A day after endorsing the Atlanta VA’s leadership in comments about the case of a Marine veteran who killed herself and her three children, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson on Wednesday called for an independent investigation into the circumstances of the former Marine’s death.
In a statement, Isakson said the VA’s Office of Inspector General should conduct an investigation “to ensure all clinical and medical care procedures were followed on behalf of the veteran.” The inspector general’s investigation would be separate from the internal probe that the Department of Veterans Affairs announced last week.
Kisha Holmes, 35, was living in VA-subsidized housing in Austell and at “high risk of suicide,” according to her medical records, when she took her own life and killed her three children. She had missed three appointments with VA staff, including one on the day her body was discovered Jan. 27.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the missed appointments based on records first obtained by Channel 2 Action News.
Isakson said he also wants investigators to determine if “there was an unlawful release of the medical records of the veteran, and if so, by whom.”
“When all the facts come out, it is my sincere hope that we will all be able to learn from this terrible tragedy what steps need to be taken to prevent something like this from happen(ing) again,” Isakson said.
At a news conference Tuesday, Isakson expressed his continued confidence in Atlanta VA Medical Center director Leslie Wiggins, who was installed as the hospital reckoned with scandals involving veterans' suicides in 2013. Isakson said the hospital "has done a wonderful job" on keeping in close contact with mental health patients.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, joined Isakson in calling for the inspector general’s investigation into the case, adding extra urgency to the request. Last year, the committee held numerous high-profile hearings into failings at the VA, including how the agency is dealing with the high incidence of suicide among vets.
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