Republican 3rd District U.S. Representative, David Young, reacted yesterday (Thursday) to a Government Accountability Office report that found nearly 30 percent of text messages sent as a test to the Veterans Crisis Line went unanswered. The toll-free hotline is in place for veterans seeking suicide prevention and crisis assistance from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) responders. Young, who introduced legislation, the No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act earlier this month, said the tests confirmed concerns he had already voiced about veterans failed attempts to receive help. “Our veterans deserve quality mental health care resources,” Young said, “yet this recent report further highlights unacceptable problems with the Veterans Crisis Line. Enough is enough,” he added. “The VA must improve the responsiveness and performance of this hotline immediately.” The report, according to Young, directly disputes previous assurances from the VA to congressional veterans’ affairs committees that problems like these had been addressed.
