# 119-s-1655: Protecting Veterans in Crisis Act

119-s-1655, Protecting Veterans in Crisis Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-25).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1655
- As of: 2026-07-25
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-1655
- Congress: 119
- Title: Protecting Veterans in Crisis Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-05-07
- Sponsor: Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-25

## Summary

**Stronger oversight and reporting for the Veterans Crisis Line.** This bill would create a statutory framework requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to track staffing, performance, and personnel actions for the toll-free veterans hotline. - Veterans and callers would see clearer monitoring of service quality because the VA must report monthly on wait times, unanswered-call volume, caller-to-operator ratios, and resources used. These reports are required every 30 days through January 20, 2029. - Veterans Crisis Line employees would face an advance-notice rule: the VA must notify relevant congressional committees at least 48 hours before terminating any VCL staff, explain the cause, note whether the employee is a veteran or military spouse, and provide a plan to maintain operations. That notification requirement sunsets on January 20, 2029. - Congress and independent reviewers would get detailed personnel and operations reviews. The VA must submit a personnel report within 30 days covering headcounts and specific terminations around February 13 and 24, 2025, and the Comptroller General must deliver a review with recommendations within 180 days.

## Provisions PRIA read

- GAO review of Veterans Crisis Line: benefit, medium. This bill would require the Comptroller General to deliver a report within 180 days of enactment. The report would assess the operation and performance of the Veterans Crisis Line and give recommendations to improve it. The report would go to the relevant House and Senate veterans and health commit…
- Monthly reports and staffing counts for crisis line: benefit, medium. This bill would require the VA Secretary to send a detailed staffing report within 30 days of enactment. The one‑time personnel report would list employees on January 20, 2025, counts for terminations around February 13 and February 24, 2025, and current counts, with breakdowns by job, probationary…
- Notice before firing Veterans Crisis Line staff: benefit, medium. This bill would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to notify Congress at least 48 hours before terminating any Veterans Crisis Line employee. The notice would have to say the cause, state whether the worker is a veteran or a military spouse, and include a plan to keep the hotline mission-rea…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-5238: For Our Republic Act
- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-1655 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1655)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-5238: For Our Republic Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5238)
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3597)
- [119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4504)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1655 (as of 2026-07-25).