The Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) is a toll-free number that provides vital support to veterans and their family members 24 hours a day and 7 days a week; Recently published emails from the former director of the VCL revealed that more than one-third of the calls into the VCL roll over to back call centers where staff do not have the expertise or training to handle veterans in crisis
The bipartisan No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act would require the Department of Affairs (VA) to develop a quality assurance plan to identify performance metrics and objectives to improve the effectiveness of the VCL; The legislation would also require the VA to develop a plan to ensure that each call to the VCL is answered by a qualified person in a timely fashion
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar announced that legislation she and Senator John Thune (R-SD) lead to improve the Veteran Suicide Crisis Line (VCL) was signed into law by the President this week. The VCL is a toll-free number that provides confidential support to veterans and their family members 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Recently published emails from the former director of the VCL revealed that more than one-third of the calls in the VCL roll over to back call centers where staff do not have the expertise or training to handle veterans in crisis. The bipartisan No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act would require that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop a quality assurance plan to identify performance metrics and objectives to improve the effectiveness of the VCL. The legislation would also require the VA to develop a plan to ensure that each call to the VCL is answered in a timely fashion.
“Our veterans have proudly served our country on the front lines, and sadly, many return home with the invisible wounds of war. For these veterans, access to mental health care and support is critical,” Klobuchar said. “The least they deserve is not to be forced to wait at the end of the line during their darkest hours. While there is still more work to do to improve the services that veterans rely on, this bill being signed into law is a step forward in delivering the suicide prevention and mental health care treatment they deserve.”
“The Veterans Crisis Line is a critical lifeline for the military men and women who return home from combat, oftentimes having to cope with the invisible wounds of war,” Thune said. “When our heroes need someone to reach out to, the least we can do is ensure there’s someone available to answer their call.”
Klobuchar has been a leader in the fight to improve mental health care for our nation’s soldiers. Last year, legislation she cosponsored to help prevent veteran suicides was signed into law by the President. The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act helps expand access to mental health services for veterans by establishing a loan repayment program to help the VA recruit more psychiatric specialists, enhances resources for veterans transitioning into civilian life, and improves the VA’s ability to address traumatic brain injuries. She also introduced the Service Member Mental Health Review Act in 2013 to help veterans who may have been discharged with improper mental health diagnoses get their records corrected and their benefits restored. In June, Klobuchar and Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced a bipartisan bill that would establish a patient self-scheduling appointment system at Veterans Affairs Medical Facilities. The bipartisan Faster Care for Veterans Act would direct the Secretary of the VA to commence a pilot program under which veterans could use the internet to schedule and confirm appointments for health care at VA medical facilities.
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