PEERS Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3521 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3521

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to include peer support 
       services at certain facilities under the Medicare program.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 17, 2025

Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself and Mr. Cassidy) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to include peer support 
       services at certain facilities under the Medicare program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Promoting Effective and Empowering 
Recovery Services in Medicare Act of 2025'' or the ``PEERS Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. INCLUSION OF PEER SUPPORT SERVICES AT CERTAIN FACILITIES UNDER 
              THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.

    (a) Services.--
            (1) Inclusion at community mental health centers.--Section 
        1832(a)(2)(J) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
        1395k(a)(2)(J)) is amended by striking ``and intensive 
        outpatient services'' and all that follows through the period 
        at the end and inserting ``, intensive outpatient services, and 
        peer support services (as defined in section 1861(nnn)(1)) 
        provided by a community mental health center (as defined in 
        section 1861(ff)(3)(B)).''.
            (2) Inclusion as rhc and fqhc services.--Section 
        1861(aa)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
        1395x(aa)(1)(B)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``or by a mental'' and inserting 
                ``by a mental''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``or by a peer support specialist 
                (as defined in subsection (nnn)(2))'' after 
                ``subsection (ll)(4)),''.
    (b) Definition.--Section 1861 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395x) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(nnn) Peer Support Services and Peer Support Specialist.--
            ``(1) Peer support services.--The term `peer support 
        services' means emotional, informational, instrumental, and 
        social and community support services--
                    ``(A) furnished--
                            ``(i) by a Federally qualified health 
                        center, a rural health clinic, a community 
                        mental health center, or a certified community 
                        behavioral health clinic (as described in 
                        section 223 of the Protecting Access to 
                        Medicare Act of 2014), using a peer support 
                        specialist; and
                            ``(ii) to an individual who has been 
                        diagnosed with a mental health condition or 
                        substance use disorder; and
                    ``(B) that are designed to assist such individual 
                in achieving recovery, integration in the community, 
                self-empowerment, and self-determination (as specified 
                by the Secretary).
            ``(2) Peer support specialist.--The term `peer support 
        specialist' means an individual who--
                    ``(A) is recovering from a mental health or 
                substance use condition; and
                    ``(B) is certified as qualified to furnish peer 
                support services under a certification process 
                consistent with the National Practice Guidelines for 
                Peer Supporters and inclusive of the Substance Abuse 
                and Mental Health Services Administration Core 
                Competencies for Peer Workers in Behavioral Health 
                Settings (as established by the State in which such 
                individual furnishes such services or under such 
                certification process determined appropriate by the 
                Secretary).''.
    (c) Exclusion Modification.--Section 1862(a)(1) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395y(a)(1)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (O), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (P), by striking the semicolon at the 
        end and inserting ``, and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(Q) in the case of peer support services (as 
                defined in section 1861(nnn(1))), which are not 
                furnished by a rural health clinic, a Federally 
                qualified health center, a community mental health 
                center, or a certified community behavioral health 
                clinic (as described in section 223 of the Protecting 
                Access to Medicare Act of 2014);''.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to items and services furnished on or after January 1, 2027.
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