UNDATED (WSAU) The family of a Marine who died at the Tomah VA Medical Center has settled a lawsuit over the care he received there. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that the settlement was filed Friday at U.S. District Court in Madison over the death of Jason Simcakoski of Stevens Point.
The Wisconsin State Journal report says the federal government will pay Simcakoski’s heirs $2.3-million. The settlement includes annuities for Simcakoski’s widow and daughter. The VA admits no wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
It will be reviewed by a judge this Wednesday.
Simcakoski’s death at the Tomah VA in 2014 brought to light the overprescribing of pain medication at the facility.
Family members said Simcakoski was heavily sedated by staff at Tomah on August 30, 2014 to the point where he could barely speak. That afternoon he was found unconscious. Family members claim it took nearly 10 minutes for life-saving measures to begin. He could not be revived. An autopsy says Simcakoski died from drug toxicity from a combination of medications.
Since Simcakoski’s death, the Tomah VA’s chief of staff Dr. David Houlihan was fired.
The facility was known as “candy land” among many veterans because of the amount of pain killers that were prescribed there.
