VA Crisis Line Employees Juggling Multiple Texts and Chats From Veterans

VA crisis line employees juggling multiple texts and chats from veterans

Employees at a Department of Veterans Affairs hotline for veterans feeling suicidal or in crisis are struggling to keep up with a growing volume of calls, texts and web chats, according to former staff. Marcia Blane, a former Veterans Crisis Line responder, told the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs last week that she and her colleagues, in some cases, would juggle as many as three or four texts and web chats with veterans contacting the hotl…

Veterans Crisis Line workers juggled multiple chats and texts with veterans, watchdog says

A federal watchdog found that a national hotline for veterans suffering a mental health crisis was struggling to keep its responders trained to handle the most belligerent and abusive callers, and that the hotline’s responders sometimes juggled two active text message conversations at once. The Government Accountability Office found that the shortfalls in both areas could lead to safety issues for both callers seeking help and the responders who…

'Complex' Veterans Crisis Line Calls Passed Off to Undertrained Responders, Watchdog Report Finds

In response to the GAO findings, the VA promised to assess the outcomes of calls to the complex unit compared to the main line and make changes to staffing and procedures based on the assessment.