```

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2724 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.2724

                    One Hundred Seventeenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America

                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
          the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-two

                                 An Act

 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
 Veterans Affairs to provide for peer support specialists for claimants 
  who are survivors of military sexual trauma, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PROCESSING OF CLAIMS BY VETERANS FOR 
COMPENSATION FOR CERTAIN MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS BASED ON MILITARY 
SEXUAL TRAUMA.
    (a) In General.--Section 1166 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
        (1) by striking ``or air service'' both places it appears and 
    inserting ``air, or space service'';
        (2) in subsection (a)--
            (A) in the heading, by striking ``In General'' and 
        inserting ``Processing'';
            (B) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``The Secretary''; and
            (C) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
    ``(2) A peer support specialist of the Department--
        ``(A) shall not be responsible for providing any assistance to 
    a veteran regarding a claim described in paragraph (1), other than 
    counseling services, guidance, and support, pursuant to duties 
    determined by the Under Secretary for Health; and
        ``(B) shall not participate in the adjudication of such a 
    claim.'';
        (3) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as subsections (c) 
    and (d), respectively;
        (4) by inserting, after subsection (a), the following new 
    subsection (b):
    ``(b) Referrals to MST Coordinators.--The Secretary shall include, 
in forms for claims described in subsection (a), an option for a 
veteran to elect to be referred to a military sexual trauma coordinator 
of the Veterans Health Administration at the facility of the Department 
nearest to the residence of such veteran.''; and
        (5) in subsection (c), as redesignated--
            (A) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``The Secretary''; and
            (B) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
    ``(2) The Secretary shall ensure that peer support specialists of 
the Department receive annual training on how to provide peer support 
regarding military sexual trauma.
    ``(3) The Secretary shall provide annual training, regarding the 
processing of claims described in subsection (a), to the following 
individuals:
        ``(A) Military sexual trauma coordinators of the Veterans 
    Health Administration.
        ``(B) Peer support specialists of the Department.'';
    (b) Clerical Amendments.--
        (1) Section heading.--The heading of such section is amended by 
    striking ``Specialized teams to evaluate claims'' and inserting 
    ``Claims''.
        (2) Table of sections.--The table of sections at the beginning 
    of chapter 11 of such title is amended by striking the item 
    relating to section 1166 and inserting the following:
``1166. Claims involving military sexual trauma.''.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.
```