Title: A bill to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the number of peer-to-peer counselors providing counseling for women veterans, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that the veterans peer counseling program includes a sufficient number of peer counselors for women veterans.
Such counselors may be VA employees and may have expertise in: (1) gender-specific issues and services, (2) VA services and benefits, and (3) employment mentoring.
The VA shall: (1) emphasize facilitating peer-to-peer counseling for women veterans who suffered sexual trauma while in the Armed Forces, have post-traumatic stress disorder or suffer from another mental health condition, or are otherwise at risk of becoming homeless; (2) conduct program outreach; and (3) coordinate with community organizations, state and local governments, institutions of higher education, local business organizations, and legal assistance organizations.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2402 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2402

 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the number of 
 peer-to-peer counselors providing counseling for women veterans, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 8, 2018

Ms. Warren (for herself and Mrs. Ernst) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the number of 
 peer-to-peer counselors providing counseling for women veterans, 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. PEER-TO-PEER COUNSELING PROGRAM FOR WOMEN VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1720F(j) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(4)(A) As part of the counseling program under this subsection, 
the Secretary shall ensure that the program includes a sufficient 
number of peer counselors for women veterans to meet the demand for 
such counselors. Such counselors may be employees of the Department and 
may have expertise in--
            ``(i) gender-specific issues and services;
            ``(ii) the provision of information about services and 
        benefits provided under laws administered by the Secretary; and
            ``(iii) employment mentoring.
    ``(B) In carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary shall emphasize 
facilitating peer-to-peer counseling for women veterans who suffered 
sexual trauma while serving in the Armed Forces, have post-traumatic 
stress disorder or suffer from another mental health condition, or are 
otherwise at risk of becoming homeless.
    ``(C) The Secretary shall conduct outreach to inform women veterans 
about the program and the assistance available under the program.
    ``(D)(i) In carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary shall 
facilitate engagement and coordination with such community 
organizations, State and local governments, institutions of higher 
education, chambers of commerce, local business organizations, 
organizations that provide legal assistance, and other organizations as 
the Secretary considers appropriate to facilitate the transition of 
women described in subparagraph (A) into their communities.
    ``(ii) To the degree practicable, the Secretary shall coordinate 
facilitation of assistance under this paragraph with the program 
carried out under section 1144 of title 10.''.
    (b) Funding.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out 
paragraph (4) of section 1720F(j) of title 38, United States Code, as 
added by subsection (a), using funds otherwise made available to the 
Secretary. No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated by 
reason of such paragraph.
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