We haven’t done an update on the 988 mental health crisis line in quite some time and some big changes have been happening! However, in the interim, we have been keeping up to date with the monthly data published by Vibrant Emotional Health to track state-by-state progress in a previous blog. You can find all of the available In-State Answer Rate data over time from the inception of 988 as the crisis line number in July 2022 up until October of this year—for every state, of course.
So, what is new? First and foremost is that georouting is now in place for both calls and texts to 988. This effort began as a proposed rule with the FCC in 2023. As a reminder, georouting, or the use of cellular location to route a call to the nearest local crisis center, is different than the geolocation services commonly used by 911, which can pinpoint a caller’s location, but poses privacy and safety concerns of law enforcement involvement during a mental health crisis. Implementation dates differ based on the size of the cell phone carrier, with nationwide wireless carriers being required to implement georouting within 30 days and smaller non-national carriers being given 24 months to implement after the rule was finalized in October 2024.
Another development was the discontinuation of the specialized crisis line for LGBTQ+ people, a subline accessed by pressing 3 when calling, under the Trump administration on July 17th of this year. According to KFF, LGBTQ+ youth accounted for 9% of all calls and 19% of all texts to 988, raising concerns about this population, which experiences high rates of suicidal ideation and attempts, having access to care that can most effectively meet their needs. The discontinuation was also not due to a lack of use, as the subline’s contacts peaked in June 2025, the month prior to discontinuation, at over 69,500 contacts.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services continues to fund 988 at similar levels to previous years, but cuts to Medicaid funding in H.R.1 threaten access to mental health and substance use care nationwide. Additionally, the funding landscape of 988 continues to evolve in states across the country. Five states (AZ, FL, GA, NE, and UT) have recurring state appropriations to fund 988 and 13 states permanently fund 988 with a telecom fee imposed on residents. Five more states (AK, NY, NJ, MA, and DC) have pending legislation for 988 funding, either through a telecom fee alone or paired with a 988 trust fund. These state-based legislative actions are important to help the crisis line develop sustainable and diversified funding to support its capacity and longevity.
988 is a critical component of the national behavioral health crisis continuum. Though awareness has been growing, knowledge gaps persist about the resource, particularly when to use it, and usage varies by region across the country. We will continue to monitor changes to the crisis line over time and report back here on Say Ahhh!