(CBS) The Department of Veterans Affairs came under fire again Monday, this time in California federal court where it's 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 U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs 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 e-mails 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 adviser, 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 medical facilities."
Katz's e-mail 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.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/21/cbsnews_investigates/main4032921.shtmlNothing says "We Support Our Troops" like go fuck yourself. It would cost too much money to take care of you.
