Son of dead veteran challenges Heck’s loyalty

Anyone who has followed Rep. Joe Heck's career knows he takes pride in his relationship with the veterans of the 3rd Congressional District.

At a recent veterans and national security advisory panel in Las Vegas, for instance, Heck played host to Rep. Jeff Miller of Florida, a fellow Republican and chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Heck is a physician and a decorated veteran.

But lately Heck has been taking fire from the family of the late U.S. Navy veteran Charlie Demos Sr.

The Demos family, through attorney Martin Little, filed a lawsuit last month in District Court alleging the Boulder City Veterans Home failed to properly care for their elderly father, who died in 2015 in part from legionella he appeared to have contracted at the facility. (He also suffered from leukemia.)

Following the Review-Journal story on the veterans meeting involving Heck and Miller, Demos' son Paul Demos filed a blistering broadside response. It reads in part, "Sadly, Dr. Heck abandoned my father and other veterans when we really needed him. ... Yes, my Dad, Charles Demos Sr. is gone and we know you want us to forget all about this and go away. Well, there are 180 brave souls still living there on average and thousands more in this great country who served and protected all of us against harm. Do our soldiers, veterans, and families deserve this dishonor and mistreatment from our State VA Home?"

Contacted over the weekend, Demos doubled down on the criticism.

"We have pictures and videos of them together at many occasions," he said. "They were pals. My father was a full supporter. ... It sickens me to see him abandon not only my dad, but me."

A spokesman for Heck's office on Monday said a thorough check of email correspondence produced communications, but no request from Demos for assistance with the legionella matter.

"Congressman Heck was saddened to learn of the death of Mr. Charlie Demos, Sr. when his son contacted our office," Heck spokesman Greg Lemon said in a statement. "Representative Heck had visited with Mr. Demos several times during his regular visits to the state-run veterans home. Unfortunately, the Legionnaire's concern was not brought to our office's attention until after Mr. Demos passed away. We are hopeful that the Nevada State Office of Veterans Services, which operates the home, can resolve this situation to ensure the health and safety of the Home's residents. As always, our office remains available to assist the state and the residents as requested."

Demos argues that what he calls a lack of transparency has made matters worse.

"Can we get some honest answers?" he asked. "Just the truth and facts. Was the facility remedied completely? Is it 100 percent safe? ... Did they solve the problem and can he prove to us that they're not covering up? Because that's what it feels like."

In a recent letter to the editor, the home's administrator, Linda Gelinger, argued that the facility is more than adequately funded and is maintained at the highest standard.

"The veterans home is the only Nevada home inspected annually by two federal regulatory agencies," she wrote. "This past November, the veterans home received a five-star rating in overall and quality measures: the highest rating given by the official federal agency, Nursing Home Compare, which assesses quality care information on 15,000 nationwide Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing homes across America. The above-average staffing rating is earned by having an above average staff-to-patient ratio, which further ensures ongoing quality of care of veterans, spouses and Gold Star parents."

That assessment fails to take into account the Southern Nevada Health District inspection last year that found legionella bacteria in the facility and warned its officials of the immediate health risk. It has since been remediated.

But that hasn't satisfied the Demos family and an angry son who wonders where the home's standards were when his father came in contact with legionella bacteria.

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Contact him at 702 383-0295, or jsmith@reviewjournal.com. On Twitter: @jlnevadasmith