VA Hid Suicide Risk, Internal E-Mails Show



CBS/AP) The Department of Veterans Affairs came under fire again Monday, this time in California federal court where its facing a national lawsuit by veterans rights groups accusing the agency of not doing enough to stem a looming mental health crisis among veterans. As part of the lawsuit, internal e-mails raise questions as to whether top officials deliberately deceived the American public about the number of veterans attempting and committing suicide. CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports.



In San Francisco federal court Monday, attorneys for veterans' rights groups accused the VA of nothing less than a cover-up - deliberately concealing the real risk of suicide among veterans.

"The system is in crisis and unfortunately the VA is in denial," said Veterans Rights Attorney Gordon Erspamer.

The charges were backed by internal emails written by Dr. Ira Katz, the VA's head of Mental Health.

In the past, Katz has repeatedly insisted while the risk of suicide among veterans is serious, it's not outside the norm.

"There is no epidemic in suicide in VA," Katz told Keteyian in November.

But in this e-mail to his top media advisor, written two months ago, Katz appears to be saying something very different, stating: "Our suicide prevention coordinators are identifying about 1,000 suicide attempts per month among veterans we see in our metical facilities."

Katz's email was written shortly after the VA provided CBS News data showing there were only 790 attempted suicides in all 2007 - a fraction of Katz's estimate.

"This 12,000 attempted suicides per year shows clearly, without a doubt, that there is an epidemic of suicide among veterans," said Paul Sullivan of Veterans for Common Sense.

And it appears that Katz went out of his way to conceal these numbers.

First, he titled his e-mail: "Not for the CBS News Interview Request."

He opened it with "Shh!" - as in keep it quiet - before ending with
"Is this something we should (carefully) address … before someone stumbles on it?"

Today we showed the e-mail to Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., who chairs the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

"This is disgraceful. This is a crime against our nation, our nation's veterans," Filner told CBS News. "They do not want to come to grips with the reality, with the truth."

And that's not all.

Last November when CBS News exposed an epidemic of more than 6,200 suicides in 2005 among those who had served in the military, Katz attacked our report.

"Their number is not, in fact, an accurate reflection of the rate," he said last November.

But it turns out they were, as Katz admitted in this e-mail, just three days later.

He wrote: there "are about 18 suicides per day among America's 25 million veterans."

That works out to about 6,570 per year, which Katz admits in the same e-mail, "is supported by the CBS numbers."

In an e-mail late Monday to CBS News, Katz wrote that the reason the numbers were not released was due to questions about the consistency and reliability of the findings - and that there was no public cover-up involved.

Sen. Calls For VA Official’s Resignation

NEW YORK, (CBS) CBS News producer Pia Malbran wrote this story for CBSNews.com.



In the wake of a CBS News report that revealed the Department of Veterans Affairs deliberately withheld critical information about the true suicide risk among veterans, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., today called for the resignation of Dr. Ira Katz, the VA’s top official for mental health.

Murray, a senior member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, says "Dr. Katz's irresponsible actions have been a disservice to our veterans and it is time for him to go.” She continues, “The number one priority of the VA should be caring for our veterans, not covering up the truth.”

For months, CBS News has been trying to obtain veteran suicide and attempted suicide data from the VA. Earlier this year, the agency provided CBS News with data that showed there were a total of 790 suicide attempts in all of 2007 by veterans who were under the VA's care.

On February 13, however, Katz sent an e-mail indicating the total number of attempts was much higher. The e-mail was addressed to his top media advisor Everett Chasen and entitled, “Not for the CBS News Interview Request.”

Katz wrote: “Shh! Our suicide prevention coordinators are identifying about 1000 suicide attempts per month among veterans we see in our medical facilitates.” He then asked “is this something we should (carefully) address ourselves in some sort of release before someone stumbles on it?”

In another e-mail message, Katz told the VA’s Under Secretary for Health, Michael Kussman, that there are “about 18 suicides per day among America’s 25 million veterans.” This is a figure that the VA has never made public.

Yesterday, Katz told CBS News that the reason the numbers mentioned in his e-mails had not been made public was because the “results were available for only one or two months, and there were and still are questions about how consistent or reliable the findings would be.”

and the saga of coverup continues

How much does drugs and alcohol figure into this. How many names of guys who took their own lives do you have? 6720 a year should have bodies lying all over the street. Name the names. Dont just make up figures.

Duane are you saying to list 6,270 names just to prove the accqusations. This is a serious issue if indeed that number of veterans are killing themselves regardless of alchol or drug use. It is an issue that needs to be addrssed and corrected.

Duane are you saying to list the 6,270 names of the veterans who killed themselves. This is a serious matter that is alleged regardless if alchol abuse or drug abuse is involved. It needs to be addrssed and corrected. I know of two Vietnam Vets that have killed themselves, Dave Ehchenbaum (who was in my PTSD Group) Jim (sorry forget his last name, who was also in my PTSD group). I truly hope this trend will stop. There are a lot of our brothers and sisters out there still suffering, and the government that sent them to wherever need to take the responsbility and provide adequate care to avoid this trend.

The fact is that Katz forgot that Emails from political appointees can't be erased.

He emailed them after he appeared and gave false information before Congress and now says that the figures are correct.

I can see why Duane "Trivializes" the figures and wants to cover up the true figures. Its because hes a Republican and this makes them look bad with an election coming up.

Trivializing the Suicides of Veterans like Duane does is his norm on all Veterans Issues. He is a Crybaby about the Iraqis getting Blown up but could care less about Americans that have served in that war.

The VA has the names of the Men and Women that have committed Suicide or else they would not have FINALLY released the True Figures.

I suggest that if Duane wants the names he should do the research and get them himself. I stopped doing ANTI-VETS Homework for them long ago. Especially ones that put the Iraqis before Americans.

Makes me wonder just who's name is really "Hussein"!

If they (vets) were doing drugs and alcohol, it stands to reason they are depressed. Suicidal people are depressed. They are kind of like bed brothers. So suicide involving drugs and alcohol in vets is in the same group as the other suicides. Are some vet suicides better than others...I hardly think there is a distinction.

Correct Bobbi there is no distinction. Lossing anyone to suicide is not only sad but can probably be avoidable with the proper mental health care.