Kirk Shares Story of Deceased Illinois Veteran Failed by Crisis Hotline, Demands Accountability from VA at Hearing

30-Year-Old Des Plaines Veteran Took His Own Life in July After He Couldn’t Reach 24/7 VA Suicide Hotline

 
Kirk Asks VA’s Top Health Official Why Dr. Ira Katz, Who Covered Up Vets Suicide Rate in 2008, Still Works at VA

 
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) chaired a hearing of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and shared the story of an Illinois veteran who took his own life after he was unable to reach the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), demanded accountability from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the reported failures of the VA’s crisis hotline, and asked why a mental health official who was caught covering up the rising veteran suicide rate in 2008 was later put in charge of overseeing the hotline and still works at the VA.

“We need to talk about the VA’s culture of corruption, about results, and about performance,” Senator Kirk said in his opening statement. “We need to talk about accountability, and putting veterans first, not bureaucrats.”

Senator Kirk told the story of Army SPC Tom Young, an Iraq War veteran from Des Plaines, Ill., who called the hotline but was unable to have his call answered by a hotline operator. Afterward, on July 23, the 30-year-old father of Vivienne and Maggie lay down on Metra tracks near Prospect Heights and was struck and killed by a train. The next morning, his family answered a call from the VCL  returning Tom’s call. Senator Kirk earlier this week met with members of Tom’s family in Illinois.

“Just last week, Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson said that the report was based on old data and that the VA had taken steps months ago,” Senator Kirk said. “If the changes occurred months ago, how could Tom Young have been sent to voicemail just seven months ago?”

On February 11, the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report that outlined numerous failures of the VCL, including calls that were sent to voicemail or went unanswered and inadequate training of staff.

Since the problems were first discovered in 2013, there have been three different directors at the VA’s Office of Mental Health Operations, which until recently oversaw the VCL. Last week, Deputy Secretary Gibson announced the VA was shifting oversight of the VCL from Mental Health Operations to Matthew Eitutis, the VA’s Acting Director of Member Services, saying he “wasn’t pleased with the pace of the work. It had to be done quicker.”

Senator Kirk asked VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. David Shulkin why Dr. Ira Katz, a VA mental health official, was put in charge of overseeing the VCL as Acting Director of Mental Health Operations in 2014. In April 2008, Senators Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) called for the resignation of Dr. Katz after CBS News reported he sought to cover up the rising rate of suicide among veterans. Dr. Shulkin confirmed Dr. Katz remains employed by the VA.

VA Acting Under Secretary for Benefits Danny Pummill also testified at the hearing on the FY17 budget requests for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA).

Timeline:

• July 2007: Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) created.

• November 2007: CBS News reports an epidemic of veteran suicides, with more than 6,500 veteran suicides in 2005, far higher than the VA claims.

• December 2007: In internal email, Dr. Ira Katz, VA’s top mental health official, confirms CBS News report, saying evidence shows 18 veterans commit suicide each day.
  

• February 2008: In internal email, Katz discusses hiding the fact that 1,000 veterans who receive VA care attempt suicide each month.

• April 2008: Senators Akaka and Murray call for Katz’s resignation for covering up rising veteran suicide rates.
  

• May 2010: OIG report on widespread problems with VA call centers finds 24 percent of callers to VBA call centers in FY 2009 either received a busy signal or hung up while on hold
  

• 2011: Dr. Mary Schohn becomes Director of Mental Health Operations, overseeing the VCL.
  

• June 2013: Denver veteran calls VCL but is repeatedly transferred and put on hold and never receives a return call.

• October 2013: Review period of VA OIG investigation into VCL begins.

• March 2014: Suburban Chicago veteran Dedra Hughes calls VCL and hangs up after several minutes on hold.

• May 2014: VA OIG receives complaint alleging calls to VCL were sent to voicemail or went unanswered.

• 2014: Dr. Ira Katz becomes Acting Director of Mental Health Operations.

• September 2014: Texas veteran William Fuzi posts a video online showing him on hold with the VCL for 36 minutes after calling during an anxiety attack.

• December 2014: VA OIG report on problems with the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans finds 27 percent of homeless and at-risk veterans who called the hotline were sent to voicemail, and many of those who did reach someone at the call center never received the services they needed.

• December 2014: Review period of VA OIG investigation into VCL ends.

• January 2015: VCL Program Manager resigns and is replaced by an Acting Program Manager.

• February 2015: VA OIG receives allegations from U.S. Office of Special Counsel that VCL staffers and backup center staffers did not receive proper training.

• February 2015: VA OIG launches investigation into Veterans Crisis Line failures.

• February 2015: VCL Acting Program Manager Julianne Mullane says the backup system is not broken and extra calls are being sent to trained staffers.

• 2015: Dr. David Carroll becomes Executive Director of the Office of Mental Health Operations.

• July 2015: Army Veteran Tom Young of Illinois commits suicide after calling Veterans Crisis Line but being unable to reach an operator. His family says they answered a return call from the VCL returning his call the following morning.

• February 2016: VA OIG releases report on Veterans Crisis Line failures, finding some calls directed to backup call centers were sent to voicemail or went unanswered, and VCL staff and backup center staff did not receive adequate training.

• February 2016: VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson says OIG report is based on old data and the VA took steps to fix problems with the VCL months ago.

• February 2016: VA Deputy Secretary Gibson announces shift of oversight of the Veterans Crisis Line to VA’s Member Services, saying, “I wasn’t pleased with the pace of the work. It had to be done quicker.” Acting Director for Member Services Matt Eitutis will oversee the VCL.