Protecting Veterans in Crisis Act
Sponsored By: Senator Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]
Introduced
Summary
Strengthen oversight of the Veterans Crisis Line. This bill would expand congressional oversight of the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), require frequent public reporting on staffing and performance, and add workforce protections for VCL personnel.
Show full summary
- Veterans and callers: Would require monthly operations reports showing average wait times, volume of unanswered calls, and caller-to-operator ratios so lawmakers can track service availability and responsiveness.
- VCL staff: Would mandate advance notice to Congress before any termination of VCL employees, require a stated cause and whether the employee is a veteran or military spouse, and force a 30-day personnel report detailing staffing breakdowns, probationary status, veteran and military spouse status, and recent terminations on specified February 2025 dates.
- Oversight and VA operations: Would impose monthly performance comparisons to prior months and prior years, require reports on resources used and outstanding, and direct the Comptroller General to deliver a review with improvement recommendations within 180 days. Reporting obligations run through January 20, 2029.
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Advance notice before firing crisis-line staff
This bill would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to notify the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs committees at least 48 hours before firing any Veterans Crisis Line employee. The notice would have to explain the cause, say if the person is a veteran or a military spouse, and include a plan to keep the Crisis Line working. This requirement would start on enactment and end on January 20, 2029.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]
IL • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov