Young Veterans Crisis Line Improvements Legislation Introduced in Senate

Congressman Young released the following statement after the companion version of his bipartisan legislation, the No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act (H.R.5392), was introduced by South Dakota Senator John Thune last week in the U.S. Senate. The now bicameral legislation provides necessary responsiveness and performance improvements to the Veterans Crisis Line, which is the confidential, toll free hotline for veterans seeking suicide prevention and crisis resources help from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) responders.

"When a veteran in crisis is reaching out for help, we must have tools readily accessible that are responsive and effective, so they may get the assistance they need," Congressman Young said. "Our veterans have sacrificed so greatly in defense of our country and our freedoms. I'm pleased to see this important legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate, and appreciate Senator Thune's work on this important issue. We must ensure our men and women in uniform have the quality mental health care resources they need."

"Our nation's veterans answered the call to duty, making remarkable sacrifices to protect our country," said Senator Thune in a press release last week. "The events and stress these men and women experience during their service to the country can leave invisible wounds. In their time of need, we need to be there to answer their call, too, which is why these reforms are so important."

The No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act comes in response to concerns voiced by Iowa veterans about unanswered calls, text messages, emails or other communications, and failed attempts to receive help from the Veterans Crisis Line. The experiences veterans conveyed to Congressman Young directly dispute previous assurances from the VA to congressional veterans affairs committees that problems like these had been addressed. The legislation also follows separate investigations by the VA Office of the Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office, which both revealed a lack of quality control measures to ensure communications are answered promptly and response efforts are properly documented.

The No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act directs the VA Secretary to:

Create a quality assurance process outlining performance indicators and objectives to address responsiveness and performance of the Veterans Crisis Line and backup call centers, and a timeline noting when objectives will be reached.
Develop a plan to ensure any communication to the Veterans Crisis Line or backup call center is answered in a timely manner by a person in accordance with the guidance established by the American Association of Suicidology.
Submit the plan to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate within 180 days of the legislation's enactment.

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