December 18, 2025
Mr. Van Orden introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements to rehabilitation programs for veterans with service-connected disabilities, to establish a new bar to certain benefits under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Veterans Readiness and Employment Improvement and Accountability Act
.
Sec. 2. Bar to certain veterans benefits: conviction of assaulting, resisting, or impeding an officer or employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs
(a) Establishment
Section 5303(a) of title 38, United States Code, is amended—
(1)
by inserting (1)
before The discharge
; and
(2)
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(2)
(A)
The Secretary may bar a person described in subparagraph (B) from benefits under chapter 30, 31, 33, 35, or 36 of this title.
(B)
A person described in this subparagraph is a person convicted under section 111 of title 18 for an offense against an officer or employee of the Department.
(b) Applicability
The amendments made by this section shall apply to a conviction under section 111 of title 18 for an offense against an officer or employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs that occurs on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
Sec. 3. Periods of eligibility: additional vocational rehabilitation programs
Section 3103(c)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is amended—
(1)
by striking , or (B)
and inserting , (B)
; and
(2)
by striking ; or
and inserting , or (C) the veteran has not obtained employment (i) in the occupation for which such veteran had been so trained (ii) during the one-year period after the end of such training; or
.
Sec. 4. Scope of services and assistance for a rehabilitation program: approval of the Secretary required for certain payments
(a) In general
Section 3104(a) of title 38, United States Code, is amended, in paragraph (7), by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
(C)
A payment for equipment under subparagraph (A) that exceeds $5,000 shall require the approval of the Secretary.
(b) Report
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for five years, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report of payments approved under subparagraph (C) of such paragraph, as added by this section, during the year preceding the date of such report. In such a report, the Secretary shall identify, with regard to each such payment—
(1)
the equipment purchased;
(2)
the reason for the purchase; and
(3)
the total equipment purchased for the rehabilitation program of the veteran.
Sec. 5. Maximum amount for a rehabilitation program; automatic adjustment
Section 3104 of title 38, United States Code, is amended, in subsection (b)—
(1)
by inserting (1)
before A rehabilitation program
;
(2)
by designating the second and third sentences, collectively, as paragraph (2) of such subsection and adjusting the margins accordingly; and
(3)
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(3)
(A)
Subject to subparagraph (B), the amount of Federal funds paid for a rehabilitation program may not exceed $250,000.
(B)
Effective October 1, 2026, and each year thereafter, the Secretary shall increase the dollar amount in effect under paragraph (A), by a percentage equal to the most recent percentage increase under section 3015(h) of this title.
Sec. 6. Vocational rehabilitation specialist: authority to redevelop individualized vocational rehabilitation plan; definition
(a) Authority
Section 3106(f) of such title is amended by inserting (who may be a vocational rehabilitation specialist)
after employee
.
(b) Conforming amendment
Section 3101 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(11)
The term
vocational rehabilitation specialistmeans—(A)
a vocational rehabilitation specialist in the Veteran Readiness and Employment division of the Veterans Benefits Administration; or
(B)
a counseling psychologist of the Department performing the duties of a vocational rehabilitation specialist.
Sec. 7. Subsistence allowance for a veteran entitled to a rehabilitation program and Post-9/11 educational assistance: basis of location
Section 3108(b)(4) of title 38, United States Code, is amended—
(1)
by striking the institution providing the rehabilitation program concerned.
and inserting an em dash; and
(2)
by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
(A)
the institution providing the rehabilitation program concerned; or
(B)
the residence of the veteran if such residence is more than 25 miles from such institution.
Sec. 8. Employment counselors
Section 3117 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
(c)
To carry out this section, the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, employ an employment counselor at each regional office of the Department.
Sec. 9. Ineligibility of a veteran in a vocational rehabilitation program for disability compensation on the basis of a disability rated as total on the basis of individual unemployability
(a) In general
Chapter 31 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
3123. Ineligibility of a veteran in a vocational rehabilitation program for compensation for a disability rated as total on the basis of individual unemployability
A veteran participating in a vocational rehabilitation program may not receive disability compensation under chapter 11 of this title for a disability rated as total on the basis of individual unemployability.
(b) Table of sections
The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new item:
Sec. 10. Technical corrections
(a) Definitions
Section 3101 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by redesignating the paragraph (10) relating to the term emergency situation
as paragraph (1).
(b) Periods of eligibility
Section 3103 of title 38, United States Code, is amended—
(1)
in the second subsection (h), by inserting in
after participating
;
(2)
by redesignating such second subsection (h), as amended, as subsection (i); and
(3)
in subsection (a), by striking or (h)
and inserting (h) or (i)
.