{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.countable.us/bill/photo/hr5392-114/featured_no-veterans-crisis-line-call-should-go-unanswered-act-1474865390.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.countable.us/bill/photo/hr5392-114/featured_large_no-veterans-crisis-line-call-should-go-unanswered-act-1474865390.jpg","shareable":"https://n.countable.us/share-images/bills/hr5392-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2016-06-07","title_override":"Does the VA Need to Make Sure All Calls to the Veterans Crisis Line Get Answered?","summary_override":"

This bill would require the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop a plan to ensure that all calls, texts, or other communications received by the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) are answered in a timely manner by a person. The plan would also ensure that communications to the VCL are answered in a manner consistent with the guidance of the American Association of Suicidology.

The VA would create a quality assurance process that includes performance indicators and objectives measuring the responsiveness and performance of the VCL and backup call centers. It would also provide a timeline for when those objectives will be achieved.

Within 180 days of this bill’s enactment the VA would be required to submit its plans to the committees responsible for veterans’ affairs in both chambers of Congress.

","official_title":"To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve the Veterans Crisis Line.","short_title":"No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the House passed version is repeated here.)\n\nNo Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act\n\n(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop a quality assurance document for carrying out the toll-free Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), which shall: (1) outline performance indicators and objectives to improve the VCL, including at backup call centers; (2) include time frames to meet such indicators and objectives; and (3) be consistent with guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget.\n\nThe VA shall develop a plan to ensure that each telephone call, text message, and other communications received by the VCL, including at backup call centers, is answered in a timely manner by a person, consistent with the guidance established by the American Association of Suicidology. The plan shall include guidelines for periodic VCL testing.\n\n The VA shall submit the document and ...","summarized":true,"cost":0,"cost_commentary":"The CBO estimates that enacting this bill would result in insignificant costs to the federal government.","impact":"Veterans in crisis and those close to them; the Veterans Crisis Line and backup call centers; and the VA.","argument_for":"The Veterans Crisis Line is doing a poor job of meeting the needs of veterans seeking suicide prevention and crisis resources, and this bill would require the VA to ensure veterans looking for help can get it.","argument_against":"This bill only requires the VA to develop a plan to improve the responsiveness of the Veterans Crisis Line, it doesn’t provide any additional resources to make these changes become a reality.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr5392-114","bill_id":"hr5392-114","formal_id":"H.R. 5392","chamber":"house","congress":114,"last_action_at":"2016-11-28T00:00:00.000Z","active":true,"enacted":true,"enacted_at":"2016-11-28","vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":"2016-11-16T00:00:00.000Z","debated_on":"2016-09-26T00:00:00.000Z","congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/5392","plain_text_url":"https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114hr5392rds/html/BILLS-114hr5392rds.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.countable.us/share-images/bills/hr5392-114.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/5392/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2016-06-07","related_bill_ids":["s3304-114"],"progress":"Enacted","house_passage_result":true,"senate_passage_result":true,"position_count":284,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Veterans' Affairs","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSVR","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr5392-114","details":"/api/bills/hr5392-114/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr5392-114","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr5392-114/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr5392-114/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":26,"slug":"hr5392-114-no-veterans-crisis-line-call-should-go-unanswered-act","latest_chamber_votes_id":"hr5392-114","official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":2577,"yea_vote_count":2476,"nay_vote_count":94,"passed_house":true,"passed_senate":true,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["defense"],"issue_ids":["defense","federal-agencies"],"sponsor_id":94}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"defense","name":"Defense","slug":"defense","description":"Federal legislation related to Defense spending, the active duty military, intelligence activities, war powers and veterans’ care. 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Does the VA Need to Make Sure All Calls to the Veterans Crisis Line Get Answered?