[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 181 (Tuesday, November 7, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H8563-H8566]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 VETERANS CRISIS LINE STUDY ACT OF 2017

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill

[[Page H8564]]

(H.R. 4173) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a 
study on the Veterans Crisis Line, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4173

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Crisis Line Study 
     Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. STUDY ON EFFICACY OF VETERANS CRISIS LINE.

       (a) Study.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct 
     a study on the outcomes and the efficacy of the Veterans 
     Crisis Line during the five-year period beginning January 1, 
     2014, based on an analysis of national suicide data and data 
     collected from the Veterans Crisis Line.
       (b) Matters Included.--The study under subsection (a) shall 
     address the following:
       (1) The efficacy of the Veterans Crisis Line in leading 
     veterans to sustained mental health regimens, by 
     determining--
       (A) the number of veterans who, after contacting the 
     Veterans Crisis Line and being referred to a suicide 
     prevention specialist, begin and continue mental health care 
     furnished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and
       (B) the number of veterans who, after contacting the 
     Veterans Crisis Line and being referred to a suicide 
     prevention specialist, either--
       (i) begin mental health care furnished by the Secretary but 
     do not continue such care; or
       (ii) do not begin such care.
       (2) The visibility of the Veterans Crisis Line, by 
     determining--
       (A) the number of veterans who contact the Veterans Crisis 
     Line and have not previously received hospital care or 
     medical services furnished by the Secretary; and
       (B) the number of veterans who contact the Veterans Crisis 
     Line and have previously received hospital care or medical 
     services furnished by the Secretary.
       (3) The role of the Veterans Crisis Line as part of the 
     mental health care services of the Department, by 
     determining, of the veterans who are enrolled in the health 
     care system established under section 1705(a) of title 38, 
     United States Code, who contact the Veterans Crisis Line, the 
     number who are under the care of a mental health care 
     provider of the Department at the time of such contact.
       (4) Whether receiving sustained mental health care affects 
     suicidality and whether veterans previously receiving mental 
     health care furnished by the Secretary use the Veterans 
     Crisis Line in times of crisis, with respect to the veterans 
     described in paragraph (3), by determining the time frame 
     between receiving such care and the time of such contact.
       (5) The effectiveness of the Veterans Crisis Line in 
     assisting veterans at risk for suicide when the Veterans 
     Crisis Line is contacted by a non-veteran, by determining, of 
     the number of non-veterans who contact the Veterans Crisis 
     Line looking for support in assisting a veteran, how many of 
     such individuals receive support in having a veteran begin to 
     receive mental health care furnished by the Secretary.
       (6) The overall efficacy of the Veterans Crisis Line in 
     preventing suicides and whether the number of contacts 
     affects the efficacy, by determining--
       (A) the number of veterans who contact the Veterans Crisis 
     Line who ultimately commit or attempt suicide; and
       (B) of such veterans, how many times did a veteran contact 
     the Veterans Crisis Line prior to committing or attempting 
     suicide.
       (7) The long-term efficacy of the Veterans Crisis Line in 
     preventing repeated suicide attempts and whether the efficacy 
     is temporary, by determining, of the number of veterans who 
     contacted the Veterans Crisis Line and did not commit or 
     attempt suicide during the following six-month period, the 
     number who contacted the Veterans Crisis Line in crisis at a 
     later time and thereafter did commit or attempt suicide.
       (8) Whether referral to mental health care affects the risk 
     of suicide, by determining--
       (A) the number of veterans who contact the Veterans Crisis 
     Line who are not referred to, or do not continue receiving, 
     mental health care who commit suicide; and
       (B) the number of veterans described in paragraph (1)(A) 
     who commit or attempt suicide.
       (9) The efficacy of the Veterans Crisis Line to promote 
     continued mental health care in those veterans who are at 
     high risk for suicide whose suicide was prevented, by 
     determining, of the number of veterans who contacted the 
     Veterans Crisis Line and did not commit or attempt suicide 
     soon thereafter, the number that begin and continue to 
     receive mental health care furnished by the Secretary.
       (10) Such other matters as the Secretary determines 
     appropriate.
       (c) Rule of Construction Regarding Data Collection.--
     Nothing in this section may be construed to modify or affect 
     the manner in which data is collected, or the kind or content 
     of data collected, by the Secretary under the Veterans Crisis 
     Line.
       (d) Submission.--Not later than May 31, 2019, the Secretary 
     shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the 
     House of Representatives and the Senate the study under 
     subsection (a).
       (e) Veterans Crisis Line Defined.--In this section, the 
     term ``Veterans Crisis Line'' means the toll-free hotline for 
     veterans established under section 1720F(h) of title 38, 
     United States Code.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Walz) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 4173, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4173, as amended, the 
Veterans Crisis Line Study Act of 2017, offered by my friend and 
committee member, Representative Jim Banks of Indiana.
  Mr. Speaker, the Veterans Crisis Line, or VCL, was established in 
2007 as a partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs, the 
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the 
National Suicide Prevention Hotline.
  According to the Government Accountability Office, as of May 2016, 
the Veterans Crisis Line has answered over 2.3 million calls, over 
55,000 texts, and dispatched emergency services over 61,000 times. As 
these statistics show, the Veterans Crisis Line is an incredibly 
valuable resource for veterans. However, while the VA tracks and 
evaluates statistics such as these for quality and access metrics, it 
does not currently process them through any meaningful form of data 
analytics as it relates to the effectiveness of the program.
  So, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4173, as amended, the Veterans Crisis Line 
Study Act of 2017, would direct the Secretary to evaluate the efficacy 
of the VCL with respect to continuity of VA mental health services 
using the same anonymous data points as are currently collected by the 
VCL. Research and data analysis of these anonymous data points would 
utilize the growing national availability of statistics regarding 
suicides to better evaluate the impact of the VCL and potentially 
highlight opportunities for outcome improvements.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that evaluating the VCL effectively requires a 
focus on the full continuum of mental health services provided by VA 
once a veteran first contacts the VCL or establishes a need for mental 
health services.
  Again, it is important to note that, under this legislation, the 
privacy of the caller is to be honored, and the VCL is directed to 
continue collecting data points in exactly the same manner as they 
currently are.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this great bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise in support of H.R. 4173. I would like to 
thank the gentleman, Mr. Banks of Indiana, for his work on this. This 
is a piece of legislation very near and dear to my heart.
  One of the first pieces of legislation I worked on when I got to this 
House in 2007 was the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act, 
which was dealing with the loss of a young warrior from Iowa. One of 
the pieces of legislation that came out of that was the Veterans Crisis 
Line, with the idea that we needed that.
  That was a good piece of legislation, but as time has gone by, Mr. 
Banks has pointed out ways to improve that. I am in full support. I am 
grateful for the thought that he has put into this. I am grateful for 
the gentleman from Florida's recognition that we may never know with 
absolute certainty how many lives we save, but I think each of us know 
that this has been an invaluable service. It is one we should continue 
and try to make better.
  Mr. Speaker, I am in full support, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.

[[Page H8565]]

  

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Banks), who is the main sponsor of this particular bill, a 
great bill that has saved lives.
  I also appreciate Representative Walz for sponsoring the bill. I 
remember when he did it. We came in together.
  Mr. BANKS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, let me first thank the gentleman 
from Florida for his continued efforts to support our veterans. As a 
proud member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, it is great to 
work on such a bipartisan committee with Ranking Member Walz and other 
members who care deeply about our American veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, sadly, every single day 20 veterans take their own 
lives. In 1 year, the total is nearly as many people who live in my 
hometown of Columbia City, Indiana.
  Veterans account for 18 percent of suicides, even though they are 
only 8\1/2\ percent of the total population. Our female veterans are 
2\1/2\ times more likely to commit suicide than civilian women.
  We can't allow this to continue. Just one veteran suicide a day is a 
horrible tragedy, let alone 20. Our veterans were vigilant in fighting 
for our freedoms. We must be just as vigilant in fighting for their 
needs. Mr. Speaker, the bill before us today seeks to enable the VA's 
Veterans Crisis Line, or VCL, to be even more effective in this fight.
  As has already been mentioned, since 2007, it has fielded nearly 2.8 
million calls and 67,000 text messages. But there is no overarching 
approach to ensure the VA knows the effectiveness of the VCL in 
preventing future suicide attempts after the initial phone call or how 
well the crisis line connects veterans to the mental healthcare 
services of the VA. That is why, with this bill, we can harness the 
power of data analytics to improve the functionality of the VCL and the 
VA's mental healthcare services.
  The VCL is a critical tool, and we must do everything we can to help 
it play as large a role as possible. We must ensure that our veterans 
who seek care can access it so that they can find a long-term solution 
to their difficulties. Mr. Speaker, we must ensure our veterans know 
they are not alone after the phone call.

  I have spoken with veterans service organizations throughout this 
bill's progress. I thank them for their feedback and for looking out 
for our veterans.
  I would like to thank Congressman Moulton, who was my lead on the 
other side of the aisle, for his work as a partner on this bill, as 
well, and for his dedication to our veteran population.
  I would also like to thank the entire Indiana delegation from both 
sides of the aisle for cosponsoring this bill and showing the Hoosier 
State's strong commitment to preventing veteran suicide.
  I ask my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 4173.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Colorado (Mr. Coffman).
  Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, last year, the VA's suicide data report 
revealed that an average of 20 veterans a day committed suicide. A year 
later, our Nation is still faced with this epidemic.
  While the VA is seeing high rates in calls to the Veterans Crisis 
Line, there is no overarching approach to ensure the VA is effectively 
preventing future suicide attempts and integrating the hotline 
information into VA's mental healthcare services.
  H.R. 4173, the Veterans Crisis Line Study Act, would address that 
critical gap in oversight. This bill would require the VA to study the 
outcomes of the VA's Veterans Crisis Line while protecting the privacy 
and anonymity of the veteran callers.
  As a proud cosponsor of H.R. 4173, I believe it is critical that 
Congress ensures this emergency resource for our veterans struggling 
with PTSD or other mental health conditions is working as it should.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 
4173.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Iowa (Mr. Young).
  Mr. YOUNG of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Florida, 
and I also thank my colleague from Minnesota, as well, who has a 
history on this important issue, the genesis going back to 2007, like 
my friend from Minnesota said, with a predecessor of mine, former 
Congressman Leonard Boswell, who misses this institution and gave great 
service. I know he sends his best.
  I thank my colleague, Mr. Banks of Indiana, for making sure that we 
are always continuing with oversight of these important programs to 
help our veterans.
  In 2015, the VA did an OIG report and found out that there were some 
failures in the Veterans Crisis Line; there were informational 
failures. Sometimes people answering the phone at the VA, who are good 
people and want to help our veterans, didn't have all the information 
they may need. There was a lack of timely responsiveness at some 
points.
  The VA Committee here in the House did some oversight and found out 
that we needed to make sure that we fixed this. So I introduced a 
bipartisan bill with my colleagues that passed unanimously in 2016, the 
No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act, to work with the 
Veterans Affairs Department to make sure that we knew what they needed 
to get the job done, working in partnership across the aisle and with 
the VA. The bill passed unanimously. President Obama signed it into 
law.
  But we know that, with a stroke of a pen, it doesn't just fix things. 
You have to have constant oversight and demand transparency and 
accountability.
  I went down to one of the Veterans Crisis Line centers in Atlanta and 
visited with those who ran it and those responders who picked up the 
phone every day to talk to our veterans to see how things were going.

                              {time}  1630

  Great improvements, great challenges still, but they are making 
headway, and it is with a partnership where we can make sure that this 
works.
  Oversight, transparency, accountability is what this is about, but 
most importantly, this is about keeping our promise to our veterans, 
those who have donned the uniform to protect our rights, the rights of 
our family members, and our loved ones who keep this great Republic 
going.
  So I want to thank my friend from Florida, my good friend from 
Minnesota, and Mr. Banks from Indiana. I am glad to support this 
legislation, and I urge others to as well.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, over the last 2 days, we have passed 14 bills out of 
this committee, the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, affecting 
everything from suicide and suicide prevention to transplant, to the 
delivery of GI bills, to the streamlining of the bureaucracy inside the 
agency, all with a bipartisan effort on what can we do as a nation to 
best deliver on our promise of the earned benefits that we so deeply 
owe to those who served us. It is appropriate that we are doing it the 
week of Veterans Day.
  But I want to remind people, this is what is possible, Mr. Speaker. 
This summer, the New York Times wrote a story, and it said, if you 
really want to know how Congress is supposed to function, look at the 
VA Committee. They were pointing out, these are not easy things.
  People, Mr. Speaker, may think, well, everybody supports veterans, 
but it is hard to get policy right. It is hard to find funding. It is 
hard to agree on the best way to deliver it. But I would have to say, 
the last 2 days are proof positive of it. We can do it. We must do it. 
We are obligated to do it.
  When people think of Veterans Day, ways that you can observe Veterans 
Day, I am always of the belief that the best way to honor veterans is 
to attempt to live our life in a manner that reflects the dignity and 
the sacrifice that they gave in their service.
  As we sat here today, it may be easy to take it for granted. The 
public gets frustrated over what happens or what doesn't happen here. 
The idea that there are billions of human beings on this planet who 
don't get the chance to self-govern, who don't get the chance to openly 
and freely debate, to try and

[[Page H8566]]

craft a society we want to live in, and we do it here because of the 
sacrifice that was given to keep this Nation free.
  So the work we do here--and it is often said, you shouldn't get a pat 
on the back for doing what you are supposed to do. That is not what 
this is about. This is about a recognition that this Nation cares 
deeply about the daughters and sons who will serve us. This Nation 
expects the Congress to make sure that they are cared for in a manner 
that reflects their sacrifice, and they want us to do it in a 
bipartisan manner that celebrates the idea of self-governance.
  So with that, I would say, Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this 
piece of legislation as the final piece of this package. I am proud of 
the work and to call my friend from Florida a dear friend, someone who 
I know that, between you and your father, has given decades of service 
to our Nation's veterans.
  There are reasons to be optimistic. There are reasons to believe that 
we can get through this. There is reason to believe that, come Veterans 
Day, our better days lie ahead of us.
  Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 4173, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, first of all, I support this great bill. And see how we 
are doing this? This was set up, the crisis line was set up a few years 
ago. We are improving upon that, and hopefully we are going to save 
lives.
  Again, I appreciate--I am really proud to serve on this committee. I 
have served on the committee. We have served on it together. We came in 
together, and we made our veterans, our true heroes, a priority.
  I appreciate you, sir. You take the politics out of it. Chairman Roe 
takes the politics out of it. I like to think I do, too, and all the 
members of the committee do, and we put our veterans first. This is a 
moral committee, as you said. It is a moral committee.
  I hope the children are watching this right now because, you know, 
there is a lot of gridlock in Washington, but we work together. They 
are not high-profile bills, but they are very important bills to our 
heroes. So, again, I am very proud to manage these bills today.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4173, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________