Peer Support for Veteran Families Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 7964 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out education programs and peer support programs for family members and caregivers of veterans with mental health disorders. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AUGUST 7, 2020 Ms. FINKENAUER (for herself, Mr. CURTIS, and Mr. MCKINLEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs A BILL To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out education programs and peer support programs for fam- ily members and caregivers of veterans with mental health disorders. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Peer Support for Vet- 4 eran Families Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:49 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7964.IH H7964 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 7964 IH SEC. 2. EDUCATION PROGRAM AND PEER SUPPORT PRO- 1 GRAM FOR FAMILY MEMBERS AND CARE- 2 GIVERS OF VETERANS WITH MENTAL 3 HEALTH DISORDERS. 4 (a) PROGRAMS.—Not later than 270 days after the 5 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet- 6 erans Affairs shall establish an education program (in this 7 section referred to as the ‘‘education program’’) and a 8 peer support program (in this section referred to as the 9 ‘‘peer support program’’) for the education and training 10 of family members and caregivers of eligible veterans with 11 mental health disorders. 12 (b) EDUCATION PROGRAM.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Under the education pro- 14 gram, the Secretary shall provide a course of edu- 15 cation to family members and caregivers of eligible 16 veterans on matters relating to coping with mental 17 health disorders in veterans. 18 (2) DURATION.— 19 (A) IN GENERAL.—The education program 20 shall be carried out during the four-year period 21 beginning on the date of the commencement of 22 the education program. 23 (B) AUTHORITY FOR EXTENSION.—The 24 Secretary may extend the duration of the edu- 25 cation program for an additional four years. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:49 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7964.IH H7964 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 7964 IH (3) LOCATIONS.— 1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as required by 2 subparagraph (D), the Secretary shall carry out 3 the education program at the following facilities 4 of the Department of Veterans Affairs: 5 (i) Not less than 10 medical centers of 6 the Department. 7 (ii) Not less than 10 clinics of the De- 8 partment. 9 (iii) Not less than 10 Vet Centers (as 10 defined in section 1712A(h) of title 38, 11 United States Code). 12 (B) SOLICITATION OF APPLICATIONS.—In 13 selecting locations for the education program, 14 the Secretary shall solicit applications from eli- 15 gible facilities of the Department that are inter- 16 ested in carrying out the education program. 17 (C) CONSIDERATIONS.—In selecting loca- 18 tions for the education program, the Secretary 19 shall consider the feasibility and advisability of 20 selecting locations in the following areas: 21 (i) Rural areas. 22 (ii) Areas that are not in close prox- 23 imity to an active duty installation. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:49 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7964.IH H7964 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 7964 IH (iii) Areas in different geographic lo- 1 cations. 2 (D) EXPANSION OF LOCATIONS.—Not later 3 than two years after the date of the commence- 4 ment of the education program, the Secretary 5 shall expand the number of facilities at which 6 the Secretary is carrying out the education pro- 7 gram to include the following: 8 (i) Not less than 10 additional med- 9 ical centers of the Department. 10 (ii) Not less than 10 additional clinics 11 of the Department. 12 (iii) Not less than 10 additional Vet 13 Centers. 14 (4) CONTRACTS.— 15 (A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the 16 education program, the Secretary shall enter 17 into contracts with qualified entities described 18 in subparagraph (B) to offer the course of edu- 19 cation described in paragraph (5) to family 20 members and caregivers of eligible veterans and 21 covered veterans. 22 (B) QUALIFIED ENTITY DESCRIBED.—A 23 qualified entity described in this subparagraph 24 is a non-profit entity with experience in mental 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:49 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7964.IH H7964 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 7964 IH health education and outreach, including work 1 with children, teens, and young adults, that— 2 (i) uses high quality, relevant, and 3 age-appropriate information in educational 4 programming, materials, and coursework, 5 including such programming, materials, 6 and coursework for children, teens, and 7 young adults; and 8 (ii) works with agencies, departments, 9 nonprofit mental health organizations, 10 early childhood educators, and mental 11 health providers to develop educational 12 programming, materials, and coursework. 13 (C) PRIORITY.—In entering into contracts 14 under this paragraph, the Secretary shall give 15 priority to qualified entities that have dem- 16 onstrated cultural competence in serving mili- 17 tary and veteran populations, and, to the extent 18 practicable, use internet technology for the de- 19 livery of course content in an effort to expand 20 the availability of support services, especially in 21 rural areas. 22 (5) ELEMENTS.—The course of education de- 23 scribed in this paragraph shall consist of not less 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:49 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7964.IH H7964 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 7964 IH than 10 weeks of education and shall include the fol- 1 lowing: 2 (A) General education on different mental 3 health disorders, including information to im- 4 prove understanding of the experiences of indi- 5 viduals suffering from those disorders. 6 (B) Techniques for handling crisis situa- 7 tions and administering mental health first aid 8 to individuals suffering from mental health dis- 9 orders. 10 (C) Techniques for coping with the stress 11 of living with someone with a mental health dis- 12 order. 13 (D) Information on additional services 14 available for family members and caregivers 15 through the Department or community organi- 16 zations and providers related to mental health 17 disorders. 18 (E) Such other matters as the Secretary 19 considers appropriate. 20 (6) INSTRUCTORS.— 21 (A) TRAINING.—Each instructor of the 22 course of education described in paragraph (5) 23 shall maintain a level of proficiency in the 24 course of education as determined by the Sec- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:49 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7964.IH H7964 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 7964 IH retary, and shall submit proof of that level of 1 proficiency to the Secretary at such time and in 2 such manner as the Secretary determines ap- 3 propriate. 4 (B) INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE COMPLETED 5 THE COURSE AS INSTRUCTORS.—Commencing 6 as of the date that is two years after the date 7 of the commencement of the education pro- 8 gram, any individual who has successfully com- 9 pleted the course of education described in 10 paragraph (5) and has successfully completed 11 such additional training as is required for in- 12 structors pursuant to subparagraph (A) may 13 act as an instructor in the course of education. 14 (c) PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM.— 15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Under the peer support pro- 16 gram, the Secretary shall provide peer support to 17 family members and caregivers of eligible veterans 18 on matters relating to coping with mental health dis- 19 orders in veterans. 20 (2) LOCATIONS.—The Secretary shall provide 21 peer support under the peer support program at 22 each location at which the Secretary provides edu- 23 cation under the education program. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:49 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7964.IH H7964 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 7964 IH (3) ELEMENTS.—Peer support under the peer 1 support program shall consist of meetings in group 2 settings between a peer support coordinator under 3 paragraph (4) and family members and caregivers of 4 eligible veterans on matters relating to coping with 5 mental health disorders in veterans. At each loca- 6 tion, those meetings shall be conducted not less 7 often than twice each calendar quarter. 8 (4) PEER SUPPORT COORDINATOR.— 9 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 10 through the director of each participating facil- 11 ity, may select an individual who has success- 12 fully completed the course of education de- 13 scribed in subsection (b)(5) to serve as a peer 14 support coordinator for each such facility to 15 carry out the peer support program. 16 (B) PROFICIENCY OF INSTRUCTORS.— 17 Each peer support coordinator shall maintain a 18 level of proficiency in peer support as deter- 19 mined by the Secretary, and shall submit proof 20 of that level of proficiency to the Secretary at 21 such time and in such manner as the Secretary 22 determines appropriate. 23 (d) SURVEYS.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:49 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7964.IH H7964 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 7964 IH (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct 1 a comprehensive survey of the satisfaction of individ- 2 uals that have participated in the course of edu- 3 cation described in subsection (b)(5) and individuals 4 that have participated in the peer support program 5 that includes the following: 6 (A) The general satisfaction of those indi- 7 viduals with the education and assistance pro- 8 vided in the education program and the peer 9 support program. 10 (B) The perceived effectiveness of the edu- 11 cation program and the peer support program 12 in providing education and assistance that is 13 useful for those individuals. 14 (C) The applicability of the education pro- 15 gram and the peer support program to the 16 issues faced by those individuals. 17 (D) Such other matters as the Secretary 18 considers appropriate. 19 (E) A representative sample of the infor- 20 mation required by subparagraphs (A) through 21 (D) from each Veterans Integrated Service Net- 22 work that is participating in the education pro- 23 gram and the peer support program. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:49 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7964.IH H7964 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 7964 IH (2) COMPILATION OF INFORMATION.—The in- 1 formation compiled as a result of the surveys re- 2 quired by paragraph (1) shall be included in the an- 3 nual report required by subsection (e)(1). 4 (e) REPORTS.— 5 (1) ANNUAL REPORT.— 6 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 7 after the date of the commencement of the edu- 8 cation program and not later than September 9 30 each year thereafter until 2024, the Sec- 10 retary shall submit to the Committee on Vet- 11 erans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 12 on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Represent- 13 atives a report on the education program and 14 the peer support program. 15 (B) ELEMENTS.—Each report submitted 16 under subparagraph (A) shall include the fol- 17 lowing: 18 (i) The number of individuals that 19 participated in the course of education de- 20 scribed in subsection (b)(5) during the 21 year preceding the submission of the re- 22 port. 23 (ii) The number of individuals that 24 participated in the peer support program 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:49 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7964.IH H7964 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 7964 IH during the year preceding the submission 1 of the report. 2 (iii) A detailed analysis of the surveys 3 conducted under subsection (d) with re- 4 spect to the individuals described in clause 5 (i) and (ii). 6 (iv) The degree to which veterans and 7 family members and caregivers of veterans 8 are aware of the eligibility requirements 9 for enrollment in the education program 10 and the peer support program. 11 (v) Any plans for expansion of the 12 education program and the peer support 13 program. 14 (vi) The interim findings and conclu- 15 sions of the Secretary with respect to the 16 success of the education program and the 17 peer support program. 18 (2) FINAL REPORT.— 19 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 20 after the completion of the education program, 21 the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 22 Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Com- 23 mittee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 24 Representatives a report on the feasibility and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:49 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7964.IH H7964 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 7964 IH advisability of continuing the education pro- 1 gram and the peer support program. 2 (B) ELEMENTS.—The report submitted 3 under subparagraph (A) shall include the fol- 4 lowing: 5 (i) A detailed analysis of the surveys 6 conducted under subsection (d). 7 (ii) The feasibility and advisability of 8 continuing the education program without 9 entering into contracts for the course of 10 education described in subsection (b)(5) 11 and instead using peer support coordina- 12 tors selected under subsection (c)(4) as in- 13 structors of the course of education. 14 (iii) The feasibility and advisability of 15 expanding the education program and the 16 peer support program. 17 (f) PERMISSION REQUIRED.—A caregiver or family 18 caregiver may not participate in the education program 19 or the peer support program without the permission of the 20 eligible veteran for whom the caregiver or family caregiver 21 provides care. 22 (g) MONITORING OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall 23 select mental health care providers of the Department to 24 monitor the progress of the instruction provided under the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:49 Aug 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7964.IH H7964 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 7964 IH education program and to monitor the progress of the peer 1 support program. Such mental health care providers shall 2 carry out such monitoring by meeting not less than quar- 3 terly with— 4 (1) instructors of the course of education de- 5 scribed in subsection (b)(5); and 6 (2) peer support coordinators under subsection 7 (c)(4). 8 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 9 (1) The term ‘‘eligible veteran’’ means a vet- 10 eran who is enrolled in the health care system estab- 11 l [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]