U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today urged Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary David Shulkin to more prominently feature the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), a suicide crisis telephone line for veterans, families of veterans, and military personnel, on VA.gov. Specifically, it recommends that the VCL be displayed in the first of four rotating banners (as opposed to the second) or be given a dedicated button that is immediately identifiable upon visiting the VA’s website, including its mobile version.
“The sustained rate of veteran suicide is just that, an emergency, and the VCL’s commensurate prioritization on VA.gov would signal to veterans and their loved ones that the administration has made it a foremost concern,” wrote Thune. “Although this is only a small change, I believe we must make every effort to connect vulnerable veterans with caregivers. Even an incremental gain in reducing the 20 daily veteran suicides should be worthy of the VA’s consideration.”
Currently, the first banner that a veteran in crisis sees when he or she visits the website reads, “Access and Quality in VA Health Care.” It isn’t until the second banner that a veteran will see an advertisement for the VCL and its phone number. A veteran, family member, or friend could select a tab to advance the scrolling banner, but this option is less noticeable than the contrasting red button for subscribing to VA updates. On a mobile device, the user must scroll down to find information on the VCL.
Last September, Thune introduced the Senate companion to the No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act, legislation directing the VA secretary to develop quality assurance metrics to improve the response time and performance of the VCL and to develop a plan to ensure every phone call, text message, email, and other communication to the VCL and its backup centers are answered by a live person. The House version of the bill was signed into law last November.
Full text of the letter can be found below.
The Honorable David Shulkin, MD
Secretary
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, Northwest
Washington, DC 20420
Dear Secretary Shulkin,
Thank you for your continued commitment to serving America’s veterans, with special attention to those who are most vulnerable and in need of immediate attention—veterans experiencing a crisis and contemplating taking their own lives. Combating veteran suicide, which unfortunately persists at an alarmingly high rate, is perhaps the most urgent of the VA’s missions. The VA has rightfully focused considerable resources to reversing this epidemic. I write to propose a modest change in hopes that it might make those resources more readily identifiable to veterans who have decided to turn to help, when seconds count the most.
I suggest that information about the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) be prominently and immediately displayed on the VA’s website and mobile site. Should a veteran in crisis visit VA.gov, the first banner he or she will see reads “Access and Quality in VA Health Care.” It is not until the second banner that a veteran will see information about the VCL and its phone number. A veteran, family member, or friend could select a tab to advance the scrolling banner, but this option is less noticeable than the contrasting red button for subscribing to VA updates. On a mobile device, one must scroll down to find information on the VCL.
A highly visible button linked to the VCL and anchored to the top of both the desktop and mobile sites could readily serve as a beacon to veterans in need who might otherwise be discouraged by the prospect of navigating a government website. This could also be achieved by displaying the VCL on the first banner. Either change would bring the user experience on par with calling a health care or police number and being immediately being met with an option to report an emergency.
The sustained rate of veteran suicide is just that, an emergency, and the VCL’s commensurate prioritization on VA.gov would signal to veterans and their loved ones that the administration has made it a foremost concern. Although this is only a small change, I believe we must make every effort to connect vulnerable veterans with caregivers. Even an incremental gain in reducing the 20 daily veteran suicides should be worthy of the VA’s consideration.
Thank you for your continued attention to the pressing matter of veteran suicide. I look forward to continuing to work with you and the department to ensure our veterans receive the care they have earned through service to our nation.
Sincerely,