To Governor Glenn Youngkin, Attorney General Jason Miyares, Members of the Virginia General Assembly, and Virginia News Media Outlets:
It’s now been over two months since I began sounding the alarm on the abuse, neglect, and Medicare/Medicaid fraud taking place in Virginia’s long-term care facilities—complete with firsthand reports, confirmed APS cases, public petitions, proposed legislation (Dale’s Law), and weekly pleas for action.
And still: not one response. Not one legislative hearing. Not one statement from the Governor’s Office. Not one meaningful news report.
So imagine my surprise to learn this week that the Commonwealth has been hard at work… just not on stopping federal crimes or preventing preventable deaths. No, here’s what’s taken precedence instead:
• HB1961 and SB738 – banning cell phones in public schools “bell to bell.”
• Social Media Restrictions – limiting minors’ screen time to one hour a day unless mommy says yes.
• HB1725 – restricting how aggressively hospitals can collect medical debt from patients.
• Maternal Health Bills – seven new ones, because apparently maternal care matters more than elder care.
• Public Safety and Energy Portfolio Bills – because nothing screams “leadership” like shuffling paper and pretending Dominion Energy is a benevolent force.
How nice to see such swift, decisive action—on everything except elder abuse, medical neglect, and felony fraud in taxpayer-funded nursing homes.
Meanwhile, here’s what you haven’t done:
• Pass staffing standards.
• Launch inspections.
• Revoke licenses from serial abusers.
• Investigate fraudulent billing.
• Acknowledge Dale Painter’s name, or the fact that he was left in filth, developed sepsis and MRSA, and never recovered—because a state-licensed facility refused to provide even basic care.
But sure, let’s pat ourselves on the back for tackling TikTok.
This is not legislative gridlock. It’s not confusion. It’s not a lack of information.
It’s a willful decision to ignore abuse victims because the perpetrators happen to write campaign checks.
And while the General Assembly plays legislative dress-up for election season, Virginia’s newsrooms have opted for the same strategy: selective blindness. Press releases? Covered. Ribbon cuttings? Always. Confirmed elder abuse and federal Medicaid fraud? “Must’ve gotten lost in spam.”
If your editorial board can drop everything to cover a “no cell phones in school” bill but can’t be bothered to report on human beings rotting in their own waste while their care is billed to the federal government, then maybe the watchdogs are actually lapdogs.
Let me be clear: this is not just abuse. It is a crime. It is Medicare fraud. It is Medicaid fraud. It is happening right now. And you—Governor Youngkin, Attorney General Miyares, the General Assembly, and the Virginia press—are all pretending it’s too complicated, too difficult, too… inconvenient.
Here’s what isn’t difficult:
• Requiring minimum staffing ratios.
• Revoking licenses from repeat violators.
• Prosecuting administrators and executives who falsify care reports and profit from pain.
• Demanding transparency about where our Medicaid dollars are going.
I’m sure you’ll manage, especially now that kids are safely shielded from Instagram for 23 hours a day.
So let me end with a polite little reminder from someone who has spent two months being ignored:
When public officials ignore crimes, they’re no longer bystanders.
When journalists ignore victims, they’re no longer neutral.
And when both stay silent this long?
They become part of the cover-up.
Break the silence. Pass Dale’s Law. Investigate the fraud. And for once—do your jobs.
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