MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Dr. David Shulkin, the Department of Veterans Affairs secretary, recently said that his first move when he joined the VA was to make improvements to the Veterans Crisis Line.
The line runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The VA estimates the line has responded to some 2.9 million phone calls since its inception about a decade ago. Some 470,000 veterans were referred to a VA suicide prevention coordinator after calling the hotline.
Shulkin views the line and the related text and chat services as one of the most important life-saving resources in the VA. He said that every call is being answered within eight seconds.
The VA hotline is 1-800-273-8255. Text messages can be sent to 838255. The chat service is available at VeteransCrisisLine.net.
