there are new details tonight on the Murphy administration's plans to split up the department of military and Veterans Affairs and create two separate state agencies as first reported by POLITICO the administration agreed to a $4 million contract with the consultant McKinsey & Co to help guide the overhaul as senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports the shakeup comes after a bungled pandemic response at state-run veterans homes that caused hundreds of residents to die I'm cautiously optimistic it's j boxwell mission to protect New Jersey Veterans especially those living in state-run veterans homes where hundreds died of covid so after multiple reports and lawsuits identified glaring errors and mismanagement at the Meno Park and paramis Facilities run by Jersey's Department of military and Veterans Affairs or deava boxwell is glad the state hired McKenzie Consultants to help restructure the whole system and we hope that this is going to be truly an unbiased look of the operation systems in the mava there's a lot of programming that they've never been able to justify how those funds are being spent or where the money is going the $4 million contract with McKenzie will map out splitting Dava into two separate cabinet level state agencies military Affairs and veteran services it outlines three phases one will analyze dava's current operating structure and identify best practices and budgets phase two will create operating plans for two new agencies and phase three will design an orderly transition that identifies costs with so many Tangled revenue streams that's important says Senator Joe cryan one of the things that the report will give us that that will Aid in that is The Color of Money Federal money versus State money how we maximize those federal dollars how we make sure we don't lose them cryan's working with other lawmakers including Senator Joe Vitali to draft the complex legislation required to break Dava apart it had address items like War memorials cemeteries veteran services such as transportation place vets offices in almost every County and crucially create an independent veterans Advocate who will listen to complaints there's the lack of transparency and that and that's what the residents and staff were were afraid of and the retaliation you know the poor culture of the managers again you know us against them mentality instead of working for a collaborative effort to serve those veterans so we continue to try to make sure that we get input that matters and I think ultimately Brenda that's what matters just get it right you've made the mistakes get it right meanwhile deava is also seeking Millions to renovate and expand its vulnerable nursing homes by building private rooms and isolation Wings implementing hard lessons learned from both a pandemic and a a scathing lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice dava's commanding officer told Senate budget committee members this is part of our efforts to be among the best equipped long-term care facilities in New Jersey we're investing more than we ever have to support service members veterans and their families that will require both state and federal funding the McKenzie reports due in June and lawmakers hope to unveil legislation not long afterwards I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight News [Music]