One-Third of VA Suicide Hotline Calls Go Unanswered Due to Government Employees Leaving Early

One-Third of VA Suicide Hotline Calls Go Unanswered Due to Government Employees Leaving Early - Katie Pavlich:
Earlier this year we learned the VA suicide hotline, which is supposed to serve as a crucial, last ditch resource for veterans in dire need, often times goes unanswered and straight to voicemail.
Now a new report from PBS shows up to a third of all veteran calls to the suicide hotline go unanswered due to VA employees leaving their posts and obligations early, once again proving the careless culture at the VA remains after two years of scandal and embarrassment.
More than one-third of calls to a suicide hotline for troubled veterans are not being answered by front-line staffers because of poor work habits and other problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to the hotline’s former director.
...Coverage at the crisis line suffers “because we have staff who routinely request to leave early,” he said.
According to the VA's own numbers, 20 veterans per day commit suicide..."