New federal legislation would put resources toward formalizing pathways for peer support specialists.
Sens. Tim Kaine and Jim Banks introduced the PEER Support Act April 8, according to a news release from Mr. Kaine. The bipartisan bill is backed by several other senators.
Peer support specialists are individuals who have experienced mental health or substance use disorders trained to provide support to others.
The legislation would direct the Office of Recovery in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to train and educate peer support specialists, and publish recommendations for best practices for training, certifying and supervising these specialists.
In addition, the bill would direct HHS and the Justice Department to study how states screen peer support specialists. Some prospective peer support specialists cannot be licensed because of past interactions with law enforcement related to substance use disorder, according to the release.
The bill would also direct the Office of Management and Budget to recognize peer support specialists as a profession.
The legislation is backed by several mental health advocacy groups.
