To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements to the Veterans Readiness and Employment program of Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
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 Veterans Readiness and Employment Program Integrity Act
.
Sec. 2. Application requirement under Veterans Readiness and Employment program of Department of Veterans Affairs
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.
Sec. 3. Maximum duration of employment assistance under Veterans Readiness and Employment program of Department of Veterans Affairs
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.
Sec. 4. Reporting and data collection requirements under Veterans Readiness and Employment program of Department of Veterans Affairs
(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.