Protecting Veterans in Crisis Act

This legislation, known as the "Protecting Veterans in Crisis Act," significantly expands congressional oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Veterans Crisis Line (VCL). It mandates that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs notify relevant congressional committees at least 48 hours before terminating any VCL employee, providing justification, clarifying if the employee is a veteran or military spouse, and detailing a plan for mission continuity. Additionally, within 30 days of enactment, the Secretary must submit a comprehensive report on VCL personnel, including breakdowns by job category, probationary status, and veteran or military spouse status for specific past dates and the report submission date. To ensure robust performance and meet caller demand, the bill requires monthly reports on VCL operations and performance until January 2029. These reports must include assessments compared to previous periods, average wait times, unanswered call volumes, caller-to-operator ratios, resource usage, and detailed staffing breakdowns. Furthermore, it directs the Comptroller General to submit a report within 180 days, assessing VCL operations and performance and offering recommendations for improvement to key congressional committees.