Investigation finds VA may have mismanaged Veterans Crisis Line

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KCTV) - An investigation has found that a VA-led crisis line for veterans may be severely mismanaged.

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, says that on Wednesday, June 25, he led a committee hearing to review the mismanagement of the VA Veterans Crisis Line.

Whistleblower and former Lead Auditor at the VCL, Brad Combs, former responder, Marcia Blane and staff from the U.S. Government Accountability Office and VA joined Sen. Moran.

“My expectation is Secretary Collins will hold accountable the individuals within the department who were responsible for both the mismanagement at the Veterans Crisis Line and any attempted cover-up of these troubling issues,” Moran said. “The Veterans Crisis Line is a critical tool for veterans at immediate risk of suicide. The members of this committee, as well as VA leadership, must make certain America’s veterans and their family members can depend on this valuable resource.”

In November 2023, the Senator requested an audit of the Veterans Crisis Line after an internal investigation found it had been mismanaged. His request was informed by the failures before a veteran suicide and its aftermath, as well as alarming whistleblower disclosures.

Moran noted that the audit was published on Wednesday and confirmed the serious issues at the VCL went unaddressed.