# 119-hr-438: PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program Act

119-hr-438, PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. LaLota, Nick [R-NY-1] (R-NY); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-438
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-438
- Congress: 119
- Title: PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-01-15
- Sponsor: Rep. LaLota, Nick [R-NY-1] (R-NY)
- Cosponsors: 32
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**This bill would create a grant program to fund peer-to-peer mental health support for veterans.** It sets who can get grants, what the money can pay for, and standards to train and run veteran-led, nonclinical support programs. - Veterans: Veterans would gain access to nonclinical, veteran-led peer support, including group and one-to-one meetings and 24/7 support staffed by trained peers. - Eligible organizations: Grants would be open to nonprofits that historically served veterans' mental health needs, congressionally chartered veteran service organizations, and State, local, or Tribal veteran service agencies. - Grant size and uses: Each grant would be capped at $250,000 and could pay to hire veteran peer specialists, hire supporting staff, and operate programs that meet established standards. - Program rules and privacy: The Secretary would form an advisory committee to set training, staffing, and best-practice standards. Recipients would not be required to collect or report veterans' personally identifying information to the Secretary. *Authorizes up to $25 million in appropriations to carry out the program over the three-year period beginning on enactment.*

## Cosponsors (32)

- Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garbarino, Andrew R. [R-NY-2] (R-NY), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2] (R-NE), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ryan, Patrick [D-NY-18] (D-NY), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tenney, Claudia [R-NY-24] (R-NY), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1] (D-NC), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzgerald, Scott [R-WI-5] (R-WI), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26] (D-NY), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Malliotakis, Nicole [R-NY-11] (R-NY), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2025-01-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2] (R-NJ), 2025-02-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (D-CT), 2025-02-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2025-03-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Susie [D-NV-3] (D-NV), 2025-03-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9] (D-CA), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Rose, John W. [R-TN-6] (R-TN), 2025-04-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crow, Jason [D-CO-6] (D-CO), 2025-05-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bynum, Janelle S. [D-OR-5] (D-OR), 2025-06-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cisneros, Gilbert Ray [D-CA-31] (D-CA), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Himes, James A. [D-CT-4] (D-CT), 2025-07-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2] (D-CO), 2025-08-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8] (D-WA), 2025-08-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gray, Adam [D-CA-13] (D-CA), 2025-09-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2025-09-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gillen, Laura [D-NY-4] (D-NY), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY), 2025-10-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19] (D-NY), 2025-12-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2026-01-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [D-WA-3] (D-WA), 2026-01-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1] (D-HI), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Grants for veteran peer support: benefit, low. This bill would create a VA grant program for veteran peer-to-peer mental health support. Nonprofits, veteran service groups, and State, local, or Tribal veteran agencies could apply. Grants would be up to $250,000 per group, with $25 million total for three years starting at enactment. Funds could…

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## Sources
- [119-hr-438 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/438)

## Related
- [119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1422)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-2048: Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2048)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-438 (as of 2026-09-21).