EXPANSION OF PEER SPECIALIST SUPPORT PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

SEC. 401. EXPANSION OF PEER SPECIALIST SUPPORT PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.(a) Expansion.—Section 506 of the VA MISSION Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–182; 38 U.S.C. 1701 note) is amended—(1) by redesignating subsections (d) through (f) as subsections (e) through (g); (2) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following new sentence: “Each such peer specialist shall be a full-time employee whose primary function is to serve as a peer specialist and shall be in addition to all other employees of such medical center.”; (3) in the heading of subsection (b), by striking “Timeframe” and inserting “Initial Timeframe”; (4) in subsection (c)—(A) in the heading, by striking “Selection” and inserting “Initial Selection”; and (B) in paragraph (1), by striking “The Secretary shall” and inserting “In establishing the program at initial locations, the Secretary shall”; (5) by inserting after subsection (c) the following new subsection:“(d) Timeframe for Expansion of Program; Selection of Additional Locations.—“(1) Timeframe for expansion.—The Secretary shall make permanent and expand the program to additional medical centers of the Department as follows:“(A) As of the date of the enactment of the STRONG Veterans Act of 2022, the Secretary shall make such program permanent at each medical center participating in the program on the day before such date of enactment. “(B) During the seven-year period following such date of enactment, the Secretary shall expand the program to an additional 25 medical centers per year until the program is carried out at each medical center of the Department. “(2) Selection of additional locations.—In selecting medical centers for the expansion of the program under paragraph (1)(B), until such time as each medical center of the Department is participating in the program by establishing not fewer than two peer specialists at the medical center, the Secretary shall prioritize medical centers in the following areas:“(A) Rural areas and other areas that are underserved by the Department. “(B) Areas that are not in close proximity to an active duty military installation. “(C) Areas representing different geographic locations, such as census tracts established by the Bureau of the Census.” ; (6) in subsection (e), as redesignated by paragraph (1)—136 STAT. 5510(A) in the heading, by striking “Gender-specific Services” and inserting “Considerations for Hiring Peer Specialists”; (B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “location selected under subsection (c)” and inserting “medical center”; (C) in paragraph (1), by striking “and” at the end; and (D) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following new paragraph (2):“(2) female peer specialists are hired and made available to support female veterans who are treated at each medical center.” ; and (7) by amending subsection (g), as redesignated by paragraph (1), to read as follows:“(g) Reports.—“(1) Periodic reports.—“(A) In general.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of the STRONG Veterans Act of 2022, and annually thereafter for five years, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on the program, including the expansion of the program under subsection (d)(1). “(B) Elements.—Each report under subparagraph (A) shall include, with respect to the one-year period preceding the submission of the report, the following:“(i) The findings and conclusions of the Secretary with respect to the program. “(ii) An assessment of the benefits of the program to veterans and family members of veterans. “(iii) An assessment of the effectiveness of peer specialists in engaging under subsection (f) with health care providers in the community and veterans served by such providers. “(iv) The name and location of each medical center where new peer specialists were hired. “(v) The number of new peer specialists hired at each medical center pursuant to this section and the total number of peer specialists within the Department hired pursuant to this section. “(vi) An assessment of any barriers confronting the recruitment, training, or retention of peer specialists. “(2) Final report.—Not later than one year after the Secretary determines that the program is being carried out at each medical center of the Department, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report notifying such committees of such determination.” . (b) Authorization of Appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement section 506 of the VA MISSION Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–182; 38 U.S.C. 1701 note), as amended by subsection (a), the following amounts:(1) $3,600,000 for fiscal year 2022. (2) $7,200,000 for fiscal year 2023.136 STAT. 5511 (3) $10,800,000 for fiscal year 2024. (4) $14,400,000 for fiscal year 2025. (5) $18,000,000 for fiscal year 2026. (6) $21,600,000 for fiscal year 2027. (7) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2028.