Text Stress and Burnout: What GAO Revealed About the VCL’s Digital Services

A June 2025 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report has uncovered serious issues at the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), impacting the quality of care for veterans in crisis. It revealed that chat and text responders are routinely juggling multiple conversations at once — and that high-risk callers are sometimes routed to staff without proper training. These gaps put both callers and responders at risk.

What the GAO Found …

• Responder overload: Roughly 2,000 incidents were documented in which responders managed more than two simultaneous chat or text conversations — against best practice.

• Misrouted “complex” callers: Veterans with aggressive, abusive, or self-harm behaviors are being directed to mainline responders who lack specialized training — despite 84% of them having no such preparation.

• No incident disclosure system: Even when mistakes or risks occur, there is currently no formal process for informing veterans or their representatives — a transparency lapse noted by GAO.

Why This Matters for Disabled Veterans

Disabled veterans often confront layered medical and mental health struggles — from PTSD and TBI to chronic pain and toxic exposure.

When in crisis, they may turn to chat or text because calls feel too overwhelming. But if text support arrives late or via an untrained responder, that moment of vulnerability can lead to misunderstanding, dropped support, or worse.

Beyond care failure, this strains veterans’ trust in a system purporting to help — they deserve better than split attention and second-hand guidance.

Voices from Within …

Sen. Jerry Moran told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee:

“Crisis line employees are frequently encouraged to just answer the call — prioritizing quantity over quality.”

One former VCL responder added:

“It’s not best practice to assess two people at once for suicide risk.” And yes, responders have mixed up names, details, and safety information on multiple chats — a serious risk in real time.

What VA Says It Will Fix …

In response to the GAO report, VA has committed to:

• Reducing chat and text concurrency (limiting responders to fewer simultaneous contacts)
• Expanding training, especially for the “complex needs” (CWCN) unit
• Establishing incident disclosure protocols so that critical mistakes are reported and addressed
• Finalizing formal response time goals (e.g. 95% response under 45 seconds) by fall 2025

What You Should Do

• Use voice if possible: If in crisis, a phone call is still the most direct method — dial 988 and press 1.
• Track chat/text delays: If you experience lag or dropped conversation, report it to your VA mental health provider or VSO.
• Ask about training procedures: Specialists expect CWCN-trained responders — don’t hesitate to ask if you’re classified correctly.
• Document bad experiences: If you’ve had a crisis call mishandled, report the incident and push for accountability.

Final Thoughts … A Tangled Safety Net?

The VA Crisis Line was built to be a safety net — but GAO’s report shows it’s tangled with inconsistencies and strain.

With millions of interactions logged between 2021–2024, every delay or misrouted message is another opportunity for error. GAO’s recommendations and VA’s promises are promising — but execution matters most.

When a vet reaches out, there should be one clear focus: listening with purpose, responding with care. Not juggling three texts, not redirecting trauma — withholding help when it’s needed most.