmakers:
Pass Dale’s Law. Enforce staffing ratios. Investigate fraud. Prosecute abusers. Protect the people you were elected to serve.

To the media:
Do your job. Ask the hard questions. Follow the money. Tell the truth.
Break the silence—before another obituary forces your hand.

And to everyone reading this:
Don’t stop now.
Call your representatives. Email your newspapers. Share this petition.
Demand better, louder, together. Because silence is how abuse survives—and we will not be silent.

Sincerely,
Victoria Jackson
Constituent | CNA | Long-Term Care Advocate
Author of Dale’s Law: The Virginia Long-Term Care Quality and Nursing Admissions Reform Act of 2025