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.

2018-06-13

Passed House amended

(Sec. 1) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to emphasize appointing peer support counselors for women veterans. The VA shall recruit women peer support counselors with expertise in gender-specific issues and services, VA services and benefits, and employment mentoring.

The VA shall:

emphasize peer support counseling for women veterans who suffered sexual trauma while in the Armed Forces, have post-traumatic stress disorder or another mental health condition, are homeless, or are at risk of suicide;
conduct program outreach;
coordinate with community, business, educational, and state and local government entities; and
provide peer support counselor training.

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2018-05-18

Reported to House with amendment(s)

This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to emphasize appointing peer support counselors for women veterans. The VA shall recruit women peer support counselors with expertise in gender-specific issues and services, VA services and benefits, and employment mentoring.

The VA shall:

emphasize peer support counseling for women veterans who suffered sexual trauma while in the Armed Forces, have post-traumatic stress disorder or another mental health condition, are homeless, or are at risk of suicide;
conduct program outreach;
coordinate with community, business, educational, and state and local government entities; and
provide peer support counselor training.

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2017-12-13

Introduced in House

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.

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