,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ehcj  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,may #ae1 #bjah,mr4  
,peters 7for himself and ,mr4 ,coffman7 
introduced the following bill2 which was
 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 not fewer than two peer       
specialists in patient aligned care     

teams at medical centers of the         
,department of ,veterans ,affairs to    
promote the use and integration of      
services for mental health1 substance   
use disorder1 and behavior health 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 ,december
 #ca1 #bjah1 at not fewer than #be      
medical centers of the ,department4     
7#b7 ,not later than ,december #ca1     
#bjai1 at not fewer than #ej 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   
made available to female veterans who   
are treated at each location4  7e7      
,engagement with community providers ,at
 each location selected under subsection

 7c71 the ,secretary shall consider ways
 in which peer specialists can conduct  
outreach to health care providers in the
 community who are known to be serving  
veterans to engage with those providers 
and veterans served by those providers4 
7f7 ,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 shall1    
with respect to the #ahj-;day period    
preceding the submittal of the report1  
include the following3  7i7 ,the        
findings and conclusions of the         
,secretary with respect to the program4 
7ii7 ,an assessment of the benefits of  
the program to veterans and family      

members of veterans4  7iii7 ,an         
assessment of the effectiveness of peer 
specialists in engaging under subsection
 7e7 with health care providers in the  
community and veterans served by those  
providers4  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