S. 1655 — Protecting Veterans in Crisis Act

This section establishes oversight requirements for the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), a Department of Veterans Affairs toll-free suicide prevention hotline for veterans under section 1720F(h) of title 38, United States Code. Specifically, it (1) requires the VA Secretary to notify the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs at least 48 hours before terminating any VCL employee, including justification, veteran or military spouse status, and a continuity plan (sunsetting January 20, 2029); (2) directs a one-time report to the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs and Appropriations within 30 days of enactment detailing VCL employee numbers as of January 20, 2025, terminations around February 13 and 24, 2025, and current staffing (with breakdowns by job category, probationary status, veteran or military spouse status, employment status, and reinstatement dates); (3) requires monthly reports to the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs through January 20, 2029, assessing VCL performance (compared to prior month and same month previous year), average wait times, unanswered call volume, caller-to-staff ratios, resource use, and staffing by category; and (4) directs the Comptroller General to report to specified Senate and House committees within 180 days of enactment on VCL operations, performance, and improvement recommendations.