A Clear Opportunity to Right a Serious Wrong

February 21, 2025

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs

810 Vermont Ave NW

Washington, DC 20420

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to you as an advocate for, and sister of, a Vietnam veteran who resides in a group home operated by Veterans Independent Living of Albuquerque (VILA). Thanks to the strong leadership of its volunteer executive director, Ms. Faye Janzad, and her dedicated staff, VILA provides a wide range of long-term living arrangements — including meals, transportation, clothing and hygiene products, and medication management —to our veterans. Close to 80 individuals who might otherwise be homeless and on the streets are instead living with dignity and stability. Words cannot fully express the gratitude that my family and I feel for the care VILA provides every single day.

My brother, a retired Green Beret captain who served honorably in Vietnam, now lives at VILA. He spent the final part of his career working at the VA Benefits Regional Office in Albuquerque — the very branch of the VA that led the complaint against Ms. Janzad and VILA. I was also on the witness list in Ms. Janzad’s trial, though I was ultimately not called to testify. These are not distant events for me; they are deeply personal and directly impact my brother.

Although my brother receives Social Security, 100% service-connected disability benefits from the VA, and a retirement pension from his work with the VA, the majority of his income goes either directly or indirectly to his estranged wife. As a result, he has only been able to afford $1,700 per month towards his care — significantly below the minimum sliding scale amount of $2,800 for the VILA continuum of care and the amount determined by his signed room & board agreement. Despite this shortfall, Ms. Faye has never turned him away. She has continued to work with him with grace and commitment, even while managing the complexities of his PTSD and alcoholism. My brother has lived at VILA since July 20, 2021. Since that time, the deficit between what he has paid and the minimum rate now totals $49,500 — and yet, he remains with VILA thanks to Ms. Faye’s compassion and resolve.

It is disheartening to learn that the founder and director of this organization is under investigation. Taxpayer dollars are being spent to challenge Ms. Janzad and her organization’s credibility over an alleged misuse of $163,363.03 that was used for a veteran’s care — despite the fact that VILA operates without any financial assistance from federal, state, or private sources. Since the VA oversees fiduciaries for veterans, they should understand the importance of cost-effective, compassionate care. When you compare the average cost of VILA’s veteran group home services within their continuum of care — $2,800 to $3,600 per month — to the $9,125 average monthly cost of nursing facility care in New Mexico, the contrast is striking. As a former employee of the New Mexico Department of Health, I can attest that the level of value and quality VILA delivers simply doesn’t exist anywhere else in our state.

To put things in perspective: the $163,363.03 in question would not even cover a year and a half of nursing facility care — yet it could represent a lifetime of stable housing and support for multiple veterans at VILA.

President Trump’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been tasked with rooting out waste in federal spending. But VILA receives no government funding — there is no waste here. Ms. Faye works directly with each veteran to determine their individual needs. All residents are private pay and contribute only what they can afford — even if that amount is nothing. She creates personalized care plans designed to ensure long-term stability and success. In many cases, this includes permanent living arrangements.

This is a clear opportunity for your administration to right a serious wrong: by taking steps to undo the harm caused by the prior administration’s unjust prosecution the veterans who rely on VILA, preserve the legacy of someone who has dedicated her life to serving them, and correct a miscarriage of justice that never should have occurred. In doing so, you would be making a powerful and principled stand for both accountability and compassion for our veterans and those like Ms. Faye who serve them selflessly.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Joann V. Salazar

joannvsalazar@hotmail.com

Advocate