PRIA Logo™
S5591119th CongressWALLET

Veterans Crisis Line Support and Safety Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Senator Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]

Introduced

Summary

Guarantees confidential, no-cost mental health care for Veterans Crisis Line responders. It would also require occupational safeguards and staffing rules to reduce burnout and manage abusive non-crisis contacts.

Show full summary
  • Covered personnel would get on-duty access to individual counseling and mental health care from licensed providers experienced in PTSD and trauma, plus peer support, critical incident stress debriefing, and annual resiliency and burnout prevention training. Use of these services would not hurt employment status, performance evaluations, or career advancement.
  • Workplace rules would require reasonable workload and shift limits, mandatory rest after high-risk interactions, and that staff handle only one case at a time. The VA would use software to predict call patterns, assign specialized staff for complex cases, and offer voluntary overtime during high contact volume.
  • The VA would set procedures to identify and manage repeated non-crisis or abusive contacts, including warnings, call handling restrictions, and dedicated disruptive caller units with trauma-informed training while preserving access for bona fide crises.
  • The Comptroller General must review implementation within one year and report to congressional veterans committees on use of services, staffing, scheduling, turnover, overtime, workforce retention, and the effectiveness of abusive-contact policies. The review must protect personal privacy and have access to needed information and personnel.

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.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Free confidential mental care for staff

If enacted, the VA would provide covered Veterans Crisis Line employees and contractors confidential mental health and wellness services at no cost. Services would include individual counseling, peer support, critical incident stress debriefing, and resiliency and burnout-prevention training at least yearly. These services would be available during and outside scheduled duty hours and would be treated as compensable on-duty time. Using the services would not be allowed to hurt a staff member's job status, performance reviews, or career advancement.

Workload and scheduling limits for staff

If enacted, the VA would have to set policies that limit workload and shift length for covered Veterans Crisis Line staff. The VA would require rest and recovery periods after high-risk or traumatic interactions and would ensure staff handle only one case at a time, including digital contacts. The VA would use scheduling to spread undesirable shifts fairly, offer voluntary overtime when contact queues or volumes exceed thresholds, and use software to predict call patterns and hire or assign specialists for complex cases. Rest and recovery approval could not be conditioned on staff availability, and policies would support workforce sustainability.

Limits on abusive hotline callers

If enacted, the VA would create procedures to identify patterns of non-crisis or abusive contacts that materially interfere with the Veterans Crisis Line mission. The VA would be able to give verbal or written warnings, limit how it handles repeated misuse, refer callers to other resources, and reestablish specialized disruptive-caller intervention units with trauma-informed training. Any actions would have to preserve access for people in bona fide crises and would be subject to supervisory review and ongoing reassessment.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]

CT • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Boozman, John [R-AR]

    AR • R

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation