US: Emails suggest Veterans Administration cover-up of suicide rate

The emails were reviewed by the federal District Court of Northern California on Monday, where a lawsuit against the VA is being heard. The suit, brought by the veterans advocacy groups Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth, is seeking to force a restructuring of the veterans medical system in light of an enormous backlog of healthcare claims, large numbers of suicides and cases of untreated mental trauma among military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

One of the most damning emails, made available by CBS on its web site April 21, was written by VA Mental Health director Ira Katz and headed with the subject line Not for the CBS News Interview Request.