SenateS. 5591119th Congress
Veterans Crisis Line Support and Safety Act of 2026
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5591 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5591
To improve support for personnel of the Veterans Crisis Line and to
clarify authorities relating to crisis response protocols, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 29, 2026
Mr. Blumenthal (for himself and Mr. Boozman) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve support for personnel of the Veterans Crisis Line and to
clarify authorities relating to crisis response protocols, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Crisis Line Support and
Safety Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. SUPPORT FOR VETERANS CRISIS LINE.
(a) Mental Health and Wellness Support for Workforce.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
ensure that covered personnel have access to confidential
mental health services, at no cost to the covered personnel,
including--
(A) access to individual counseling and mental
health care services from licensed providers with
demonstrated experience in post-traumatic stress
disorder, trauma, secondary trauma, compassion fatigue,
and vicarious trauma during compensated on-duty time;
(B) peer support programs;
(C) critical incident stress debriefing; and
(D) training on resiliency and burnout prevention,
conducted not less frequently than annually.
(2) Availability.--Services under paragraph (1)--
(A) shall be available both during and outside
scheduled duty hours, and such availability shall be
considered compensable on-duty time; and
(B) may be furnished through providers of the
Department of Veterans Affairs or through contracts
with non-Department providers independent of
supervisory chains.
(3) Impact on employment.--The Secretary shall ensure that
the use of services under this subsection does not adversely
affect the employment status, performance evaluation, or career
advancement of covered personnel.
(b) Occupational Safeguards.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish and
implement policies applicable to covered personnel that provide
for--
(A) reasonable limitations on workload and shift
duration;
(B) mandatory rest and recovery periods following
high-risk, traumatic, or otherwise psychologically
intensive interactions, as defined by criteria
established by the Secretary, including appropriate
supervisory review and approval procedures governing
the use of such rest periods and related support
services so long as such approvals are not conditioned
on availability of staff; and
(C) staffing levels informed by workforce
assessments, contact volume, response time goals,
employee workload, and other operational metrics
determined appropriate by the Secretary.
(2) Limitation on number of cases.--The Secretary shall
ensure that all covered personnel are only required to handle
one case at a given time, including digital services cases,
relating to outreach to the Veterans Crisis Line for
assistance.
(3) Overtime.--During periods in which contact volume or
response queues exceed established operational thresholds, the
Secretary shall provide opportunities for voluntary overtime
for covered personnel willing to assist in reducing such
backlogs.
(4) Operational scheduling.--The Secretary shall use
operational scheduling practices that promote workforce
sustainability, employee well-being, and quality of life,
including by undertaking reasonable efforts to ensure equitable
distribution of weekend, overnight, holiday, and other
undesirable shifts among covered personnel, while maintaining
continuity of operations and adequate staffing levels.
(5) Workforce needs.--The Secretary shall--
(A) use software to predict call patterns and
assess workforce needs; and
(B) as appropriate, assign or hire additional
personnel dedicated specifically to responding to cases
involving complex needs or disruptive behavior in order
to ensure such cases receive specialized and effective
handling.
(c) Administration.--
(1) Operational authorities and safeguards.--The Secretary
shall review and amend current policies and procedures
governing the response to contacts received through the
Veterans Crisis Line, consistent with section 1720F(h) of title
38, United States Code.
(2) Non-crisis or abusive contacts.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish
procedures to identify patterns of non-crisis or
abusive communications that materially interfere with
the mission of the Veterans Crisis Line.
(B) Actions.--Pursuant to procedures established
under subparagraph (A), the Secretary may take
appropriate actions relating to non-crisis or abusive
communications, including--
(i) providing verbal or written notice or
warnings to the individual;
(ii) implementing reasonable call handling
restrictions in cases of repeated misuse;
(iii) directing the individual to
alternative appropriate resources; and
(iv) reestablishing dedicated disruptive
caller intervention units, which shall include
repeat caller intervention specialists who have
trauma-informed behavioral management training.
(C) Safeguards and review.--The Secretary shall
ensure that any action taken under this paragraph--
(i) includes safeguards to preserve access
to the Veterans Crisis Line for individuals
experiencing a bona fide crisis; and
(ii) is subject to supervisory review and
periodic reassessment.
(d) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the
United States shall--
(A) conduct a review of the implementation and
effectiveness of this section; and
(B) submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of
the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of
the House of Representatives a report containing the
findings of such review.
(2) Elements.--The review conducted under paragraph (1)
shall include an assessment of--
(A) the implementation of mental health and
wellness services for covered personnel under
subsection (a);
(B) the effectiveness and use of occupational
safeguards established under subsection (b);
(C) staffing levels, turnover, overtime usage, and
workforce retention among covered personnel;
(D) whether scheduling practices for covered
personnel appropriately support workforce
sustainability, employee well-being, and equitable
distribution of weekend, overnight, holiday, and other
undesirable shifts;
(E) the operational effectiveness of workforce
prediction tools, staffing assessments, and specialized
response staffing used pursuant to subsection (b)(5);
(F) the extent to which covered personnel are able
to access confidential mental health and wellness
services without adverse employment consequences;
(G) the implementation and oversight of policies
relating to non-crisis or abusive contacts under
subsection (c)(2); and
(H) any recommendations to improve workforce well-
being, operational effectiveness, and crisis response
capabilities within the Veterans Crisis Line.
(3) Access to information.--The Secretary shall provide the
Comptroller General with access to such information and
personnel as the Comptroller General determines necessary to
carry out the review required under paragraph (1), consistent
with applicable privacy and confidentiality protections.
(4) Protection of sensitive information.--The report
submitted under paragraph (1) shall not include personally
identifiable information relating to covered personnel or
individuals contacting the Veterans Crisis Line.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Covered personnel.--The term ``covered personnel''
means any employee or contractor of the Department of Veterans
Affairs who responds to contacts or participates in responding
to contacts through the Veterans Crisis Line.
(2) Veterans crisis line.--The term ``Veterans Crisis
Line'' means the toll-free hotline for veterans established
under section 1720F(h) of title 38, United States Code, and the
program operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs to
provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention services
through such hotline.
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