VA Office of Inspector General Investigates Iowa Veteran’s Death Following Requests from Ernst, Grassley, Johnson

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) today released the following statement after the Department of Veteran Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA OIG) confirmed their decision to review the circumstances surrounding the death of Iowa veteran Brandon Ketchum, who committed suicide after being denied care at the Iowa City VA Medical Center. The VA OIG’s decision to review the case follows two letters sent to VA officials by Senator Ernst on July 15^th, and an additional request on August 2^nd from Senators Ernst, Grassley (R-IA), and Johnson (R-WI) to investigate the incident.

“The tragic loss of Brandon underscores how critical it is that every veteran is receiving quality and timely care from the VA. I am pleased that the VA OIG has answered our calls for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Brandon’s death, including the alleged denial of urgent treatment, so we can determine what went wrong and take the steps necessary to ensure this never happens again.”

Click here to read the VA Inspector General’s response to the senators’ request.