,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bbaj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,october #bg1  
#bjae ,mr4 ,blumenthal 7for himself1    
,ms4 ,baldwin1 and ,mr4 ,markey7        
introduced the following bill2 which was
 read twice and referred to the         
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs  ,a   
,,bill  ,to require the ,secretary of   
,veterans ,affairs to carry out a       
program to establish peer specialists in
 patient aligned care teams at medical  
centers of the ,department of ,veterans 
,affairs1 and for other purposes4  #a4  
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,veteran ,partners' ,efforts to     
,enhance ,reintegration ,act or the     
,veteran ,,peer ,act4  #b4 ,program on  
establishment of peer specialists in    
patient aligned care team settings      
within medical centers of ,department of
 ,veterans ,affairs  7a7 ,program       
required ,the ,secretary of ,veterans   
,affairs shall carry out a program to   
establish peer specialists in patient   

aligned care teams at medical centers of
 the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs  
to promote the use and integration of   
mental health services in a primary care
 setting4  7b7 ,timeframe for           
establishment of program  ,the          
,secretary shall carry out the program  
at medical centers of the ,department as
 follows3 7#a7 ,not later than #ahj days
 after the date of the enactment of this
 ,act1 at not fewer than ten medical    
centers of the ,department4  7#b7 ,not  
later than two years after the date of  
the enactment of this ,act1 at not fewer
 than #be medical centers of the        
,department4  7c7 ,selection of         
locations  7#a7 ,in general ,the        
,secretary shall select medical centers 
for the program as follows3 7,a7 ,not   
fewer than five shall be medical centers
 of the ,department that are designated 
by the ,secretary as polytrauma centers4
  7,b7 ,not fewer than ten shall be     
medical centers of the ,department that 
are not designated by the ,secretary as 

polytrauma centers4  7#b7               
,considerations ,in selecting medical   
centers for the program under paragraph 
7#a71 the ,secretary shall consider the 
feasibility and advisability of         
selecting medical centers in the        
following areas3  7,a7 ,rural areas and 
other areas that are underserved by the 
,department4  7,b7 ,areas that are not  
in close proximity to an active duty    
military installation4  7,c7 ,areas     
representing different geographic       
locations1 such as census tracts        
established by the ,bureau of the       
,census4  7d7 ,gender-,specific services
 ,in carrying out the program at each   
location selected under subsection 7c71 
the ,secretary shall ensure that--  7#a7
 the needs of female veterans are       
specifically considered and addressed2  
and  7#b7 female peer specialists are   
included in the program4  7e7 ,reports  
7#a7 ,periodic reports  7,a7 ,in general
 ,not later than #ahj days after the    
date of the enactment of this ,act1 and 

not less frequently than once every #ahj
 days thereafter until the ,secretary   
determines that the program is being    
carried out at the last location to be  
selected under subsection 7c71 the      
,secretary shall submit to ,congress a  
report on the program4  7,b7 ,elements  
,each report required by subparagraph   
7,a7 shall include the following3 7i7   
,the findings and conclusions of the    
,secretary with respect to the program  
during the #ahj-;day period preceding   
the submittal of the report4  7ii7 ,an  
assessment of the benefits of the       
program to veterans and family members  
of veterans during the #ahj-;day period 
preceding the submittal of the report4  
7#b7 ,final report ,not later than #ahj 
days after the ,secretary determines    
that the program is being carried out at
 the last location to be selected under 
subsection 7c71 the ,secretary shall    
submit to ,congress a report detailing  
the recommendations of the ,secretary as
 to the feasibility and advisability of 

expanding the program to additional     
locations4