Minneapolis VA faulted after Vietnam vet's suicide

MINNEAPOLIS — A report says the Minneapolis Veterans Medical Center was “deficient” in its handling of a suicidal Vietnam War veteran who later killed himself.

The report notes that the one-time Marine had survived a recent suicide attempt. The report alleges the hospital didn't follow up after mental-health staff warned that he might try to kill himself again.

The report was from the Veterans Administration Inspector General's Office, which investigates wrongdoing. It faults the VA's suicide-prevention coordinator for not consulting with the man's treatment team, and the hospital for failing to follow up with him.

VA spokesman Ralph Heussner tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune (http://bit.ly/U86IzX ) every veteran's suicide is a tragedy. He says the hospital plans to use the information from the report to improve its system of flagging potential risks.

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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com

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