,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #eeia ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #bi1 #bjbf,mr4 ,blumenthal 7for himself and ,mr4 ,boozman7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to improve support for personnel of the ,veterans ,crisis ,line and to clarify authorities relating to crisis response protocols1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,veterans ,crisis ,line ,support and ,safety ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,support for ,veterans ,crisis ,line 7a7 ,mental health and wellness support for workforce 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall ensure that covered personnel have access to confidential mental health services1 at no cost to the covered personnel1 including-- 7,a7 access to individual counseling and mental health care services from licensed providers with demonstrated experience in post-traumatic stress disorder1 trauma1 secondary trauma1 compassion fatigue1 and vicarious trauma during compensated on-duty time2 7,b7 peer support programs2 7,c7 critical incident stress debriefing2 and 7,d7 training on resiliency and burnout prevention1 conducted not less frequently than annually4 7#b7 ,availability ,services under paragraph 7#a7-- 7,a7 shall be available both during and outside scheduled duty hours1 and such availability shall be considered compensable on-duty time2 and 7,b7 may be furnished through providers of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs or through contracts with non-,department providers independent of supervisory chains4 7#c7 ,impact on employment ,the ,secretary shall ensure that the use of services under this subsection does not adversely affect the employment status1 performance evaluation1 or career advancement of covered personnel4 7b7 ,occupational safeguards 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall establish and implement policies applicable to covered personnel that provide for-- 7,a7 reasonable limitations on workload and shift duration2 7,b7 mandatory rest and recovery periods following high-risk1 traumatic1 or otherwise psychologically intensive interactions1 as defined by criteria established by the ,secretary1 including appropriate supervisory review and approval procedures governing the use of such rest periods and related support services so long as such approvals are not conditioned on availability of staff2 and 7,c7 staffing levels informed by workforce assessments1 contact volume1 response time goals1 employee workload1 and other operational metrics determined appropriate by the ,secretary4 7#b7 ,limitation on number of cases ,the ,secretary shall ensure that all covered personnel are only required to handle one case at a given time1 including digital services cases1 relating to outreach to the ,veterans ,crisis ,line for assistance4 7#c7 ,overtime ,during periods in which contact volume or response queues exceed established operational thresholds1 the ,secretary shall provide opportunities for voluntary overtime for covered personnel willing to assist in reducing such backlogs4 7#d7 ,operational scheduling ,the ,secretary shall use operational scheduling practices that promote workforce sustainability1 employee well-being1 and quality of life1 including by undertaking reasonable efforts to ensure equitable distribution of weekend1 overnight1 holiday1 and other undesirable shifts among covered personnel1 while maintaining continuity of operations and adequate staffing levels4 7#e7 ,workforce needs ,the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 use software to predict call patterns and assess workforce needs2 and 7,b7 as appropriate1 assign or hire additional personnel dedicated specifically to responding to cases involving complex needs or disruptive behavior in order to ensure such cases receive specialized and effective handling4 7c7 ,administration 7#a7 ,operational authorities and safeguards ,the ,secretary shall review and amend current policies and procedures governing the response to contacts received through the ,veterans ,crisis ,line1 consistent with section #agbj;,f7h7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,non-crisis or abusive contacts 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall establish procedures to identify patterns of non-crisis or abusive communications that materially interfere with the mission of the ,veterans ,crisis ,line4 7,b7 ,actions ,pursuant to procedures established under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary may take appropriate actions relating to non-crisis or abusive communications1 including-- 7i7 providing verbal or written notice or warnings to the individual2 7ii7 implementing reasonable call handling restrictions in cases of repeated misuse2 7iii7 directing the individual to alternative appropriate resources2 and 7iv7 reestablishing dedicated disruptive caller intervention units1 which shall include repeat caller intervention specialists who have trauma-informed behavioral management training4 7,c7 ,safeguards and review ,the ,secretary shall ensure that any action taken under this paragraph-- 7i7 includes safeguards to preserve access to the ,veterans ,crisis ,line for individuals experiencing a bona fide crisis2 and 7ii7 is subject to supervisory review and periodic reassessment4 7d7 ,report 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall-- 7,a7 conduct a review of the implementation and effectiveness of this section2 and 7,b7 submit to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives a report containing the findings of such review4 7#b7 ,elements ,the review conducted under paragraph 7#a7 shall include an assessment of-- 7,a7 the implementation of mental health and wellness services for covered personnel under subsection 7a72 7,b7 the effectiveness and use of occupational safeguards established under subsection 7b72 7,c7 staffing levels1 turnover1 overtime usage1 and workforce retention among covered personnel2 7,d7 whether scheduling practices for covered personnel appropriately support workforce sustainability1 employee well-being1 and equitable distribution of weekend1 overnight1 holiday1 and other undesirable shifts2 7,e7 the operational effectiveness of workforce prediction tools1 staffing assessments1 and specialized response staffing used pursuant to subsection 7b77#e72 7,f7 the extent to which covered personnel are able to access confidential mental health and wellness services without adverse employment consequences2 7,g7 the implementation and oversight of policies relating to non-crisis or abusive contacts under subsection 7c77#b72 and 7,h7 any recommendations to improve workforce well-being1 operational effectiveness1 and crisis response capabilities within the ,veterans ,crisis ,line4 7#c7 ,access to information ,the ,secretary shall provide the ,comptroller ,general with access to such information and personnel as the ,comptroller ,general determines necessary to carry out the review required under paragraph 7#a71 consistent with applicable privacy and confidentiality protections4 7#d7 ,protection of sensitive information ,the report submitted under paragraph 7#a7 shall not include personally identifiable information relating to covered personnel or individuals contacting the ,veterans ,crisis ,line4 7e7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,covered personnel ,the term covered personnel means any employee or contractor of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs who responds to contacts or participates in responding to contacts through the ,veterans ,crisis ,line4 7#b7 ,veterans ,crisis ,line ,the term ,veterans ,crisis ,line means the toll-free hotline for veterans established under section #agbj;,f7h7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 and the program operated by the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs to provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention services through such hotline4