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Creates a federal occupational classification for peer support specialists, sets standards for who is a peer support specialist, establishes an Office of Recovery inside SAMHSA to support and professionalize the peer workforce, and directs HHS (with the Attorney General) to publish a report on criminal background check processes that can create barriers to certification. It sets a deadline for the occupational classification (SOC) change by January 1, 2026 and requires the background-check report within one year of enactment.
This bill aims to expand and professionalize peer support for behavioral‑health recovery—improving access, workforce recognition, and coordinated federal support—while imposing new national standards, administrative requirements, and costs that may strain states, providers, and some community practices.
People with mental health or substance use disorders and their families gain broader access to trained peer support services through national recognition, a federal recovery office coordinating expansion, and efforts to reduce unnecessary background‑check barriers.
Peer support specialists and the behavioral‑health workforce gain professionalization, clearer career pathways, and improved job stability from a new SOC code, supported training/professional development, and workforce‑planning tools.
States, Tribes, and localities receive technical assistance, data evaluation, and centralized evidence summaries to design and fund more effective recovery support programs and Medicaid policy decisions.
State governments, hospitals, and providers will face new costs and administrative burdens to develop or adopt national training/certification, follow federal recommendations, and implement any law or system changes.
Current peer providers who lack access to certification pathways may be excluded from reimbursable roles until certified, reducing available workforce and disrupting services for clients.
Mandating national guidelines and SAMHSA competencies risks reducing flexibility for culturally specific or local peer practices, potentially harming responsiveness for some communities.
Introduced April 8, 2025 by Timothy Michael Kaine · Last progress April 8, 2025