U.S. Congress legislation · 119th Congress
SB5591: Veterans Crisis Line Support and Safety Act of 2026
Status: In committee, September 29, 2026
A bill to improve support for personnel of the Veterans Crisis Line and to clarify authorities relating to crisis response protocols, and for other purposes.
What the bill says
To improve support for personnel of the Veterans Crisis Line and to clarify authorities relating to crisis response protocols, and for other purposes.
From the introduced text, September 29, 2026:
A BILL To improve support for personnel of the Veterans Crisis Line and to clarify authorities relating to crisis response protocols, and for other purposes. SECTION 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Veterans Crisis Line Support and Safety Act of 2026 . SECTION 2. Support for Veterans Crisis Line (a) Mental health and wellness support for workforce (1) In general The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that covered personnel have access to confidential mental health services, at no cost to the covered personnel, including-- (A) access to individual counseling and mental health care services from licensed providers with demonstrated experience in post-traumatic stress disorder, trauma, secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma during compensated on-duty time; (B) peer support programs; (C) critical incident stress debriefing; and (D) training on resiliency and burnout prevention, conducted not less frequently than annually. (2) Availability Services under paragraph (1)-- (A) shall be available both during and outside scheduled duty hours, and such availability shall be considered compensable on-duty time; and (B) may be furnished through providers of the Department of Veterans Affairs or through contracts with non-Department providers independent of supervisory chains. (3) Impact on employment The Secretary shall ensure that the use of services under this subsection does not adversely affect the employment status, performance evaluation, or career …
Sponsors
- Blumenthal, Richard (D) · primary sponsor
- Boozman, John (R, SD-AR)
Latest actions
- : Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- : Introduced in Senate
Subjects: Armed Forces and National Security
Common questions
- What is SB5591?
- SB5591 is a bill in Congress (119th Congress): Veterans Crisis Line Support and Safety Act of 2026.
- What does SB5591 do?
- In its own words: To improve support for personnel of the Veterans Crisis Line and to clarify authorities relating to crisis response protocols, and for other purposes.
- What is the status of SB5591?
- In committee as of September 29, 2026. Latest action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. (September 29, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB5591?
- Blumenthal, Richard (D), with 1 co-sponsor.
- Where is the official record for SB5591?
- On the Congress website: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5591
Source: official Congress record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.