‘‘(5) Aftercare and long-term recovery support, 
including peer support services. 
‘‘(e) DURATION OF ASSISTANCE.—Grants, contracts, 
and cooperative agreements awarded under subsection (a) 
shall be for a period not to exceed 5 years. 
‘‘(f) ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES.—The Director shall— 
‘‘(1) collect and evaluate the activities carried 
out with amounts received under subsection (a); 
‘‘(2) disseminate widely such significant infor-
mation derived from the evaluation as the Secretary 
considers appropriate; and 
‘‘(3) provide States, Indian tribes and tribal or-
ganizations, and providers with technical assistance 
in connection with the provision of treatment and re-
covery services funded through this section to ado-
lescents related to the abuse of heroin and other 
opioids. 
‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $25,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021. 
‘‘(2) USE OF CERTAIN FUNDS.—Of the funds 
appropriated to carry out this section in any fiscal 
year, not more than 5 percent of such funds shall 
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be available to the Director for purposes of carrying 
out subsection (f).’’. 
SEC. 308. STRENGTHENING PARITY IN MENTAL HEALTH 
AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER BENEFITS. 
(a) 
PUBLIC
HEALTH
SERVICE
ACT.—Section 
2726(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
300gg–26(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new paragraphs: 
‘‘(6) DISCLOSURE
AND
ENFORCEMENT
RE-
QUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(i) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 
December 31, 2016, the Secretary, in co-
operation with the Secretaries of Labor 
and the Treasury, as appropriate, shall 
issue additional regulations for carrying 
out this section, including an explanation 
of documents that must be disclosed by 
plans and issuers, the process governing 
such disclosures by plans and issuers, and 
analyses that must be conducted by plans 
and issuers by a group health plan or 
health insurance issuer offering health in-
surance coverage in the group or individual 
market in order for such plan or issuer to 
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demonstrate compliance with the provisions 
of this section. 
‘‘(ii) DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS.— 
Documents required to be disclosed by a 
group health plan or health insurance 
issuer offering health insurance coverage in 
the group or individual market under 
clause (i) shall include an annual report 
that details the specific analyses performed 
to ensure compliance of such plan or cov-
erage with the law and regulations. At a 
minimum, with respect to the application 
of non-quantitative treatment limitations 
(in this paragraph referred to as NQTLs) 
to benefits under the plan or coverage, 
such report shall— 
‘‘(I) identify the specific factors 
the plan or coverage used in per-
forming its NQTL analysis; 
‘‘(II) identify and define the spe-
cific evidentiary standards relied on to 
evaluate the factors; 
‘‘(III) describe how the evi-
dentiary standards are applied to each 
service category for mental health, 
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substance use disorders, medical bene-
fits, and surgical benefits; 
‘‘(IV) disclose the results of the 
analyses of the specific evidentiary 
standards in each service category; 
and 
‘‘(V) disclose the specific findings 
of the plan or coverage in each service 
category and the conclusions reached 
with respect to whether the processes, 
strategies, evidentiary standards, or 
other factors used in applying the 
NQTL to mental health or substance 
use disorder benefits are comparable 
to, and applied no more stringently 
than, the processes, strategies, evi-
dentiary standards, or other factors 
used in applying the limitation with 
respect to medical and surgical bene-
fits in the same classification. 
‘‘(iii) GUIDANCE.—The Secretary, in 
cooperation with the Secretaries of Labor 
and the Treasury, as appropriate, shall 
issue guidance to group health plans and 
health insurance issuers offering health in-
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surance coverage in the group or individual 
markets on how to satisfy the requirements 
of this section with respect to making in-
formation available to current and poten-
tial participants and beneficiaries. Such in-
formation shall include certificate of cov-
erage documents and instruments under 
which the plan or coverage involved is ad-
ministered and operated that specify, in-
clude, or refer to procedures, formulas, and 
methodologies applied to determine a par-
ticipant or beneficiary’s benefit under the 
plan or coverage, regardless of whether 
such information is contained in a docu-
ment designated as the ‘plan document’. 
Such guidance shall include a disclosure of 
how the plan or coverage involved has pro-
vided that processes, strategies, evidentiary 
standards, and other factors used in apply-
ing the NQTL to mental health or sub-
stance use disorder benefits are com-
parable to, and applied no more stringently 
than, the processes, strategies, evidentiary 
standards, or other factors used in apply-
ing the limitation with respect to medical 
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and surgical benefits in the same classi-
fication. 
‘‘(iv) DEFINITIONS.—In this para-
graph and paragraph (7), the terms ‘non- 
quantitative treatment limitations’, ‘com-
parable to’, and ‘applied no more strin-
gently than’ have the meanings given such 
terms in sections 146 and 147 of title 45, 
Code of Federal Regulations (or any suc-
cessor regulation). 
‘‘(B) ENFORCEMENT.— 
‘‘(i) PROCESS FOR COMPLAINTS.—The 
Secretary, in cooperation with the Secre-
taries of Labor and the Treasury, as ap-
propriate, shall, with respect to group 
health plans and health insurance issuers 
offering health insurance coverage in the 
group or individual market, issue guidance 
to clarify the process and timeline for cur-
rent and potential participants and bene-
ficiaries (and authorized representatives 
and health care providers of such partici-
pants and beneficiaries) with respect to 
such plans and coverage to file formal 
complaints of such plans or issuers being 
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in violation of this section, including guid-
ance, by plan type, on the relevant State, 
regional, and national offices with which 
such complaints should be filed. 
‘‘(ii) AUTHORITY
FOR
PUBLIC
EN-
FORCEMENT.—The Secretary, in consulta-
tion with the Secretaries of Labor and the 
Treasury, shall make available to the pub-
lic on the Consumer Parity Portal website 
established under paragraph (7) de-identi-
fied information on audits and investiga-
tions of group health plans and health in-
surance issuers conducted under this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(iii) AUDITS.— 
‘‘(I) RANDOMIZED AUDITS.—The 
Secretary in cooperation with the Sec-
retaries of Labor and the Treasury, is 
authorized to conduct randomized au-
dits of group health plans and health 
insurance issuers offering health in-
surance coverage in the group or indi-
vidual market to determine compli-
ance with this section. Such audits 
shall be conducted on no fewer than 
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twelve plans and issuers per plan 
year. Information from such audits 
shall be made plainly available on the 
Consumer Parity Portal website es-
tablished under paragraph (7). 
‘‘(II) ADDITIONAL
AUDITS.—In 
the case of a group health plan or 
health insurance issuer offering health 
insurance coverage in the group or in-
dividual market with respect to which 
any claim has been filed during a plan 
year, the Secretary may audit the 
books and records of such plan or 
issuer to determine compliance with 
this section. Information detailing the 
results of the audit shall be made 
available on the Consumer Parity Por-
tal website established under para-
graph (7). 
‘‘(iv) DENIAL RATES.—The Secretary 
shall collect information on the rates of 
and reasons for denial by group health 
plans and health insurance issuers offering 
health insurance coverage in the group or 
individual market of claims for outpatient 
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and inpatient mental health and substance 
use disorder services compared to the rates 
of and reasons for denial of claims for 
medical and surgical services. For the first 
plan year beginning at least two years 
after the date of the enactment of this 
paragraph and each subsequent plan year, 
the Secretary shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce of the 
House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate, and make plainly 
available on the Consumer Parity Portal 
website under paragraph (7), the informa-
tion collected under the previous sentence 
with respect to the previous plan year. 
‘‘(7) CONSUMER
PARITY
PORTAL
WEBSITE.— 
The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretaries 
of Labor and the Treasury, shall establish a one- 
stop Internet website portal for— 
‘‘(A) submitting complaints and violations 
relating to this section, section 712 of the Em-
ployee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 
and section 9812 of the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986; and 
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‘‘(B) for each of such Secretaries to submit 
information in order to provide such informa-
tion to health care consumers pursuant to para-
graph (6), section 712(a)(6) of the Employee 
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and 
section 9812(a)(6) of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986. 
Such portal shall have the ability to take basic infor-
mation related to the complaint, including name, 
contact information, and brief narrative, and trans-
mit such information in a timely fashion to the ap-
propriate State or Federal enforcement agency. Once 
the consumer information is submitted, such portal 
shall provide the consumer with contact information 
for the appropriate enforcement agency to follow-up 
on the complaint.’’. 
(b) EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT 
OF 1974.—Section 712(a) of the Employee Retirement In-
come Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1185a(a)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new para-
graph: 
‘‘(6) DISCLOSURE
AND
ENFORCEMENT
RE-
QUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS.— 
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‘‘(i) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 
December 31, 2016, the Secretary, in co-
operation with the Secretaries of Health 
and Human Services and the Treasury, as 
appropriate, shall issue additional regula-
tions for carrying out this section, includ-
ing an explanation of documents that must 
be disclosed by plans and issuers, the proc-
ess governing such disclosures by plans 
and issuers, and analyses that must be 
conducted by plans and issuers by a group 
health plan (or health insurance coverage 
offered in connection with such a plan) in 
order for such plan or issuer to dem-
onstrate compliance with the provisions of 
this section. 
‘‘(ii) DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS.— 
Documents required to be disclosed by a 
group health plan (or health insurance cov-
erage offered in connection with such a 
plan) under clause (i) shall include an an-
nual report that details the specific anal-
yses performed to ensure compliance of 
such plan or coverage with the law or regu-
lations. At a minimum, with respect to the 
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application of non-quantitative treatment 
limitations (in this paragraph referred to 
as NQTLs) to benefits under the plan or 
coverage, such report shall— 
‘‘(I) identify the specific factors 
the plan or coverage used in per-
forming its NQTL analysis; 
‘‘(II) identify and define the spe-
cific evidentiary standards relied on to 
evaluate the factors; 
‘‘(III) describe how the evi-
dentiary standards are applied to each 
service category for mental health, 
substance use disorders, medical bene-
fits, and surgical benefits; 
‘‘(IV) disclose the results of the 
analyses of the specific evidentiary 
standards in each service category; 
and 
‘‘(V) disclose the specific findings 
of the plan or coverage in each service 
category and the conclusions reached 
with respect to whether the processes, 
strategies, evidentiary standards, or 
other factors used in applying the 
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NQTL to mental health or substance 
use disorder benefits are comparable 
to, and applied no more stringently 
than, the processes, strategies, evi-
dentiary standards, or other factors 
used in applying the limitation with 
respect to medical and surgical bene-
fits in the same classification. 
‘‘(iii) GUIDANCE.—The Secretary, in 
cooperation with the Secretaries of Health 
and Human Services and the Treasury, as 
appropriate, shall issue guidance to group 
health plans (and health insurance cov-
erage offered in connection with such a 
plan) on how to satisfy the requirements of 
this section with respect to making infor-
mation available to current and potential 
participants and beneficiaries. Such infor-
mation shall include certificate of coverage 
documents and instruments under which 
the plan or coverage involved is adminis-
tered and operated that specify, include, or 
refer to procedures, formulas, and meth-
odologies applied to determine a partici-
pant or beneficiary’s benefit under the plan 
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or coverage, regardless of whether such in-
formation is contained in a document des-
ignated as the ‘plan document’. Such guid-
ance shall include a disclosure of how the 
plan or coverage involved has provided that 
processes, strategies, evidentiary stand-
ards, and other factors used in applying 
the NQTL to mental health or substance 
use disorder benefits are comparable to, 
and applied no more stringently than, the 
processes, strategies, evidentiary stand-
ards, or other factors used in applying the 
limitation with respect to medical and sur-
gical benefits in the same classification. 
‘‘(iv) DEFINITIONS.—In this para-
graph, the terms ‘non-quantitative treat-
ment limitations’, ‘comparable to’, and ‘ap-
plied no more stringently than’ have the 
meanings given such terms in sections 146 
and 147 of title 45, Code of Federal Regu-
lations (or any successor regulation). 
‘‘(B) ENFORCEMENT.— 
‘‘(i) PROCESS FOR COMPLAINTS.—The 
Secretary, in cooperation with the Secre-
taries of Health and Human Services and 
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the Treasury, as appropriate, shall, with 
respect to group health plans (and health 
insurance coverage offered in connection 
with such a plan), issue guidance to clarify 
the process and timeline for current and 
potential participants and beneficiaries 
(and authorized representatives and health 
care providers of such participants and 
beneficiaries) with respect to such plans 
(and coverage) to file formal complaints of 
such plans (or coverage) being in violation 
of this section, including guidance, by plan 
type, on the relevant State, regional, and 
national offices with which such complaints 
should be filed. 
‘‘(ii) AUTHORITY
FOR
PUBLIC
EN-
FORCEMENT.—The Secretary, in consulta-
tion with the Secretaries of Labor and the 
Treasury, shall make available to the pub-
lic on the Consumer Parity Portal website 
established under section 2726(a)(7) of the 
Public Health Service Act de-identified in-
formation on audits and investigations of 
group health plans (and health insurance 
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coverage offered in connection with such a 
plan) conducted under this section. 
‘‘(iii) AUDITS.— 
‘‘(I) RANDOMIZED AUDITS.—The 
Secretary in cooperation with the Sec-
retaries of Health and Human Serv-
ices and the Treasury, is authorized 
to conduct randomized audits of 
group health plans (and health insur-
ance coverage offered in connection 
with such a plan) to determine com-
pliance with this section. Such audits 
shall be conducted on no fewer than 
twelve plans and coverage per plan 
year. Information from such audits 
shall be made plainly available on the 
Consumer Parity Portal website es-
tablished under section 2726(a)(7) of 
the Public Health Service Act. 
‘‘(II) ADDITIONAL
AUDITS.—In 
the case of a group health plan (or 
health insurance coverage offered in 
connection with such a plan) with re-
spect to which any claim has been 
filed during a plan year, the Secretary 
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may audit the books and records of 
such plan (or coverage) to determine 
compliance with this section. Informa-
tion detailing the results of the audit 
shall be made available on the Con-
sumer Parity Portal website estab-
lished under section 2726(a)(7) of the 
Public Health Service Act. 
‘‘(iv) DENIAL RATES.—The Secretary 
shall collect information on the rates of 
and reasons for denial by group health 
plans (and health insurance coverage of-
fered in connection with such a plan) of 
claims for outpatient and inpatient mental 
health and substance use disorder services 
compared to the rates of and reasons for 
denial of claims for medical and surgical 
services. For the first plan year beginning 
at least two years after the date of the en-
actment of this paragraph and each subse-
quent plan year, the Secretary shall submit 
to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and 
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make plainly available on the Consumer 
Parity 
Portal 
website 
under 
section 
2726(a)(7) of the Public Health Service 
Act, the information collected under the 
previous sentence with respect to the pre-
vious plan year.’’. 
(c) INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986.—Section 
9812(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended 
by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(6) DISCLOSURE
AND
ENFORCEMENT
RE-
QUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(i) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 
December 31, 2016, the Secretary, in co-
operation with the Secretaries of Health 
and Human Services and Labor, as appro-
priate, shall issue additional regulations for 
carrying out this section, including an ex-
planation of documents that must be dis-
closed by plans and issuers, the process 
governing such disclosures by plans and 
issuers, and analyses that must be con-
ducted by plans and issuers by a group 
health plan in order for such plan to dem-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
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onstrate compliance with the provisions of 
this section. 
‘‘(ii) DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS.— 
Documents required to be disclosed by a 
group health plan under clause (i) shall in-
clude an annual report that details the spe-
cific analyses performed to ensure compli-
ance of such plan with the law and regula-
tions. At a minimum, with respect to the 
application of non-quantitative treatment 
limitations (in this paragraph referred to 
as NQTLs) to benefits under the plan or 
coverage, such report shall— 
‘‘(I) identify the specific factors 
the plan or coverage used in per-
forming its NQTL analysis; 
‘‘(II) identify and define the spe-
cific evidentiary standards relied on to 
evaluate the factors; 
‘‘(III) describe how the evi-
dentiary standards are applied to each 
service category for mental health, 
substance use disorders, medical bene-
fits, and surgical benefits; 
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‘‘(IV) disclose the results of the 
analyses of the specific evidentiary 
standards in each service category; 
and 
‘‘(V) disclose the specific findings 
of the plan in each service category 
and the conclusions reached with re-
spect to whether the processes, strate-
gies, evidentiary standards, or other 
factors used in applying the NQTL to 
mental health or substance use dis-
order benefits are comparable to, and 
applied no more stringently than, the 
processes, 
strategies, 
evidentiary 
standards, or other factors used in ap-
plying the limitation with respect to 
medical and surgical benefits in the 
same classification. 
‘‘(iii) GUIDANCE.—The Secretary, in 
cooperation with the Secretaries of Health 
and Human Services and Labor, as appro-
priate, shall issue guidance to group health 
plans on how to satisfy the requirements of 
this section with respect to making infor-
mation available to current and potential 
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participants and beneficiaries. Such infor-
mation shall include certificate of coverage 
documents and instruments under which 
the plan involved is administered and oper-
ated that specify, include, or refer to pro-
cedures, formulas, and methodologies ap-
plied to determine a participant or bene-
ficiary’s benefit under the plan, regardless 
of whether such information is contained 
in a document designated as the ‘plan doc-
ument’. Such guidance shall include a dis-
closure of how the plan involved has pro-
vided that processes, strategies, evidentiary 
standards, and other factors used in apply-
ing the NQTL to mental health or sub-
stance use disorder benefits are com-
parable to, and applied no more stringently 
than, the processes, strategies, evidentiary 
standards, or other factors used in apply-
ing the limitation with respect to medical 
and surgical benefits in the same classi-
fication. 
‘‘(iv) DEFINITIONS.—In this para-
graph, the terms ‘non-quantitative treat-
ment limitations’, ‘comparable to’, and ‘ap-
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plied no more stringently than’ have the 
meanings given such terms in sections 146 
and 147 of title 45, Code of Federal Regu-
lations (or any successor regulation). 
‘‘(B) ENFORCEMENT.— 
‘‘(i) PROCESS FOR COMPLAINTS.—The 
Secretary, in cooperation with the Secre-
taries of Health and Human Services and 
Labor, as appropriate, shall, with respect 
to group health plans, issue guidance to 
clarify the process and timeline for current 
and potential participants and beneficiaries 
(and authorized representatives and health 
care providers of such participants and 
beneficiaries) with respect to such plans 
(and coverage) to file formal complaints of 
such plans being in violation of this sec-
tion, including guidance, by plan type, on 
the relevant State, regional, and national 
offices with which such complaints should 
be filed. 
‘‘(ii) AUTHORITY
FOR
PUBLIC
EN-
FORCEMENT.—The Secretary, in consulta-
tion with the Secretaries of Labor and the 
Treasury, shall make available to the pub-
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lic on the Consumer Parity Portal website 
established under section 2726(a)(7) of the 
Public Health Service Act de-identified in-
formation on audits and investigations of 
group health plans conducted under this 
section. 
‘‘(iii) AUDITS.— 
‘‘(I) RANDOMIZED AUDITS.—The 
Secretary in cooperation with the Sec-
retaries of Health and Human Serv-
ices and Labor, is authorized to con-
duct randomized audits of group 
health plans to determine compliance 
with this section. Such audits shall be 
conducted on no fewer than twelve 
plans per plan year. Information from 
such audits shall be made plainly 
available on the Consumer Parity Por-
tal website established under section 
2726(a)(7) of the Public Health Serv-
ice Act. 
‘‘(II) ADDITIONAL
AUDITS.—In 
the case of a group health plan with 
respect to which any claim has been 
filed during a plan year, the Secretary 
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emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS
may audit the books and records of 
such plan to determine compliance 
with this section. Information detail-
ing the results of the audit shall be 
made available on the Consumer Par-
ity Portal website established under 
section 2726(a)(7) of the Public 
Health Service Act. 
‘‘(iv) DENIAL RATES.—The Secretary 
shall collect information on the rates of 
and reasons for denial by group health 
plans of claims for outpatient and inpa-
tient mental health and substance use dis-
order services compared to the rates of and 
reasons for denial of claims for medical 
and surgical services. For the first plan 
year beginning at least two years after the 
date of the enactment of this paragraph 
and each subsequent plan year, the Sec-
retary shall submit to the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 
the Senate, and make plainly available on 
the Consumer Parity Portal website under 
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section 2726(a)(7) of the Public Health 
Service Act, the information collected 
under the previous sentence with respect to 
the previous plan year.’’. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for each of fis-
cal years 2017 through 2021 to carry out this section, in-
cluding the amendments made by this section. 
SEC. 309. STUDY ON TREATMENT INFRASTRUCTURE. 
Not later than 24 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall initiate an evaluation, and submit to Congress a re-
port, of the in-patient and outpatient treatment capacity, 
availability, and needs of the United States, which shall 
include, to the extent data is available— 
(1) the capacity of acute residential or inpatient 
detoxification programs; 
(2) the capacity of inpatient clinical stabiliza-
tion programs, transitional residential support serv-
ices, and residential rehabilitation programs; 
(3) the capacity of demographic specific resi-
dential or inpatient treatment programs, such as 
those designed for pregnant women or adolescents; 
(4) geographical differences of the availability 
of residential and outpatient treatment and recovery 
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options for substance use disorders across the con-
tinuum of care; 
(5) the availability of residential and outpatient 
treatment programs that offer treatment options 
based on reliable scientific evidence of efficacy for 
the treatment of substance use disorders, including 
the use of Food and Drug Administration-approved 
medicines and evidence-based nonpharmacological 
therapies; 
(6) the number of patients in residential and 
specialty outpatient treatment services for substance 
use disorders; and 
(7) an assessment of the need for residential 
and outpatient treatment for substance use disorders 
across the continuum of care. 
SEC. 310. SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER PROFESSIONAL LOAN 
REPAYMENT PROGRAM. 
Subpart 3 of part E of title VII of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295f et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 779. SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER PROFESSIONAL 
LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish and carry out a substance use disorder health profes-
sional loan repayment program under which qualified 
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health professionals agree to be employed full-time for a 
specified period (which shall be not less than 2 years) in 
providing substance use disorder prevention and treatment 
services. 
‘‘(b) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION.—Through the pro-
gram established under this section, the Secretary shall 
enter into contracts with qualified health professionals 
under which— 
‘‘(1) a qualified health professional agrees to 
provide substance use disorder prevention and treat-
ment services with respect to an area or population 
that (as determined by the Secretary)— 
‘‘(A) has a shortage of such services (as 
defined by the Secretary); and 
‘‘(B) has a sufficient population of individ-
uals with a substance use disorder to support 
the provision of such services; and 
‘‘(2) the Secretary agrees to make payments on 
the principal and interest of undergraduate, or grad-
uate education loans of the qualified health profes-
sional— 
‘‘(A) of not more than $35,000 for each 
year of service described in paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(B) for not more than 3 years. 
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‘‘(c) QUALIFIED
HEALTH
PROFESSIONAL
DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘qualified health profes-
sional’ means an individual who is (or will be upon the 
completion of the individual’s graduate education) a psy-
chiatrist, psychologist, nurse practitioner, physician assist-
ant, clinical social worker, substance abuse counselor, or 
other substance use disorder health professional. 
‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—In entering into agreements under 
this section, the Secretary shall give priority to applicants 
who— 
‘‘(1) have familiarity with evidence-based meth-
ods and culturally and linguistically competent 
health care services; and 
‘‘(2) demonstrate financial need. 
‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2017 through 2021 to carry out this section.’’. 
TITLE IV—RECOVERY 
SEC. 401. NATIONAL YOUTH RECOVERY INITIATIVE. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) a high school that has been accredited 
as a recovery high school by the Association of 
Recovery Schools; 
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(B) an accredited high school that is seek-
ing to establish or expand recovery support 
services; 
(C) an institution of higher education; 
(D) a recovery program at a nonprofit col-
legiate institution; or 
(E) a nonprofit organization. 
(2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
(3) RECOVERY PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘recovery 
program’’— 
(A) means a program to help individuals 
who are recovering from substance use dis-
orders to initiate, stabilize, and maintain 
healthy and productive lives in the community; 
and 
(B) includes peer-to-peer support and com-
munal activities to build recovery skills and 
supportive social networks. 
(b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, acting through the Substance Abuse 
and Mental Health Services Administration, in consulta-
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