House Committee on Veterans Affairs, @HouseVetAffairs I am writing to respectfully urge the Committee to consider a structural refinement to the H.R. 438 PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program Act that is essential to its successful passage and long-term implementation. The challenge facing this legislation is not a lack of support for peer-to-peer suicide prevention, nor questions about the effectiveness of the Dwyer model itself. The primary impediment is the current policy environment surrounding federal health care oversight. Ongoing litigation over health care funding conditions has absorbed significant leadership capacity across HHS, CMS and the Department of Justice, placing federal agencies in a defensive posture that has slowed evaluation, coordination and expansion of non-clinical mental health initiatives. Veteran mental health innovation has become an unintended casualty of this broader conflict. H.R. 438 PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program Act's core strength, non-clinical, trust-based peer support delivered in the community is precisely what struggles to advance when programs are tethered to federal health systems that are overwhelmed by regulatory and legal demands. As long as implementation is perceived to depend on VA or federal health agency coordination, the bill remains vulnerable to delay, risk aversion and administrative inertia that have nothing to do with Veterans’ needs. To address this, I respectfully recommend that the Committee advance H.R. 438 PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program Act through a structurally insulated model: - The program would be funded by a dedicated federal appropriation outside the VA and federal health agencies - Funds would be distributed to states as block grants based on Veteran population and related risk indicators - States would allocate funding to counties, which would administer the program through their County Veterans Service Agencies - Each county would designate a local nonprofit organization to implement the peer support model, consistent with the proven Monroe County framework This structure accomplishes several critical objectives. It removes H.R. 438 PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program Act from contested federal health care regulatory domains, shields implementation from ongoing litigation and allows Veteran suicide prevention efforts to proceed expeditiously. At the same time, it preserves accountability through formula-based funding, transparent reporting and congressional oversight, while empowering local agencies who are already trusted by Veterans. Importantly, this approach does not diminish the role or importance of the VA. Rather it complements VA clinical care by strengthening the non-clinical, community-based support network that often serves as the first point of engagement for Veterans in distress. By relieving pressure on overextended health systems, H.R. 438 PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program Act Enhances rather than competes with existing care. Veterans cannot afford to wait for the broader health policy landscape to stabilize before receiving lifesaving support. A federally funded state block grant model that’s county administered and nonprofit implemented allows Congress to act decisively, demonstrate functional governance and advance a proven Veteran suicide prevention model without delay. I appreciate the Committee’s continued leadership on behalf of Veterans and respectfully urge you to consider this structural approach to ensure that H.R. 438 PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program Act can move forward toward prompt passage. Respectfully, Bill Adams CombatNews.org Veteran Policy Put In Perspective cc: @sgtmitchell88 @blankcombatnews @RepBost @RepMarkTakano @RepJackBergman @RepNancyMace @RepMMM @RepGregMurphy @RepVanOrden @RepLuttrell @RepCiscomani @RepKeithSelf @RepJenKiggans @AbrahamHamadeh @RepKimKingHinds @tombarrettmi7 @RepBrownley @ChrisPappasNH @CongresswomanSC @MorganMcGarvey @repdeliaramirez @RepNikkiB @RepTimKennedy @RepDexterOR @RepHerbConaway @Morrison4MN