Apr 22, 2008 4:03 pm US/Pacific
Vet Health Official Slammed Over Suicide Reporting
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ―
A Democratic senator on Tuesday called for the chief mental health official of the Department of Veterans Affairs to resign, saying he tried to cover up the rising number of veteran suicides.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Dr. Ira Katz, the VA's mental health director, deliberately withheld crucial information on the true suicide risk among veterans.
"Doctor Katz's irresponsible actions have been a disservice to our veterans, and it is time for him to go," said Murray, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. "The number one priority of the VA should be caring for our veterans, not covering up the truth."
Murray and other Democratic senators said they were appalled at e-mails showing Katz and other VA officials apparently trying to conceal the number of suicides by veterans. An e-mail message from Katz disclosed this week as part of a lawsuit that went to trial in San Francisco this week starts with "Shh!" and refers to the 12,000 veterans per year who attempt suicide while under department treatment.
"Is this something we should (carefully) address ourselves in some sort of release before someone stumbles on it?" the e-mail asks.
A VA spokesman declined immediate comment Tuesday.
Another e-mail said an average of 18 war veterans kill themselves each day—and five of them are under VA care when they commit suicide.
"It is completely outrageous that the federal agency charged with helping veterans would instead cover up the hard truth—that more and more Americans coming home after bravely fighting for their country are suffering from mental illnesses and in the most tragic circumstances, committing suicide," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. "Anyone at the VA who is involved in this cover-up should be removed immediately."
Harkin, Murray and Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., introduced legislation Tuesday calling on the VA to track how many veterans die by suicide each year. Currently, VA facilities record the numbers of suicide deaths and attempts in VA facilities—which have increased from 492 in 2000 to 790 in 2007 -- but do not record how many veterans overall take their own lives.
The new bill would require the VA to report to Congress within 180 days the number of veterans who have died by suicide since Jan. 1, 1997, and continue reports annually.
Two veterans groups last year filed the class-action lawsuit against a sprawling VA system that handled a record 838,000 claims last year. A government lawyer on Monday urged a judge to dismiss the lawsuit, saying the agency runs a "world class" medical care system.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments