First-line responders at the national Veterans Crisis Line received more training following the suicide of a veteran who had texted the hotline for help, Department of Veterans Affairs officials said Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (Joshua J. Seybert/U.S. Air Force)
WASHINGTON — First-line responders received more training, and a supervisor was transferred from an oversight position following the suicide of a veteran who had texted a national crisis line for help, Department of Veterans Affairs officials told senators.
Several VA officials assured senators during a hearing Wednesday that they are taking steps to address a department inspector general’s report that cited the Veterans Crisis Line for an inadequate response to communications from a veteran in Texas who killed himself less than hour after texting with a crisis responder at the hotline.
Testifying before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, a senior VA official said changes in operations are planned or underway at the crisis line.
“The actual event, as tragic as it is, as we all know, there were some opportunities for us to look at the process and procedures that were in place. And some changes have been made already,” said David Perry, Veterans Health Administration’s chief officer for workforce management and consulting.
“Retraining occurred for those crisis responders — and then also we’re looking at the process of who can fill in when those positions need to be staffed adequately,” he said. “And so those changes have already occurred in the actual procedures itself. The supervisor is still on staff, but they are not in a direct veteran crisis responder role.”
The VA’s Office of Inspector General issued a report in September that cited the Veterans Crisis Line for “mismanagement” of its response in 2021 to the Texas veteran’s texts for help as well as “deficient” in follow-up actions after his death.
The IG report described the first responder’s actions as inadequate in assessing the veteran’s “suicidal preparatory behavior and alcohol use.” The report also stated the national hotline does not have procedures in place for retaining text messages and took “problematic” actions after the man’s death.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., pressed VA officials about what type of reforms are planned for the crisis line — and when they will be implemented — in response to the IG report. But Perry said the report is still “actively being reviewed.”
When Cassidy asked when the review would be done, Perry responded: “I can’t give you a timeline. It is on the top of our priority list.”
“Four weeks seems plenty enough time to investigate,” Cassidy said, referring to the release of the report last month.
The senator also criticized the hotline’s former executive director for deciding not to conduct a “necessary root cause analysis” following the veteran’s suicide. Cassidy said the decision was only reversed when an IG investigation was initiated. He also said the former executive director was moved up to a senior executive position at VA headquarters.
The national crisis hotline is used frequently by veterans and received more than 750,000 calls between July 2022 and July 2023. About 250,000 veterans contacted the crisis line via chat or text messaging, the VA has said.
The Senate committee was assured a plan to improve crisis response and veteran safety will be developed, after the IG report is reviewed, along with underlying evidence and recommendations.
