Young bill would improve responsiveness, performance of Veterans Crisis Line

Legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. David Young (R-IA) on Tuesday would take steps to ensure that no veteran calls to the Veterans Crisis Line go unanswered.

The No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act, H.R. 5392, would improve the responsiveness and performance within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that suicide prevention and crisis resources are available to all veterans.

“Our men and women in uniform sacrifice a great deal to keep our country safe and secure, and we owe it to them to provide the best health care possible,” Young said. 

Under the bill, the VA secretary would be directed to establish a quality assurance process that outlines performance indicators and objectives to improve the responsiveness of the Veterans Crisis Line and backup call centers.

“When a veteran is in crisis and is reaching out for help, we have to guarantee someone is there for them 100 percent of the time,” Young said. “No excuses. Any instance of a veteran having trouble with the Veterans Crisis Line is simply unacceptable. This legislation requires the VA to provide and implement a plan to improve responsiveness and performance of the crisis line, an important step to ensure our veterans have mental health resources they need.”

The VA secretary would also be directed to ensure that all communications to the Veterans Crisis Line or backup call center are answered in a timely manner that is in line with guidelines established by the American Association of Suicidology.

Additionally, the secretary would be required to submit a plan to committees overseeing veteran affairs in both the Senate and House of Representatives within 180 days of the bill being enacted.

Young introduced the bill after hearing concerns from veterans in Iowa about unanswered calls, emails or other communications, as well as failed attempts to call the Veterans Crisis Line.