A bill 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.
Bill: S.4441 | Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine (D-NV)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill prescribes that a peer support specialist of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must not be responsible for providing assistance to a veteran regarding a claim for compensation for a covered mental health condition (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder) based on military sexual trauma (MST) experienced during active service. Such specialists must only provide counseling services, guidance, and support and must not participate in the adjudication of the claim.
As part of the forms for claims for compensation for a covered mental health condition based on MST, the VA must include an option for a veteran to elect to be referred to a MST trauma coordinator at the VA facility closest to the veteran's residence.
Additionally, the VA must (1) ensure that its peer support specialists receive annual training on providing peer support regarding MST, and (2) provide annual training on the processing of claims for compensation for covered mental health conditions based on MST to its MST coordinators and peer specialists.

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.''.
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