Sponsors (3)
The bill creates free, immediate hotline access to licensed VA mental‑health staff for veterans’ family and friends and builds in data reporting to Congress, trading broader, potentially faster access to care against increased VA/taxpayer costs, a temporary three‑year pilot window, and risks of capacity limits if not adequately funded.
Family members, household members, and friends of veterans gain free, immediate access to licensed VA psychologists and social workers via a toll‑free hotline, improving immediate access to mental‑health advice and referrals.
Veterans can receive faster connections to care because hotline callers are referred to VA or non‑VA mental health services, potentially speeding evaluation and treatment.
VA and Congress gain a mechanism to evaluate the hotline’s effectiveness through required data collection (call volumes, answer times, referrals) and reporting, supporting evidence‑based decisions about continuation or expansion.
Operating a staffed hotline for three years will increase VA personnel and operational costs, likely requiring reallocation of VA resources or new appropriations and imposing costs on taxpayers.
The program is authorized only as a three‑year pilot, so benefits are temporary and will end unless Congress or the VA acts to continue or expand the service.
If staffing or funding is inadequate, callers could face long answer times or limited availability, reducing the hotline’s effectiveness for people seeking urgent guidance.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires VA to run a three-year toll-free hotline for family/friends of veterans with licensed staff offering coaching, brief support, and referrals.
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program to provide mental and behavioral health support to friends and families of veterans, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 24, 2026 by Timothy M. Kennedy · Last progress June 24, 2026
Creates a three-year pilot program at the Department of Veterans Affairs to run a toll-free hotline staffed by VA psychologists and social workers who provide licensed mental and behavioral health support, coaching on how to discuss mental health with a veteran, and referrals to VA or community mental health services for eligible callers (family, household members, friends). The Secretary must set up the pilot within one year, do targeted outreach and promotion, and submit a post‑pilot report with usage data and recommendations on continuation or expansion.