Press Release: Veteran Action Calls for Full, Transparent Investigation of VA Response in San Carlos Deaths

Veteran Action calls on the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct a full and transparent investigation into the care Navy veteran David Voight sought the day before he, his wife and their 13-year-old daughter were found dead in their San Carlos home. If that investigation finds that VA staff failed to follow law or policy, Veteran Action demands accountability.

San Diego police identify the victims as David Voight, his wife, Amy Voight, and their daughter, Mya. Police continue to investigate.

Family members tell FOX 5 San Diego that David Voight served about 30 years in the Navy, including explosive ordnance disposal work and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Relatives say he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and that his symptoms had recently worsened.

According to Amy Voight's parents, she took her husband to a VA clinic on Sept. 15 and asked staff whether they could help him calm down, citing anxiety, depression and frustration. The family says staff told them counselors were busy and that he needed an appointment.

The VA disputes the family's account. It cites privacy rules in declining to discuss the case and says all VA facilities offer same-day mental health care to veterans who request it.

"This is a tragedy beyond words," said Mark Lucas, founder and president of Veteran Action. "A veteran in crisis needs care immediately, whether at the VA or in the community. The public still does not have a complete account of what happened at that clinic. That is why a full investigation is necessary."

Federal law sets clear requirements when a veteran is in acute suicidal crisis. The COMPACT Act allows an eligible veteran in acute suicidal crisis to receive emergency care at a VA or non-VA facility at no cost, whether or not the veteran is enrolled in VA health care. Covered care can include up to 30 days of inpatient or crisis residential treatment and up to 90 days of related outpatient care. Separately, the MISSION Act makes a veteran eligible for community care when the VA cannot meet its access standards, including a 20-day wait-time standard for mental health care from the date of request, unless the veteran agrees to a later date.

Veteran Action advocates for better mental health access through the Take Care of America's Veterans Act and the Veterans' ACCESS Act. The Take Care of America's Veterans Act packages more than 60 bipartisan veterans' bills, including the ACCESS Act, and would build on the MISSION Act to strengthen veterans' ability to obtain timely care inside or outside the VA.

About Veteran Action

Veteran Action advocates for America First policies that strengthen national security and support America's veterans.

###