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Mental Health

Veterans Crisis Line

In crisis right now? Dial 988 then press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line, or text 838255. Free, confidential, 24/7 — and you do not need to be enrolled in VA care.

At a glance

Category
Mental Health
How it's listed
Found in our own research. Its site was confirmed live and serving the military community on . That is a check that it exists, not a judgement that it is good.

About Veterans Crisis Line

Published by Veterans Crisis Line on their own website. Quoted here in full as they wrote it.

How It Works

The Veterans Crisis Line is free and confidential. When you call, chat, or text, a qualified responder will listen and help. You decide how much information to share. Support doesn't end with your conversation. Our responders can connect you with the resources you need.

When to Call

Veterans and service members in crisis aren’t alone. If you’re thinking about hurting yourself, having thoughts of suicide, or becoming self-destructive, we're ready to help.

Contact us immediately if you or the Veteran or service member in your life is showing signs of crisis, such as:

Talking about feeling hopeless

Experiencing anxiety or agitation

Increasing risky behaviors or substance use

Read More About the Signs of Crisis

What to Expect

Call the Veterans Crisis Line: How It Works

A recording will alert you that you've reached the Veterans Crisis Line.

There will be a brief pause while the call is connected to a qualified responder ready to listen and help.

The responder will ask a few questions, such as whether you or the Veteran or service member you’re concerned about may be in immediate danger or at risk for suicide.

Your call is free and confidential, and you decide how much information to share.

If you or the Veteran or service member you’re concerned about is in danger, the responder will help you get through the crisis and then connect you with the services you need, either from your local VA medical center or elsewhere in your community. If you decide to share contact information, the suicide prevention coordinator at the nearest VA medical center will contact you by the next business day.

If you or the Veteran or service member you're concerned about is in crisis but not at imminent risk for injury or suicide, the responder will listen, offer support, and help you make a plan to stay safe.

Afterward you may be connected with your local suicide prevention coordinator, who will contact you the next business day for continued support.

Dial 988 then Press 1

Chat with the Veterans Crisis Line: How It Works

Go to VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat. Click the button to start your confidential chat.

A new screen will appear, asking for your first name or a nickname so the responder will know how to address you. Click “Send” to start the chat.

A chat box will appear with either a responder ready to chat or a window letting you know that someone will be right with you.

The responder will ask a few questions, such as whether you or the Veteran or service member you’re concerned about may be in immediate danger or at risk for suicide.

Your chat is free and confidential, and you decide how much information to share.

Source: www.veteranscrisisline.net/about/how-it-works/ — read . Shown in part — their page continues beyond this. Their site is the authority; if it has changed since, it wins.

Our write-up

Veterans Crisis Line is in our directory because we went looking for resources in this category and confirmed theirs is real and serving this community. What you see above is their own description, quoted from their site. We have not yet added our own write-up — the programs, eligibility and military fit that we check ourselves — and we would rather leave that blank than guess at it.

In the meantime, their official site is the authority: www.veteranscrisisline.net

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For the organization

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This page was written about you, not by you. We built it because the people we serve were already looking for you and deserved a straight answer about what you do. If anything here is wrong, out of date, or puts it badly, we would rather hear it from you than leave it up.

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“Claim this page” opens a checkout on milconnect.com, where you set up your organization's account. Being listed here is free, and staying listed is free. Meridian Tech — the company that also builds and runs MILCONNECT.AI — provides the account and the update service, and the AI Workspace is their paid product. We are telling you about a commercial relationship before you act on it rather than after, because you are a nonprofit being asked to spend money and you deserve to see the whole shape of it first. If anything on this page is simply wrong, email us and we will fix it for free; that never requires a subscription.

This page is maintained by MILCONNECT.AI and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authored by Veterans Crisis Line. It is a directory entry compiled from community recommendations. We do not rate, rank or endorse anything in this directory, and being listed here is not a recommendation — clinical or otherwise. We are not a medical provider and cannot tell you whether a program is right for you. Check eligibility, cost and current status with the organization directly before you rely on it.