The Commonwealth of Massachusetts agreed Thursday to pay a $56 million settlement to families of veterans who contracted COVID-19 during an outbreak at Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in 2020. The families filed the class action lawsuit in US District Court. .for the District of Massachusetts. Holyoke is a state-run long-term care facility that provides care to Massachusetts veterans. The 2020 COVID-19 outbreak in Holyoke killed 84 people. Following the outbreak, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker called for an independent investigation into Holyoke’s actions. The investigation, published in June 2020, revealed that Holyoke leadership made substantial errors in preparing for and responding to COVID-19. The veterans’ families filed a lawsuit against the state less than a month later. Thursday’s settlement is still subject to approval by US District Judge Mark G. Mastroianni. The terms of the agreement cover veterans who lived in Holyoke between March 1 and June 23, 2020 and became ill or died from COVID-19 during that period. Estates of deceased veterans would receive a minimum of $400,000 and those who contracted and survived would receive a minimum of $10,000. Baker plans to introduce legislation seeking $56 million for the claims fund in the coming weeks. Plaintiffs’ attorney Tom Lesser stated: There is no amount of money that can compensate our clients for the loss of their loved ones. But our clients are grateful that The Commonwealth has acted to resolve this matter without the need for lengthy litigation by agreeing to compensate both the families of those who died of COVID and the veterans who survived. Former Holyoke Superintendent Bennett Walsh was ousted as a result of the outbreak. Walsh, along with former Holyoke Medical Director David Clinton, were charged with criminal negligence for their handling of the outbreak. Hampden Superior Court Judge Edward McDonough dismissed the charges against Walsh and Clinton. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey filed an appeal to reverse the dismissal.