VA COVERING UP VETERAN SUICIDE RATE

VA covering up veteran suicide rate Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:34:43

Dr. Ira Katz, VA deputy chiefUS Sen. Patty Murray has called for the resignation of Dr. Ira Katz, a chief mental health official of US Department of Veterans Affairs. Murray, the senior member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, called for the resignation of Katz on Tuesday, saying he, and other VA officials, tried to cover up the rising number of veteran suicides and deliberately withheld crucial information on the true suicide risk among veterans.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=52769&sectionid=3510203

Murray said, "Dr. Katz's irresponsible actions have been a disservice to our veterans and it is time for him to go. The number one priority of the VA should be caring for our veterans, not covering up the truth." Murray made the comment after she and other Democratic senators said they were shocked when they found emails showing that Katz and other VA officials tried to conceal the number of suicides by veterans.

One email which was revealed at a lawsuit this week started with 'Shh!' referring to the 12,000 veterans per year who attempt suicide while under the VA Department treatment. Another email revealed at the trial said that an average of 18 military veterans kill themselves each day, with five of them being under the VA care when they commit suicide.

According to the VA facilities record, at the moment, the numbers of suicide deaths and attempts show an increase from 492 in 2000 to 790 in 2007, but do not record how many veterans overall take their own lives.