Veterans Readiness and Employment Program Integrity Act
Officially: “Veterans Readiness and Employment Program Integrity Act” Read the full text
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1Short title
This section states that the Act may be referred to as the Veterans Readiness and Employment Program Integrity Act.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Veterans Readiness and Employment Program Integrity Act .
2Application requirement under Veterans Readiness and Employment program of Department of Veterans Affairs
This section would amend section 3106(a) of title 38, United States Code, the law governing initial evaluations under the Veterans Readiness and Employment program. It would label the existing text of that provision as paragraph (1) and add a new paragraph (2) to it. Under the new paragraph, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs could not give a veteran an initial evaluation under paragraph (1) until the veteran has submitted an application to the Secretary. That application would have to contain whatever information the Secretary determines is appropriate.
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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 inserting (1) before The Secretary ; and (2) 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 such information as the Secretary determines appropriate. .
3Maximum duration of employment assistance under Veterans Readiness and Employment program of Department of Veterans Affairs
This section would amend section 3117(a) of title 38, United States Code, the subsection of law that provides employment assistance under the Veterans Readiness and Employment program, by adding a new paragraph (3). Under the new paragraph, a veteran could not receive assistance under that subsection for more than 365 days.
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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 veteran may not receive assistance under this subsection for more than 365 days. .
4Reporting and data collection requirements under Veterans Readiness and Employment program of Department of Veterans Affairs
This section would add several new reporting, data collection, and review requirements to the Veterans Readiness and Employment program. It would add a new section 3123 to chapter 31 of title 38, United States Code. Under that new section, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs would have to submit a report to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives regarding the employment of veterans who take part in a vocational rehabilitation program under the chapter. For each such veteran, the report would have to include the regional office responsible for providing the program to that veteran and the veteran's annual wages before and after completion of the program. The new section would also require the Secretary, on an annual basis, to make public on an appropriate Department of Veterans Affairs website the average time between the date a veteran requests a vocational rehabilitation program under the chapter and the date the veteran first meets with a counselor as part of the veteran's program. This section would also add a listing for the new section 3123 to the table of sections at the beginning of chapter 31. In addition, not later than one year after the date this Act is enacted, the Secretary would have to seek to enter into a contract with an entity outside the Department of Veterans Affairs that has expertise in vocational rehabilitation. Under that contract, the entity would review rehabilitation programs, as that term is defined in section 3101 of title 38, United States Code, under chapter 31. Not later than one year after the date of that contract, the entity would have to submit a report to the Secretary containing recommendations on how to improve and modernize those rehabilitation programs.
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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: 3123. Requirements for data collection and reporting. . (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.
Where it is
In the House.