The daughter of a Vietnam War veteran wants answers after her dying father was found covered in ants in his nursing home.

According to WSB-TV, Joel Marrable was a resident of the Eagle’s Nest Community Living Center at DeKalb County’s Veteran Affairs Medical Center. The war veteran was battling cancer before his death, but shortly before his passing, his daughter Laquna Ross said she was informed about the living center’s insect infestation.

Upon visiting her father, she noticed he had dozens of red bumps on his body, and both of his hands were swollen with insect bites, Ross told WSB-TV. She said the staff did not notify her of what happened until she arrived.

“[The staff member] said, ‘You know, the ants,’” Ross said. “The staff member says to me, ‘When we walked in here, we thought Mr. Marrable was dead. We thought he wasn’t even alive because the ants were all over him.’”

Ross added that the ants had infested the facility and were on the ceiling, walls and the residents' beds.

“He served his country in the Air Force and I think that he deserved better,” she told WSB-TV.

Marrable died days after being moved to another room due to his bout with cancer, WSB-TV reported.

Ross questioned what the next steps are from the VA given the incident and whether the insect bites worsened her father's condition.

"Yes he had cancer. Yes he was going to die," she said. "If it didn't promote his body to die quicker, what is the protocol within the VA just to manage when something like this happens?

In the wake of Ross’ complaints, the VA released a statement to WSB-TV.

“The following actions have been taken to address the ant issue at the CLC: [a]ll bedrooms have been stripped, inspected for ants and cleaned by Environmental Management Services… [a]ll open containers and open food have been removed from all bedrooms… [t]he CLC staff is conducting additional visits specifically inspecting for insects and ants… [t]he EMS Pest Control continues to treat and monitor all CLC rooms daily to ensure no negative impact to patient care.”

The VA also added that it will respond to this incident by re-evaluating its operations to provide better care for veterans moving forward.

Ants

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