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Editorial: A better hot line option

At a recent congressional hearing, Department of Veterans Affairs officials talked about how pleased they are with VA’s year-old suicide prevention hot line, which they credit with saving the lives of some 1,600 veterans.

Then they issued data that raise disturbing questions about how many lives may not have been saved.

The VA hot line piggybacks on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, (800) 273-TALK (8255), which is available to anyone in the nation who is having suicidal thoughts.

A prompt invites callers who are veterans to press 1, which routes their calls to a VA call center staffed by VA counselors.

The problem is that large numbers of nonveterans think that pressing 1 will help them get better or faster service.

According to VA data, only 26,009 — about 43 percent — of the 59,932 people who pressed 1 this year proved to be veterans.

At times, those nonveterans overwhelmed the VA call center, and calls were transferred to an answering service that directs callers to contact their nearest VA medical facility.

That is as sad as it is appalling.

There is a better way. Instead of the “press 1” option, the national lifeline counselors should initially engage all callers. Then, after ensuring there is no immediate crisis, counselors can ask callers whether they are veterans and offer to transfer them to VA’s call center if they desire.

Of the nation’s 25 million veterans, 18 commit suicide every day, according to VA.

Those who are trying to save themselves by calling a help line should not be given the runaround.