Murray takes VA to task on vet suicide numbers

Sen. Patty Murray is claiming that the Department of Veterans Affairs has lied about the number of attempted suicides by US military. The McClatchy news service reports that Murray has seen internal e-mails indicating some 12,000 attempts per year, as opposed to the 800 reported by the VA.

Gordon Mansfield, deputy secretary of the VA, apologized for the numbers discrepancy and told Murray and her Senate Veterans Affairs colleagues that there was no purposeful attempt to mislead. Still, Murray was skeptical.

“I used to teach preschool, and when you bring up a 3-year-old and tell them they have to stop lying, they understand the consequences,” Murray said. “The VA doesn’t. They need to stop hiding the fact this war is costing us in so many ways. They can be walking time bombs for decades,” Murray said. “I hope everyone in the VA understands this.”