New Suicide Hotline Means 10-Digit Dialing For All Of Virginia

VIRGINIA — Dialing 10 digits to make local calls in Northern Virginia is nothing new. Residents have been doing it for two decades. But some parts of the state can still make local calls without using an area code. That's about to change.

Back in the late 1990s, the rapidly growing demand for new phones caused not only by population and business growth but also by greater use of cell phones led to the switch to 10-digit dialing in Northern Virginia and other parts of the state for local calls.

At the time, not everyone in Virginia and across the nation was forced to switch to 10-digit dialing.

Coming soon, residents of multiple states, including the rest of Virginia, will soon be required to dial all 10 digits to make local calls within their areas codes after the Federal Communications Commission adopted 988 as a new three-digit number to be used nationwide to reach the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Line.

The change in the hotline number doesn’t take place for more than a year; until July 16, 2022, people should continue to dial 1-800-273-TALK to reach the crisis hotline.

The three-digit number — 988 — that will be used to reach the suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline had previously been assigned as a prefix in 82 area codes in 35 states and the U.S. territory of Guam.

In Virginia, the following area codes are the only ones that will be affected by the switch to 10-digit dialing:

• 804 (Richmond region)
• 276 (southwest Virginia)

To get into the habit, telephone users in the affected areas should start dialing the three-digit area code when making local calls by April 24, even if the person they’re calling lives right across the street.

Many people already have to use 10-digit dialing because of area code “overlays” — that is, regions where more than one area code is assigned because of demand for phone numbers.

That’s because 10-digit dialing must be well established before the switch to a three-digit crisis line, the FCC said. It’s mandatory on Oct. 24, when callers who dial only seven digits are likely to get the familiar “your call cannot be completed as dialed” message.

Here’s the list from the FCC:

Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky and Louisiana;

Also, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Making the switch isn’t as simple as adding the area code to local calls.

You’ll also have to reprogram automatic dialing equipment — for example, life safety systems or medical monitoring devices; fire, burglary and security alarm systems; speed dialers; cell phone contact lists; call forwarding services; voicemail services; and other similar functions.

You’ll also have to change your email signature or stationery if they don’t include the area code. You should literally think of everything that has your address on it, including your pet ID tags, and include the area code in the contact number.

People making calls on landlines will still dial 1+ for long-distance calls. Regardless of the phone they’re using, residents of California will have to dial 1+ the 10-digit number, as will people in parts of Illinois.

Emergency service calls to 911 and 711 (a relay service used by people who are deaf or hearing impaired) will be made as they are now, by dialing the three digits. Any 211, 311, 411, 511, 611 or 811 services available in your community can still be reached by dialing their three-digit codes.

Read more on the 988 suicide crisis hotline.