On February 15, Iraq War veteran Richard Miles entered a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, and told the staff: “I need help,” according to hospital records obtained by CNN.

He had told friends he was going to check himself in. He was diagnosed with “worsened PTSD,” anxiety and insomnia, but Miles was not admitted to the hospital.

Five days later the 40-year-old father was found dead in the woods, having taken a toxic amount of sleeping pills, according to a toxicology report obtained by CNN. He died from exposure to the elements.

Now those who loved him want to know why the VA hospital did not admit him when he showed up that night.

“That was his cry for help and it was not taken seriously or received the way it should have been received,” said Katie Hopper, his ex-girlfriend and mother to their daughter Emmalynn.

Miles was one of the premiere presenters at the Science Center of Iowa, a beloved employee popular with the staff and guests.

“He was passionate and knowledgeable about science himself and it went beyond that. His passion extended to sharing that knowledge with others,” said Science Center of Iowa President and CEO Curt Simmons. Miles’ image was featured prominently in YouTube videos and advertisements for the museum; a large photograph bearing his image stands outside the center.

What this popular Iraq war veteran did not share with most, is that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

“He knew the date, and where he was when he had shot and killed people in the war,” says Hopper. “He was very, very aware of what he was doing, that he was ending people’s lives, even if it was for the greater good.” The memory of an interrogation incident with a frail, old Iraqi man upset him quite a bit, she recalled.

via Troubled Iowa veteran sought help from VA hospital before freezing to death – CNN.com.

The inspector general’s office at the Department of Veterans Affairs is defending its actions after the office came under unusual criticism from its counterpart at the Treasury Department.

In a report in December, the VA inspector’s office found that a former VA procurement officer improperly steered $15 million in uncompetitive contracts to a friend’s company. The report also accused the former official, Iris Cooper, of a “lack of candor” during the IG’s investigation.

The VA report sparked a rare and sharp rebuke from the Treasury Department’s inspector general, who said the allegations against Cooper were unsupported and based on a complaint by a VA supervisor that Cooper had complained about for creating a hostile work environment. Cooper is now a top contracting official with the Treasury Department.

Eric Thorson, the Treasury IG, said his review found that while Cooper knew two officers of the company that received the contract, Ohio-based Tridec Technologies, she did not award the contract nor did she improperly influence those who did. Thorson said the VA report “calls into question the integrity of the VA OIG’s actions.”

Maureen Regan, a top official at the VA inspector’s office who wrote the VA report, called Thorson’s letter unfounded and improper. She told a congressional committee Monday night that she stands behind the original report and has referred Thorson’s actions to a committee that oversees federal inspectors general.

The chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee said he found VA’s actions in the Cooper case troubling.

“The implication that VA OIG was acting as a retaliatory arm of a VA executive who had a score to settle with another employee is downright disturbing and demands further investigation,” said Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla.

via Battle of the watchdogs: Treasury, VA inspectors general trade barbs over contracting report | Star Tribune.

Treasury Department Faults Veterans Affairs in Feud Over Employee – NYTimes.com.

(CNN)A manager at an Indiana Veterans Hospital has been placed on paid administrative leave after sending a “completely and totally unacceptable” email apparently mocking mental illness.

The email, sent by Robin Paul, “in no way reflects the attitudes of our staff toward our patients,” Roudebush VA Medical Center Director Tom Mattice said in a statement posted on the hospital’s Facebook page.

Paul, a licensed clinical social worker, had been managing the Seamless Transition Integrated Care Clinic, which is responsible for assisting new veterans with their VA benefits, services and programs, to include mental health, according to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Her email, first published by the Indy Star this week, was sent December 18 to members of her team and shows four photos of an elf in different scenarios. Two of the photos have struck a nerve with the veterans and mental illness communities.

via VA hospital manager on leave for ‘offensive’ email about mental illness – CNN.com.