Congressman David Young’s Capitol Solutions
Weekly Report to Iowa’s Hardworking Taxpayers
EDITORS NOTE: I look forward to providing this report each week as a resource of information for Iowans on the issues being debated and discussed in my goal to be the most accessible member of Congress possible.
Veterans Crisis Line Fails America’s Heroes
Three of 10 veterans, who bravely served our country and are in desperate need of help, will have their message go unanswered. I don’t need to tell you this outrageous statistic highlights a major problem for our veterans and service members in need - and one I’m working to fix.
Earlier this week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a government watchdog organization, released a report finding nearly 30 percent of text messages sent as a test to the Veterans Crisis Line went unanswered. However, while this GAO report may be new, problems with the Veterans Crisis Line sadly are not.
Here in Iowa, while meeting with veterans, they shared with me the trouble too many have had receiving help from the Veterans Crisis Line, the confidential, toll free hotline for veterans seeking suicide prevention and crisis assistance from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) responders. Veterans report a lack of response, some even after multiple attempts to get the assistance they need.
Last year, numerous complaints from across the country about missed or unanswered calls, unresponsive staff, as well as delayed responses to veterans prompted the VA’s watchdog arm, the VA Office of the Inspector General (OIG), to conduct an investigation into the Veterans Crisis Line. The OIG found ‘gaps in the quality assurance process,’ and provided recommendations to address the quality, responsiveness, and performance of the Veterans Crisis Line and the mental health care resources provided to our veterans.
While the VA gave assurances they have taken steps to address these problems, instances of veterans waiting for mental health care needlessly continued. As I meet with and listen to veterans, service members and their families across the Third District, one of the major issues we discuss is the availability of mental health care resources. I am honored to work on their behalf to ensure mental health care is a top priority in Congress.
In Congress, I’ve been leading my colleagues to uphold the promises we’ve made to provide quality and accessible care to our veterans. I introduced the No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act (H.R. 5392), legislation holding the VA accountable and requiring they formulate a plan to ensure communications to the Veterans Crisis Line or backup call centers are answered by a live person. The legislation also directs the VA to develop and implement a quality assurance process to address responsiveness and performance of the Veterans Crisis Line and backup call centers, and to document their improvements.
In this effort, I also recently testified before the U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, where I expressed my concerns about problems with the Veterans Crisis Line, and highlighted the importance of my legislation. I am encouraged by the growing support for my Veterans Crisis Line improvements legislation, and will work with any member of Congress to ensure we enact meaningful change on behalf of our veterans.
Our veterans have done so much for our country and, when a veteran is in need, they must have the access to responsive and quality mental health care they were promised. There is no excuse for delays when a veteran needs help, and it is up to us to ensure gaps or weaknesses in resources provided to veterans are addressed without delay.
David Young is the Congressman serving all the people of Iowa’s Third Congressional District. He is a member of the Committee on Appropriations and Subcommittees on Agriculture, Homeland Security, and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.
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