Overview
Title
To address the behavioral health workforce shortages through support for peer support specialists, and for other purposes.
ELI5 AI
H. R. 7212, called the PEER Support Act, wants to make sure there are enough people who can help others with mental health or addiction problems by supporting special helpers called peer support specialists, who have been through similar experiences themselves. It also plans to create a new office to help these specialists and make it easier for them to get jobs, even if they've had past troubles.
Summary AI
H. R. 7212, also known as the PEER Support Act, aims to address shortages in the behavioral health workforce by supporting peer support specialists. This bill defines a peer support specialist as someone with lived experience of recovery from mental health or substance use issues, certified to provide peer support services. It requires the Office of Management and Budget to recognize peer support specialists as a distinct profession by 2025, and it establishes an Office of Recovery within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to promote and support the profession. Additionally, the bill mandates a report to examine criminal background check processes to ease barriers for peer support specialists seeking certification.
Published
Keywords AI
Sources
Bill Statistics
Size
Language
Complexity
AnalysisAI
General Summary of the Bill
The "Providing Empathetic and Effective Recovery Support Act," or the "PEER Support Act," seeks to address the growing shortages in the behavioral health workforce. This legislation aims to support and enhance the role of peer support specialists—individuals with personal or familial experience in mental health or substance use recovery who are specially trained to assist others facing similar challenges. Key components include defining what constitutes a peer support specialist, establishing an Office of Recovery within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and initiating research into the criminal background check process for peer support specialists.
Summary of Significant Issues
Several concerns arise regarding the implementation of this bill:
Inconsistent State Standards: The definition and certification of peer support specialists rely heavily on state-determined processes. This can cause inconsistencies in standards and qualifications across different states, potentially undermining the uniformity and reliability of these support services nationwide.
Funding and Oversight Ambiguities: Both the establishment of the Office of Recovery and the update to the Standard Occupational Classification system are not accompanied by clear budgetary outlines or details on financial oversight. This lack of specificity raises concerns about potential financial mismanagement.
Overlapping Responsibilities: There is concern that the newly established Office of Recovery's functions might overlap with existing roles within SAMHSA, leading to possible redundancies or inefficient resource use.
Role of the Attorney General: In the section on researching criminal background check processes, the Attorney General’s role is mentioned but not clearly defined, creating potential for ambiguous responsibilities.
Public Impact
If effectively implemented, the PEER Support Act could substantially improve mental health and substance use recovery services by expanding the workforce of peer support specialists. This can lead to more personalized, relatable support for individuals in recovery, potentially increasing recovery success rates and improving public mental health outcomes.
However, the bill's effectiveness could be undermined by the inconsistencies and ambiguities identified. Without standardization of peer support qualifications or clear financial guidelines, the impact of this well-intentioned act could be diluted.
Impact on Stakeholders
Positive Impacts:
- Individuals in Recovery: Direct beneficiaries, as the act promotes more robust and empathetic support networks, ensuring that support is both relatable and effective.
- Peer Support Specialists: Gains recognition as a formal occupation, providing better training, clearer career paths, and professional respect.
Negative Impacts:
- State Health Departments: May face challenges due to the increased burden of standardizing and implementing new certification processes within potentially inconsistent state laws.
- SAMHSA: Could experience budgetary strain and operational overlap without clear financial and functional guidelines.
In summary, while the PEER Support Act holds considerable promise for improving behavioral health support, its success will depend on careful consideration of state standardization, financial management, and the delineation of roles and responsibilities.
Issues
The definition of 'peer support specialist' in Section 2 depends on individual state certification processes, leading to potential inconsistencies in qualifications and standards across different states and potentially impacting the uniformity of the profession nationwide.
Section 4's establishment of the Office of Recovery lacks specificity regarding the budget, funding sources, or financial oversight. This raises concerns about potential financial mismanagement or wasteful spending within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The section on 'Recognizing the peer support specialist profession' (Section 3) lacks detail on budget or resources for revising the Standard Occupational Classification system, which could result in unforeseen expenses or budgetary consequences.
Section 5, which focuses on the criminal background check process for peer support specialists, does not define the role of the Attorney General in the report's development, creating potential ambiguity in responsibilities and oversight.
The requirement in Section 3 to include an occupational category for peer support specialists does not provide a justification or explanation for the necessity of this specific occupational category, which could raise questions about its priority or importance in comparison to other occupational categories.
In Section 4, the responsibilities and functions described for the Office of Recovery might overlap with existing roles, leading to potential redundancy or inefficient use of resources within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
In Section 5, the report on criminal background check processes includes a broad analysis of various state laws, which might be overly complex and difficult to complete comprehensively within the specified one-year timeframe.
Section 4 and 501D lack explicit accountability measures or evaluation metrics for assessing the effectiveness of the Office of Recovery, impacting transparency and accountability in its operations.
Sections
Sections are presented as they are annotated in the original legislative text. Any missing headers, numbers, or non-consecutive order is due to the original text.
1. Short title Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section of the bill states that the official short title is the “Providing Empathetic and Effective Recovery Support Act,” also known as the “PEER Support Act.”
2. Definition of peer support specialist Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
In this act, a "peer support specialist" is defined as someone who has personal experience with recovery from mental health or substance use issues, or as a parent or caregiver of someone facing these challenges, and is certified by their state or the Secretary of Health and Human Services. These specialists provide support according to national guidelines, helping individuals and families navigate mental health or substance use service systems.
3. Recognizing the peer support specialist profession Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The bill requires that by January 1, 2025, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget update the nation's job classification system to include a category for peer support specialists.
4. Establishing the Office of Recovery Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section establishes an Office of Recovery within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, led by a director with experience in mental health or substance use disorder recovery. The Office's responsibilities include identifying new issues, supporting development of recovery services, and professionalizing peer support specialists, while assuming previous functions and assets of the existing Office of Recovery.
501D. Office of Recovery Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The Office of Recovery, part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is led by a Director experienced in mental health or substance use disorder recovery. The Office focuses on improving recovery support services, providing training and guidance for peer support specialists, and enhancing career opportunities for these specialists.
5. Research and recommendations on criminal background check process for peer support specialists Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, along with the Attorney General, to create a report about criminal background check processes for people who want to become peer support specialists. This report will cover existing rules in different states, make recommendations to simplify the certification process, and be shared online and with various state agencies within a year.