U.S. Reps. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) and David Young (R-IA) joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Tuesday in calling for improvements to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Crisis Line (VCL).
Poliquin and Young were among a bipartisan group of 39 legislators who signed a letter to VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson seeking information about VCL service flaws and targeted improvements to help veterans facing suicide or other crisis situations find immediate assistance.
The letter follows recent House passage of legislation introduced by Young, the No Veterans Crisis Call Should Go Unanswered Act, H.R. 5392, which would ensure that improvements are made to make the VCL more responsive and accountable.
“I’m pleased to join my colleagues in both the Senate and House in this important effort to hold VA leadership accountable, to ensure performance improvements to the Veterans Crisis Line are implemented,” Young said. “What’s more, we must ensure the No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act is brought up for consideration in the Senate without delay. We cannot allow political posturing from one retiring Democrat senior member to get in the way of crucial improvements to a hotline so many veterans in crisis rely on.”
The VA Office of Inspector General found various inefficiencies within the VCL, including that the VA failed to meet it call response time goals, with approximately 73 percent of calls going unanswered and others being diverted to backup call centers.
“Sadly, one of the most at-risk groups of Americans to suicide is our veterans,” Poliquin said. “While the Veterans Crisis Line exists to help prevent these tragedies, many calls go unanswered. These flaws with the VCL are unacceptable; if we fail one of our veterans, we have failed in our duty to all of them. We must do everything we can to give our veterans the support and care they have earned.”
In the bipartisan letter, the lawmakers cited “troubling” reports about the VCL not serving as the “beacon of hope” that it was intended to be.
“Instead, it has become yet another source of bureaucratic frustration for too many veterans — with one third of calls being diverted to an outside contractor, and many of those being directed to an answering machine or being put on hold,” the letter states. “This is unacceptable and disingenuous to our veterans who have served in the armed forces and are in need of help.”