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H.R. 3579 · House bill · 119th Congress
This bill modifies the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VR&E program provides job training and employment-related services to veterans with service-connected disabilities.
The bill requires veterans to submit an application to the VA in order to receive an initial evaluation to participate in the VR&E program.
Further, a veteran may not receive employment assistance under the VR&E program for more than 365 days.
The bill also requires the VA to report to Congress regarding the employment of veterans who participate in a vocational rehabilitation program under the VR&E program, including the annual wages of veterans before and after completion of a program. Additionally, the VA must annually publish the average time between the date on which a veteran requests a vocational rehabilitation program under the VR&E program and the date on which they first meet with a counselor as part of the program.
Finally, the VA must seek to enter into a contract with a non-VA entity that has expertise in vocational rehabilitation to review, report, and provide recommendations on rehabilitation programs under the VR&E program.
This Act may be cited as the “Veterans Readiness and Employment Program Integrity Act”.
Section 3106(a) of title 38, United States Code, is amended—
(1) by striking “necessary (1) to determine” and inserting “necessary to determine”;
(2) by striking “and (2) in the case” and inserting “and, in the case”;
(3) by inserting “(1)” before “The Secretary”; and
(4) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(2) The Secretary may not provide an initial evaluation of a veteran under paragraph (1) before the veteran submits to the Secretary an application containing the substantive work record and educational transcripts of the veteran that the Secretary determines appropriate.”.
Section 3117(a) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(3)
(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), a veteran may not receive assistance under this subsection for more than 365 days.
(B) A veteran may receive an additional 180 days of such assistance if an individual who provides counseling under this chapter to such veteran certifies that the veteran is actively seeking employment.”.
(a) In general.— Chapter 31 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
“3123. Requirements for data collection and reporting.—
(a) Data collection.— The Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report regarding the employment of veterans who participate in a vocational rehabilitation program under this chapter. Such information shall include, for each such veteran—
(1) the regional office responsible for the provision of the program; and
(2) the annual wages of the veteran before and after the completion of the program.
(b) Publication of wait times.— On an annual basis, the Secretary shall make publicly available, on an appropriate website of the Department, the average time between the date on which a veteran requests a vocational rehabilitation program under this chapter and the date on which the veteran first meets with a counselor as part of the veteran’s program.”.
(b) Clerical amendment.— The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new item:
(c) Independent review of program.—
(1) Review required.— Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall seek to enter into a contract, with a non-Department entity that has expertise in vocational rehabilitation, pursuant to which the entity shall conduct a review of rehabilitation programs (as such term is defined in section 3101 of such title) under such chapter.
(2) Report.— Not later than one year after the date of such a contract, the entity shall submit to the Secretary a report containing recommendations regarding how to improve and modernize such rehabilitation programs.