May 6, 2008 - VA Secretary Denies Suicide Cover-Up

Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake says the VA did not release data about the number of veterans attempting suicide because of concerns about the data's accuracy, not because of a cover-up.

VA emails that were recently introduced at a trial in San Francisco suggested some top VA officials might have been trying to hide a large number of attempted suicides by VA patients. The lawsuit, which was filed by two veterans groups, has not yet been decided.

In response to the emails, ttwo Democratic senators demanded that the VA's head of mental health be discharged.

Peake testified before the House Veterans Affairs Committee, saying that VA officials had concerns about the manner in which the data discussed in the e-mails was collected.

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