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FEDERALhearing transcript

High Impact

Congressional Hearing on Veterans Crisis Line Performance

Original title: AN ASSESSMENT OF ONGOING CONCERNS AT THE VETERANS CRISIS LINE

January 1, 2018

veterans affairs suicide prevention crisis intervention government oversight veterans health administration

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The Frame

What this does

This hearing addresses the operational reliability of the primary suicide prevention resource for veterans, which has faced multiple investigations regarding its ability to handle crisis calls effectively.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Veterans

Veterans rely on the VCL as a primary resource for immediate suicide prevention and crisis intervention.

Veterans Health Administration

The VHA is responsible for the management and operational performance of the Veterans Crisis Line.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2018.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a hearing to address ongoing management and operational deficiencies within the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL). The committee reviewed findings from the VA Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office regarding the effectiveness of the 24/7 suicide prevention hotline.

Key Facts

The Veterans Crisis Line has answered over 2.6 million calls since its inception.
Emergency responders have been dispatched to veterans in need nearly 70,000 times via the VCL.
A VA analysis found the risk of suicide is 21 percent higher for veterans than for non-veterans.
The VCL has been the subject of three major investigations by the VA Inspector General and the GAO in the year preceding the hearing.
Investigations identified serious management, organizational, and quantitative deficiencies in VCL operations.
The VCL provides services via phone call, online chat, and text messaging.
The hearing took place on April 4, 2017, in the Cannon House Office Building.

Why It Matters

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Veterans Crisis Line?

It is a 24/7 suicide prevention and crisis intervention hotline for veterans, servicemembers, and their loved ones.

Why was this hearing held?

To address concerns and deficiencies identified by the VA Inspector General and the GAO regarding the management and operation of the Veterans Crisis Line.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Increased Oversight of VCL

The document highlights a transition toward intense congressional and IG scrutiny of the VCL following multiple performance investigations.

Veterans Crisis Line Veterans Health Administration

Connected Entities

personMichael J. Missal“Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs”Map →

organizationVeterans Crisis Line“The subject of the oversight hearing regarding suicide prevention services”Map →

personDavid P. Roe“Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs”Map →

organizationGovernment Accountability Office“Agency that conducted investigations into VCL operations”Map →

organizationVeterans Health Administration“Department responsible for managing the Veterans Crisis Line”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance85
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy60
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment20
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz30
Current news / social attention level

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