Title: Recognizing the importance and effectiveness of veteran-to-veteran sponsorship programs.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This resolution recognizes the importance, effectiveness, and need for veteran-to-veteran sponsorship programs and encourages the use and practice of such programs within the federal government.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 782 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 782

  Recognizing the importance and effectiveness of veteran-to-veteran 
                         sponsorship programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 9, 2021

   Mr. Gallagher (for himself, Mr. Kind, Mr. Grothman, Ms. Moore of 
   Wisconsin, Mr. Steil, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Tiffany, and Mr. Fitzgerald) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the importance and effectiveness of veteran-to-veteran 
                         sponsorship programs.

Whereas approximately 200,000 veterans discharge from the military every year, 
        many experiencing difficulty transitioning from active duty to civilian 
        life;
Whereas many veterans experience a heightened risk for depression, isolation, 
        post-traumatic stress disorder, confusion, or suicidal ideation during 
        the transition period;
Whereas evidence-based practices such as veteran-to-veteran peer support have 
        proven to be effective in easing the transition to civilian life;
Whereas the National Alliance on Mental Illness has recognized that veteran-to-
        veteran counseling increases self-esteem, social functioning, and life 
        satisfaction;
Whereas the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        has recognized that veteran-to-veteran counseling improves social 
        functioning, quality of life, independence, ability to deal with mental 
        illness, communication skills, employment outcomes, and the 
        effectiveness of the mental health delivery system;
Whereas peer-to-peer veteran sponsorship programs help establish a welcoming 
        environment that is more conducive for a positive transition to civilian 
        life;
Whereas veteran-to-veteran sponsorship programs are not an intervention, but a 
        guiding hand to assist veterans;
Whereas the Federal Government can aid in mitigating emotional, physical, and 
        social challenges for veterans struggling with transition through 
        support for veteran-to-veteran sponsorship programs; and
Whereas veteran-to-veteran sponsorship programs have been established in 
        communities in Northeastern Wisconsin and throughout the State, by a 
        variety of entities including--

    (1) Brown County, Wisconsin, which hosts the Northeast Wisconsin 
Battalion, one of the first veteran-to-veteran sponsorship programs of its 
kind in the State;

    (2) the 72 County Veterans Service Officers serving every county of 
Wisconsin, and 11 Tribal Veterans Service Officers serving Native American 
veterans, who are examples of veterans helping veterans;

    (3) La Crosse, Wisconsin, home to the La Crosse Area Veterans Mentor 
Program (LAVMP) which offers peer-to-peer mentorship and support for 
veterans struggling with substance abuse, homelessness, and social 
reintegration, offering support through Veterans Treatment Courts, a 
Veteran Community Health Worker, Peer Support Specialists, and initiating a 
Peer Advisory for Veteran Education program at Western Technical College;

    (4) the Department of Veterans Affairs, which offers a transition 
specialist program, acknowledging the necessity of assisting veterans 
transition to civilian life;

    (5) Outagamie County, Wisconsin, which is home to a veteran focused 
nonprofit, Veterans' Mentor Group, to support other veterans, recruit new 
veteran mentors, provide training and coordinate with the Veterans 
Treatment Court Coordinator, in addition to being a resource for other 
veterans from within the community who may find themselves in need;

    (6) the military, which offers transition assistance programs to assist 
veterans with the transition to civilian life;

    (7) the University of Wisconsin System, which offers Vets for Vets, a 
student organization of veterans for veterans to assist with counseling and 
benefit information;

    (8) the University of Wisconsin Madison, which offers Peer Advisory for 
Veteran Education (PAVE), a peer-to-peer advising program that helps 
student veterans connect with other veterans, transition to college, and 
meet their personal and academic goals;

    (9) the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, which in 2012 opened the 
Military and Veterans Resource Center to address the challenges faced by 
current and former servicemembers and their dependents through peer-to-peer 
mentoring, training, and student advocacy; and

    (10) the Fox Valley Technical College, as well as many University of 
Wisconsin campuses, which offer Student Veterans of America Chapters which 
are student based mentoring programs: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the importance, effectiveness, and need for 
        veteran-to-veteran sponsorship programs among existing programs 
        and agencies of the Federal Government; and
            (2) encourages the use and practice of veteran to-veteran 
        programs within the Federal Government and Congress.
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