IIB 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7105 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

AN ACT 

To provide flexibility for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

in caring for homeless veterans during a covered public 

health emergency, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs to carry out a retraining assistance program for 

unemployed veterans, and for other purposes. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Dependable Employment and Living Improvements for 

6 Veterans Economic Recovery Act’’ or the ‘‘DELIVER 

7 Act’’. 

8 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

9 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—ASSISTANCE FOR HOMELESS VETERANS 

Sec. 101. Flexibility for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in caring for homeless veterans during a covered public health emergency. 

Sec. 102. Expansion of eligibility for HUD–VASH. 

Sec. 103. Legal services for homeless veterans and veterans at risk for homelessness. 

Sec. 104. Gap analysis of Department of Veterans Affairs Programs that provide assistance to women veterans who are homeless. 

Sec. 105. Improvements to grants and agreements between the Secretary of 

Veterans Affairs and entities that provide services to homeless 

veterans. 

Sec. 106. Repeal of sunset on authority to carry out program of referral and 

counseling services for veterans at risk for homelessness who 

are transitioning from certain institutions. 

Sec. 107. Coordination of case management services for veterans receiving 

housing vouchers under Tribal HUD-VASH program. 

Sec. 108. Contracting for HUD-VASH case managers. 

Sec. 109. Report on HUD-VASH staffing, training, and data systems. 

TITLE II—RETRAINING ASSISTANCE FOR VETERANS 

Sec. 201. COVID–19 Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program. 

Sec. 202. Access for the Secretaries of Labor and Veterans Affairs to the Federal directory of new hires. 

Sec. 203. Expansion of eligible class of providers of high technology programs 

of education for veterans. 

Sec. 204. Pilot program for off-base transition training for veterans and 

spouses. 

Sec. 205. Grants for provision of transition assistance to members of the 

Armed Forces after separation, retirement, or discharge. 

Sec. 206. One-year independent assessment of the effectiveness of Transition 

Assistance Program. 


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Sec. 207. Longitudinal study on changes to TAP. 

Sec. 208. Department of Veterans Affairs loan fees. 

1 TITLE I—ASSISTANCE FOR 

2 HOMELESS VETERANS 

3 SEC. 101. FLEXIBILITY FOR THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS 

4 AFFAIRS IN CARING FOR HOMELESS VET5 ERANS DURING A COVERED PUBLIC HEALTH 

6 EMERGENCY. 

7 (a) GENERAL SUPPORT.— 

8 (1) USE OF FUNDS.—During a covered public 

9 health emergency, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

10 may use amounts appropriated or otherwise made 

11 available to the Department of Veterans Affairs to 

12 carry out sections 2011, 2012, 2031, and 2061 of 

13 title 38, United States Code, to provide to homeless 

14 veterans and veterans participating in the program 

15 carried out under section 8(o)(19) of the United 

16 States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 

17 1437f(o)(19)) (commonly referred to as ‘‘HUD– 

18 VASH’’), as the Secretary determines is needed, the 

19 following: 

20 (A) Assistance required for safety and sur21 vival (such as food, shelter, clothing, blankets, 

22 and hygiene items). 

23 (B) Transportation required to support 

24 stability and health (such as for appointments 


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1 with service providers, conducting housing 

2 searches, and obtaining food and supplies). 

3 (C) Communications equipment and serv4 ices (such as tablets, smartphones, disposable 

5 phones, and related service plans) required to 

6 support stability and health (such as maintain7 ing contact with service providers, prospective 

8 landlords, and family). 

9 (D) Such other assistance as the Secretary 

10 determines is needed. 

11 (2) HOMELESS VETERANS ON LAND OF THE

12 DEPARTMENT.— 

13 (A) COLLABORATION.—During a covered 

14 public health emergency, to the extent possible, 

15 the Secretary may collaborate with one or more 

16 organizations to manage use of land of the De17 partment for homeless veterans for living and 

18 sleeping. 

19 (B) ELEMENTS.—Collaboration under sub20 paragraph (A) may include the provision by ei21 ther the Secretary or the organization of food 

22 services and security for property, buildings, 

23 and other facilities owned or controlled by the 

24 Department. 

25 (b) GRANT AND PER DIEM PROGRAM.— 


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1 (1) LIMITS ON RATES FOR PER DIEM PAY2 MENTS.—Section 20013(b) of the Coronavirus Aid, 

3 Relief, and Economic Security Act (Public Law 

4 116–136) is amended— 

5 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and 

6 (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively; 

7 (B) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

8 (A), as so redesignated, by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ be9 fore ‘‘In the case’’; and 

10 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(2) If the Secretary waives any limit on grant 

12 amounts or rates for per diem payments under paragraph 

13 (1), notwithstanding section 2012(a)(2)(B) of such title, 

14 the maximum rate for per diem payments described in 

15 paragraph (1)(B) shall be three times the rate authorized 

16 for State homes for domiciliary care under section 1741 

17 of such title.’’. 

18 (2) USE OF PER DIEM PAYMENTS.—During a 

19 covered public health emergency, a recipient of a 

20 grant or an eligible entity under the grant and per 

21 diem program of the Department (in this subsection 

22 referred to as the ‘‘program’’) may use per diem 

23 payments under sections 2012 and 2061 of title 38, 

24 United States Code, to provide assistance required 


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1 for safety and survival (such as food, shelter, cloth2 ing, blankets, and hygiene items) for— 

3 (A) homeless veterans; and 

4 (B) formerly homeless veterans residing in 

5 a facility operated wholly or in part by such a 

6 recipient or eligible entity receiving per diem 

7 payments under section 2012 of such title. 

8 (3) ADDITIONAL TRANSITIONAL HOUSING.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—During a covered pub10 lic health emergency, under the program, the 

11 Secretary may provide amounts for additional 

12 transitional housing beds to facilitate access to 

13 housing and services provided to homeless vet14 erans. 

15 (B) NOTICE; COMPETITION; PERIOD OF

16 PERFORMANCE.—The Secretary may provide 

17 amounts under subparagraph (A)— 

18 (i) without notice or competition; and 

19 (ii) for a period of performance deter20 mined by the Secretary. 

21 (4) INSPECTIONS AND LIFE SAFETY CODE RE22 QUIREMENTS.— 

23 (A) IN GENERAL.—During a covered pub24 lic health emergency, the Secretary may waive 

25 any requirement under subsection (b) or (c) of 


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1 section 2012 of title 38, United States Code, in 

2 order to allow the recipient of a grant or an eli3 gible entity under the program— 

4 (i) to quickly identify temporary alter5 nate sites of care for homeless veterans 

6 that are suitable for habitation; 

7 (ii) to facilitate social distancing or 

8 isolation needs; or 

9 (iii) to facilitate activation or continu10 ation of a program for which a grant has 

11 been awarded. 

12 (B) LIMITATION.—The Secretary may 

13 waive a requirement pursuant to the authority 

14 provided by subparagraph (A) with respect to a 

15 facility of a recipient of a grant or an eligible 

16 entity under the program only if the facility 

17 meets applicable local safety requirements, in18 cluding fire safety requirements. 

19 (c) INSPECTION AND LIFE SAFETY CODE REQUIRE20 MENTS FOR THERAPEUTIC HOUSING.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—During a covered public 

22 health emergency, the Secretary may waive any in23 spection or life safety code requirement under sub24 section (c) of section 2032 of title 38, United States 

25 Code— 


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1 (A) to allow quick identification of tem2 porary alternate sites of care for homeless vet3 erans that are suitable for habitation; 

4 (B) to facilitate social distancing or isola5 tion needs; or 

6 (C) to facilitate the operation of housing 

7 under such section. 

8 (2) LIMITATION.—The Secretary may waive a 

9 requirement pursuant to the authority provided by 

10 paragraph (1) with respect to a residence or facility 

11 referred to in such section 2032 only if the residence 

12 or facility, as the case may be, meets applicable local 

13 safety requirements, including fire safety require14 ments. 

15 (d) ACCESS TO DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF16 FAIRS TELEHEALTH SERVICES.—To the extent prac17 ticable, during a covered public health emergency, the Sec18 retary shall ensure that veterans participating in or receiv19 ing services from a program under chapter 20 of title 38, 

20 United States Code, have access to telehealth services to 

21 which such veterans are eligible under the laws adminis22 tered by the Secretary, including by ensuring that tele23 health capabilities are available to— 

24 (1) such veterans; 


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1 (2) case managers of the Department of pro2 grams for homeless veterans authorized under such 

3 chapter; and 

4 (3) community-based service providers for 

5 homeless veterans receiving funds from the Depart6 ment through grants or contracts. 

7 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 (1) COVERED PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY.— 

9 The term ‘‘covered public health emergency’’ means 

10 an emergency with respect to COVID–19 declared 

11 by a Federal, State, or local authority. 

12 (2) HOMELESS VETERAN; VETERAN.—The 

13 terms ‘‘homeless veteran’’ and ‘‘veteran’’ have the 

14 meanings given those terms in section 2002 of title 

15 38, United States Code. 

16 (3) TELEHEALTH.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘telehealth’’ 

18 means the use of electronic information and 

19 telecommunications technologies to support and 

20 promote long-distance clinical health care, pa21 tient and professional health-related education, 

22 public health, and health administration. 

23 (B) TECHNOLOGIES.—For purposes of 

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1 net, streaming media, and terrestrial and wire2 less communications. 

3 (f) EMERGENCY DESIGNATIONS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—This section is designated as 

5 an emergency requirement pursuant to section 4(g) 

6 of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 

7 U.S.C. 933(g)). 

8 (2) DESIGNATION IN SENATE.—In the Senate, 

9 this section is designated as an emergency require10 ment pursuant to section 4112(a) of H. Con. Res. 

11 71 (115th Congress), the concurrent resolution on 

12 the budget for fiscal year 2018. 

13 SEC. 102. EXPANSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR HUD–VASH. 

14 (a) HUD PROVISIONS.—Section 8(o)(19) of the 

15 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 

16 1437f(o)(19)) is amended by adding at the end the fol17 lowing new subparagraph: 

18 ‘‘(D) VETERAN DEFINED.—In this para19 graph, the term ‘veteran’ has the meaning given 

20 that term in section 2002(b) of title 38, United 

21 States Code.’’. 

22 (b) VHA CASE MANAGERS.—Subsection (b) of sec23 tion 2003 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 

24 adding at the end the following: ‘‘In the case of vouchers 

25 provided under the HUD–VASH program under section 


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1 8(o)(19) of such Act, for purposes of the preceding sen2 tence, the term ‘veteran’ shall have the meaning given 

3 such term in section 2002(b) of this title.’’. 

4 (c) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently than 

6 once each year, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

7 shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

8 of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Af9 fairs of the House of Representatives a report on the 

10 homelessness services provided under programs of 

11 the Department of Veterans Affairs, including serv12 ices under the program carried out under section 

13 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 

14 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) (commonly referred to as 

15 ‘‘HUD-VASH’’). 

16 (2) INCLUDED INFORMATION.—Each such an17 nual report shall include, with respect to the year 

18 preceding the submittal of the report— 

19 (A) a statement of the number of eligible 

20 individuals who were furnished such homeless21 ness services; 

22 (B) the number of individuals furnished 

23 such services under each such program, 

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1 ceived such services and the number of women 

2 who received such services; and 

3 (C) such other information the Secretary 

4 determines appropriate. 

5 SEC. 103. LEGAL SERVICES FOR HOMELESS VETERANS AND 

6 VETERANS AT RISK FOR HOMELESSNESS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 20 of title 38, United 

8 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 2022 

9 the following new section: 

10 ‘‘§ 2022A. Legal services for homeless veterans and 

11 veterans at risk for homelessness 

12 ‘‘(a) GRANTS.—Subject to the availability of appro13 priations provided for such purpose, the Secretary of Vet14 erans Affairs shall make grants to eligible entities that 

15 provide legal services to homeless veterans and veterans 

16 at risk for homelessness. 

17 ‘‘(b) CRITERIA.—(1) The Secretary shall— 

18 ‘‘(A) establish criteria and requirements for 

19 grants under this section, including criteria for enti20 ties eligible to receive such grants; and 

21 ‘‘(B) publish such criteria and requirements in 

22 the Federal Register. 

23 ‘‘(2) In establishing criteria and requirements under 

24 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 


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1 ‘‘(A) take into consideration any criteria and 

2 requirements needed with respect to carrying out 

3 this section in rural communities, Tribal lands, and 

4 the territories and possessions of the United States; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(B) consult with organizations that have expe7 rience in providing services to homeless veterans, in8 cluding veterans service organizations, the Equal 

9 Justice Works AmeriCorps Veterans Legal Corps, 

10 and other organizations the Secretary determines 

11 appropriate. 

12 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary may make 

13 a grant under this section to an entity applying for such 

14 a grant only if the applicant for the grant— 

15 ‘‘(1) is a public or nonprofit private entity with 

16 the capacity (as determined by the Secretary) to ef17 fectively administer a grant under this section; 

18 ‘‘(2) demonstrates that adequate financial sup19 port will be available to carry out the services for 

20 which the grant is sought consistent with the appli21 cation; 

22 ‘‘(3) agrees to meet the applicable criteria and 

23 requirements established under subsection (b)(1); 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(4) has, as determined by the Secretary, dem2 onstrated the capacity to meet such criteria and re3 quirements. 

4 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants under this section 

5 shall be used to provide homeless veterans and veterans 

6 at risk for homelessness the following legal services: 

7 ‘‘(1) Legal services related to housing, including 

8 eviction defense, representation in landlord-tenant 

9 cases, and representation in foreclosure cases. 

10 ‘‘(2) Legal services related to family law, in11 cluding assistance in court proceedings for child sup12 port, divorce, estate planning, and family reconcili13 ation. 

14 ‘‘(3) Legal services related to income support, 

15 including assistance in obtaining public benefits. 

16 ‘‘(4) Legal services related to criminal defense, 

17 including defense in matters symptomatic of home18 lessness, such as outstanding warrants, fines, and 

19 driver’s license revocation, to reduce recidivism and 

20 facilitate the overcoming of reentry obstacles in em21 ployment or housing. 

22 ‘‘(5) Legal services related to requests to up23 grade the characterization of a discharge or dis24 missal of a former member of the Armed Forces 

25 under section 1553 of title 10. 


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1 ‘‘(6) Such other legal services as the Secretary 

2 determines appropriate. 

3 ‘‘(e) FUNDS FOR WOMEN VETERANS.—For any fiscal 

4 year, not less than 10 percent of the amount authorized 

5 to be appropriated for grants under this section shall be 

6 used to provide legal services described in subsection (d) 

7 to women veterans. 

8 ‘‘(f) LOCATIONS.—To the extent practicable, the Sec9 retary shall make grants under this section to eligible enti10 ties in a manner that is equitably distributed across the 

11 geographic regions of the United States, including with 

12 respect to— 

13 ‘‘(1) rural communities; 

14 ‘‘(2) Tribal lands; 

15 ‘‘(3) Native Americans; and 

16 ‘‘(4) Tribal organizations. 

17 ‘‘(g) REPORTS.—On a biennial basis, the Secretary 

18 shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of 

19 the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on 

20 grants under this section. To the extent feasible, each such 

21 report shall include the following with respect to the year 

22 covered by the report: 

23 ‘‘(1) The number of homeless veterans and vet24 erans at risk for homelessness assisted. 


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1 ‘‘(2) A description of the legal services pro2 vided. 

3 ‘‘(3) A description of the legal matters ad4 dressed. 

5 ‘‘(4) An analysis by the Secretary with respect 

6 to the operational effectiveness and cost-effectiveness 

7 of the services provided.’’. 

8 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

9 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

10 after the item relating to section 2022 the following new 

11 item: 

‘‘2022A. Legal services for homeless veterans and veterans at risk for homelessness.’’. 

12 (c) CRITERIA.—Not later than 180 days after the 

13 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet14 erans Affairs shall establish the criteria and requirements 

15 in the Federal Register pursuant to subsection (b)(1) of 

16 section 2022A of title 38, United States Code, as added 

17 by subsection (a). 

18 SEC. 104. GAP ANALYSIS OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

19 AFFAIRS PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE ASSIST20 ANCE TO WOMEN VETERANS WHO ARE HOME21 LESS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

23 shall complete an analysis of programs of the Department 

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1 erans who are homeless or precariously housed to identify 

2 the areas in which such programs are failing to meet the 

3 needs of such women. 

4 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the date 

5 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

6 to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

7 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep8 resentatives a report on the analysis completed under sub9 section (a). 

10 SEC. 105. IMPROVEMENTS TO GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS 

11 BETWEEN THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AF12 FAIRS AND ENTITIES THAT PROVIDE SERV13 ICES TO HOMELESS VETERANS. 

14 (a) INCREASE IN PER DIEM PAYMENTS.—Subsection 

15 (a)(2)(B) of section 2012 of title 38, United States Code, 

16 is amended— 

17 (1) by striking clause (i) and inserting the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(i) Except as provided in clause (ii) or (iii) and sub20 ject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary 

21 shall determine the rate under this paragraph, which— 

22 ‘‘(I) may not— 

23 ‘‘(aa) be lower than the amount in effect 

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1 ployment and Living Improvements for Vet2 erans Economic Recovery Act; or 

3 ‘‘(bb) exceed the amount that is 115 per4 cent of the rate authorized for State homes for 

5 domiciliary care under subsection (a)(1)(A) of 

6 section 1741 of this title, as the Secretary may 

7 increase from time to time under subsection (c) 

8 of that section; and 

9 ‘‘(II) may be determined on the basis of local10 ity.’’; and 

11 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

12 clause: 

13 ‘‘(iii) With respect to a homeless veteran who has 

14 care of a minor dependent while receiving services from 

15 the grant recipient or eligible entity, the daily cost of care 

16 shall be the sum of the daily cost of care determined under 

17 subparagraph (A) plus, for each such minor dependent, 

18 an amount that equals 50 percent of such daily cost of 

19 care.’’. 

20 (b) REIMBURSEMENT OF CERTAIN FEES.—Such sec21 tion is further amended by adding at the end the following 

22 new subsection: 

23 ‘‘(e) REIMBURSEMENT OF ENTITIES FOR CERTAIN

24 FEES.—The Secretary may reimburse the recipient of a 

25 grant under section 2011, 2012, 2013, or 2061 of this 


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1 title for fees charged to that grant recipient for the use 

2 of the homeless management information system described 

3 in section 402 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assist4 ance Act (Public Law 100–77; 42 U.S.C. 11630a)— 

5 ‘‘(1) in amounts the Secretary determines to be 

6 reasonable; and 

7 ‘‘(2) if the Secretary determines that the grant 

8 recipient is unable to obtain information contained 

9 in such system through other means and at no cost 

10 to the grant recipient.’’. 

11 SEC. 106. REPEAL OF SUNSET ON AUTHORITY TO CARRY 

12 OUT PROGRAM OF REFERRAL AND COUN13 SELING SERVICES FOR VETERANS AT RISK 

14 FOR HOMELESSNESS WHO ARE 

15 TRANSITIONING FROM CERTAIN INSTITU16 TIONS. 

17 Section 2023 of title 38, United States Code, is 

18 amended— 

19 (1) by striking subsection (d); and 

20 (2) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub21 section (d). 


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1 SEC. 107. COORDINATION OF CASE MANAGEMENT SERV2 ICES FOR VETERANS RECEIVING HOUSING 

3 VOUCHERS UNDER TRIBAL HUD-VASH PRO4 GRAM. 

5 Section 2003 of title 38, United States Code, is 

6 amended by adding at the end the following new sub7 section: 

8 ‘‘(c) MOU ON IHS ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 

9 may enter into a memorandum of understanding with the 

10 Secretary of Health and Human Services under which 

11 case managers of the Indian Health Service may provide 

12 case management assistance to veterans who receive hous13 ing vouchers under the Tribal HUD-VASH program of 

14 the Department of Housing and Urban Development.’’. 

15 SEC. 108. CONTRACTING FOR HUD-VASH CASE MANAGERS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 304 of the Honoring 

17 America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Fami18 lies Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–154; 38 U.S.C. 2041 

19 note) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (a)— 

21 (A) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ before ‘‘The Sec22 retary’’; 

23 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

24 paragraphs: 


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1 ‘‘(2)(A) Subject to subparagraphs (B) and (C), the 

2 director of a covered medical center shall seek to enter 

3 into a contract or agreement described in paragraph (1). 

4 ‘‘(B) A contract or agreement under subparagraph 

5 (A) may require that a case manager employed by an eligi6 ble entity have credentials equivalent to those of a case 

7 manager of the Department. 

8 ‘‘(C) The Secretary may waive the requirement under 

9 subparagraph (A) if the Secretary determines that ful10 filling such requirement is infeasible. If the Secretary 

11 grants such a waiver, the Secretary shall submit, not later 

12 than 90 days after granting such waiver, to the Commit13 tees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Rep14 resentatives, a report containing— 

15 ‘‘(i) an explanation of that determination; 

16 ‘‘(ii) a plan to increase the number of case 

17 managers of the Department; and 

18 ‘‘(iii) a plan for the covered medical center to 

19 increase use of such vouchers. 

20 ‘‘(D) In this paragraph, the term ‘covered medical 

21 center’ means a medical center of the Department that 

22 the Secretary determines— 

23 ‘‘(i) had more than 15 percent of all vouchers 

24 allocated to that medical center under the program 

25 described in paragraph (1) through the fiscal year 


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1 preceding such determination go unused due to a 

2 lack of case management services provided by the 

3 Secretary; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) has a case manager position that has been 

5 vacant for at least nine consecutive months imme6 diately preceding the date of such determination.’’; 

7 and 

8 (2) in subsection (b)(2)— 

9 (A) in the matter before subparagraph (A), 

10 by striking ‘‘, including because—’’ and insert11 ing a period; and 

12 (B) by striking subparagraphs (A), (B), 

13 and (C). 

14 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

15 this section shall take effect on the first day of the first 

16 fiscal year to begin on or after the date of the enactment 

17 of this Act. 

18 SEC. 109. REPORT ON HUD-VASH STAFFING, TRAINING, AND 

19 DATA SYSTEMS. 

20 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact21 ment of this Act, and every three years thereafter, the Sec22 retary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees 

23 on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and 

24 the Senate a report that includes the following: 


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1 (1) An assessment of the hiring needs of the 

2 program carried out under section 8(o)(19) of the 

3 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 

4 1437f(o)(19)) (commonly referred to as ‘‘HUD5 VASH’’), including— 

6 (A) identification of the number of HUD7 VASH case managers as of the date of the re8 port including— 

9 (i) the total number of vacancies; and 

10 (ii) the vacancies at each medical cen11 ter of the Department of Veterans Affairs; 

12 (B) the number of HUD-VASH case man13 agers that the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs 

14 and Housing and Urban Development deter15 mine necessary to meet the needs of the De16 partment and program; and 

17 (C) the amount of turnover among HUD18 VASH case managers and whether the turnover 

19 was planned or unexpected. 

20 (2) An assessment of how compensation, includ21 ing recruitment and retention incentives, for HUD22 VASH case managers affects turnover, and what 

23 percentage of retention compensation is provided to 

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1 ment of Veterans Affairs (compared to other posi2 tions). 

3 (3) A comparison of compensation described in 

4 paragraph (2) with the compensation provided to 

5 State, local, and nongovernmental housing employees 

6 at comparable training and experience levels. 

7 (4) Examples of how the Departments have 

8 worked with non-Federal partners (such as local 

9 governments, nongovernmental organizations, vet10 erans service organizations, and employee unions) to 

11 meet the staffing needs of the HUD-VASH pro12 gram. 

13 (5) Examples of how medical centers of the De14 partment of Veterans Affairs with high retention 

15 rates for HUD-VASH case managers have been able 

16 to maintain their staffing levels. 

17 TITLE II—RETRAINING 

18 ASSISTANCE FOR VETERANS 

19 SEC. 201. COVID–19 VETERAN RAPID RETRAINING ASSIST20 ANCE PROGRAM. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

22 shall carry out a program under which the Secretary shall 

23 provide up to 12 months of retraining assistance to an 

24 eligible veteran for the pursuit of a covered program of 

25 education. Such retraining assistance shall be in addition 


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1 to any other entitlement to educational assistance or bene2 fits for which a veteran is, or has been, eligible. 

3 (b) ELIGIBLE VETERANS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this section, 

5 the term ‘‘eligible veteran’’ means a veteran who— 

6 (A) as of the date of the receipt by the De7 partment of Veterans Affairs of the application 

8 for assistance under this section, is at least 22 

9 years of age but not more than 66 years of age; 

10 (B) as of such date, is unemployed by rea11 son of the covered public health emergency, as 

12 certified by the veteran; 

13 (C) as of such date, is not eligible to re14 ceive educational assistance under chapter 30, 

15 31, 32, 33, or 35 of title 38, United States 

16 Code, or chapter 1606 of title 10, United States 

17 Code; 

18 (D) is not enrolled in any Federal or State 

19 jobs program; 

20 (E) is not in receipt of compensation for a 

21 service-connected disability rated totally dis22 abling by reason of unemployability; and 

23 (F) will not be in receipt of unemployment 

24 compensation (as defined in section 85(b) of the 

25 Internal Revenue Code of 1986), including any 


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1 cash benefit received pursuant to subtitle A of 

2 title II of division A of the CARES Act (Public 

3 Law 116–136), as of the first day on which the 

4 veteran would receive a housing stipend pay5 ment under this section. 

6 (2) TREATMENT OF VETERANS WHO TRANSFER

7 ENTITLEMENT.—For purposes of paragraph (1)(C), 

8 a veteran who has transferred all of the veteran’s 

9 entitlement to educational assistance under section 

10 3319 of title 38, United States Code, shall be con11 sidered to be a veteran who is not eligible to receive 

12 educational assistance under chapter 33 of such 

13 title. 

14 (3) FAILURE TO COMPLETE.—A veteran who 

15 receives retraining assistance under this section to 

16 pursue a program of education and who fails to com17 plete the program of education shall not be eligible 

18 to receive additional assistance under this section. 

19 (c) COVERED PROGRAMS OF EDUCATION.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this section, 

21 a covered program of education is a program of edu22 cation (as such term is defined in section 3452(b) of 

23 title 38, United States Code) for training, pursued 

24 on a full-time or part-time basis— 

25 (A) that— 


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1 (i) is approved under chapter 36 of 

2 such title; 

3 (ii) does not lead to a bachelors or 

4 graduate degree; and 

5 (iii) is designed to provide training for 

6 a high-demand occupation, as determined 

7 under paragraph (3); or 

8 (B) that is a high technology program of 

9 education offered by a qualified provider, under 

10 the meaning given such terms in section 116 of 

11 the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational 

12 Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–48; 38 

13 U.S.C. 3001 note). 

14 (2) ACCREDITED PROGRAMS.—In the case of an 

15 accredited program of education, the program of 

16 education shall not be considered a covered program 

17 of education under this section if the program has 

18 received a show cause order from the accreditor of 

19 the program during the five-year period preceding 

20 the date of the enactment of this Act. 

21 (3) DETERMINATION OF HIGH-DEMAND OCCU22 PATIONS.— 

23 (A) INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION.—In car24 rying out this section, the Secretary shall use 

25 the list of high-demand occupations compiled by 


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1 the Commissioner of Labor Statistics until the 

2 final list under subparagraph (C) is complete. 

3 (B) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of 

4 Veterans Affairs shall enter into an agreement 

5 with a federally funded research and develop6 ment corporation or another appropriate non7 Department entity for the conduct of a study to 

8 determine which occupations are high-demand 

9 occupations. Such study shall be completed not 

10 later than 90 days after the date of the enact11 ment of this Act. 

12 (C) FINAL LIST.—The Secretary— 

13 (i) may add or remove occupation 

14 from the list in use pursuant to subpara15 graph (A) during the 90-day period fol16 lowing the completion of the study required 

17 by subparagraph (B); 

18 (ii) shall issue a final list of high-de19 mand occupations for use under this sec20 tion by not later than 90 days after the 

21 date of the completion of the study; and 

22 (iii) shall make such final list publicly 

23 available on a website of the Department. 

24 (D) USE OF LIST.—The Secretary shall 

25 use the list developed under this paragraph in 


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1 order to apply the requirement that retraining 

2 assistance under this section is used for train3 ing for a high-demand occupation, but the Sec4 retary may remove occupations from the list as 

5 the Secretary determines appropriate. 

6 (4) FULL-TIME DEFINED.—For purposes of 

7 this subsection, the term ‘‘full-time’’ has the mean8 ing given such term under section 3688 of title 38, 

9 United States Code. 

10 (d) AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE.— 

11 (1) RETRAINING ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 

12 of Veterans Affairs shall provide to an eligible vet13 eran pursuing a covered program of education under 

14 the retraining assistance program under this section 

15 an amount equal to the amount of educational as16 sistance payable under section 3313(c)(1)(A) of title 

17 38, United States Code, for each month the veteran 

18 pursues the covered program of education. Such 

19 amount shall be payable directly to the educational 

20 institution offering the covered program of education 

21 pursued by the veteran as follows: 

22 (A) 50 percent of the total amount payable 

23 shall be paid when the eligible veteran begins 

24 the program of education. 


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1 (B) 25 percent of the total amount payable 

2 shall be paid when the eligible veteran com3 pletes the program of education. 

4 (C) 25 percent of the total amount payable 

5 shall be paid when the eligible veteran finds em6 ployment in a field related to the program of 

7 education. 

8 (2) FAILURE TO COMPLETE.— 

9 (A) PRO-RATED PAYMENTS.—In the case 

10 of a veteran who pursues a covered program of 

11 education under the retraining assistance pro12 gram under this section, but who does not com13 plete the program of education, the Secretary 

14 shall pay to the educational institution offering 

15 such program of education a pro-rated amount 

16 based on the number of months the veteran 

17 pursued the program of education in accordance 

18 with this paragraph. 

19 (B) PAYMENT OTHERWISE DUE UPON

20 COMPLETION OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary 

21 shall pay to the educational institution a pro22 rated amount under paragraph (1)(B) when the 

23 veteran provides notice to the educational insti24 tution that the veteran no longer intends to 

25 pursue the program of education. 


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1 (C) NONRECOVERY FROM VETERAN.—In 

2 the case of a veteran referred to in subpara3 graph (A), the educational institution may not 

4 seek payment from the veteran for any amount 

5 that would have been payable under paragraph 

6 (1)(B) had the veteran completed the program 

7 of education. 

8 (D) PAYMENT DUE UPON EMPLOYMENT.— 

9 (i) VETERANS WHO FIND EMPLOY10 MENT.—In the case of a veteran referred 

11 to in subparagraph (A) who finds employ12 ment in a field related to the program of 

13 education during the 180-day period begin14 ning on the date on which the veteran 

15 withdraws from the program of education, 

16 the Secretary shall pay to the educational 

17 institution a pro-rated amount under para18 graph (1)(C) when the veteran finds such 

19 employment. 

20 (ii) VETERANS WHO DO NOT FIND EM21 PLOYMENT.—In the case of a veteran re22 ferred to in subparagraph (A) who does 

23 not find employment in a field related to 

24 the program of education during the 180- 

25 day period beginning on the date on which 


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1 the veteran withdraws from the program of 

2 education— 

3 (I) the Secretary shall not make 

4 a payment to the educational institu5 tion under paragraph (1)(C); and 

6 (II) the educational institution 

7 may not seek payment from the vet8 eran for any amount that would have 

9 been payable under paragraph (1)(C) 

10 had the veteran found employment 

11 during such 180-day period. 

12 (3) HOUSING STIPEND.—For each month that 

13 an eligible veteran pursues a covered program of 

14 education under the retraining assistance program 

15 under this section, the Secretary shall pay to the 

16 veteran a monthly housing stipend in an amount 

17 equal to— 

18 (A) in the case of a covered program of 

19 education leading to a degree, or a covered pro20 gram of education not leading to a degree, at 

21 an institution of higher learning (as that term 

22 is defined in section 3452(f) of title 38, United 

23 States Code) pursued on more than a half-time 

24 basis, the amount specified under subsection 


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1 (c)(1)(B) of section 3313 of title 38, United 

2 States Code; 

3 (B) in the case of a covered program of 

4 education other than a program of education 

5 leading to a degree at an institution other than 

6 an institution of higher learning pursued on 

7 more than a half-time basis, the amount speci8 fied under subsection (g)(3)(A)(ii) of such sec9 tion; or 

10 (C) in the case of a covered program of 

11 education pursued on less than a half-time 

12 basis, or a covered program of education pur13 sued solely through distance learning on more 

14 than a half-time basis, the amount specified 

15 under subsection (c)(1)(B)(iii) of such section. 

16 (4) FAILURE TO FIND EMPLOYMENT.—The 

17 Secretary shall not make a payment under para18 graph (1)(C) with respect to an eligible veteran who 

19 completes or fails to complete a program of edu20 cation under the retraining assistance program 

21 under this section if the veteran fails to find employ22 ment in a field related to the program of education 

23 within the 180-period beginning on the date on 

24 which the veteran withdraws from or completes the 

25 program. 


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1 (e) NO TRANSFERABILITY.—Retraining assistance 

2 provided under this section may not be transferred to an3 other individual. 

4 (f) EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor shall 

6 contact each veteran who pursues a covered program 

7 of education under this section— 

8 (A) not later than 30 days after the date 

9 on which the veteran begins the program of 

10 education to notify the veteran of the avail11 ability of employment placement services upon 

12 completion of the program; and 

13 (B) not later than 14 days after the date 

14 on which the veteran completes, or terminates 

15 participation in, such program to facilitate the 

16 provision of employment placement services to 

17 such veteran. 

18 (2) PROVISION OF INFORMATION.—The Sec19 retary of Veterans Affairs shall provide to the Sec20 retary of Labor such information as may be nec21 essary to carry out paragraph (1). 

22 (g) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 

24 Affairs shall seek to enter into a memorandum of 

25 understanding with one or more qualified nonprofit 


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1 organizations for the purpose of facilitating the em2 ployment of veterans who participate in the retrain3 ing assistance program under this section. 

4 (2) QUALIFIED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.— 

5 For purposes of this subsection, a qualified non6 profit organization is a nonprofit organization 

7 that— 

8 (A) is an association of businesses; and 

9 (B) has at least two years of experience 

10 providing job placement services for veterans. 

11 (h) FOLLOW UP OUTREACH.—The Secretary of Vet12 erans Affairs, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor 

13 shall contact each veteran who completes a covered pro14 gram of education under the retraining assistance pro15 gram under this section 30, 60, 90, and 180 days after 

16 the veteran completes such program of education to ask 

17 the veteran about the experience of the veteran in the re18 training assistance program and the veteran’s employment 

19 status. 

20 (i) QUARTERLY REPORTS.—Not later than the date 

21 that is one year after the date of the enactment of this 

22 Act, and quarterly thereafter, the Secretary of Labor shall 

23 submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen24 ate and House of Representatives a report containing the 


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1 following information about veterans who participate in 

2 the retraining assistance program under this section: 

3 (1) The percentage of such veterans who found 

4 employment before the end of the second calendar 

5 quarter after exiting the program. 

6 (2) The percentage of such veterans who found 

7 employment before the end of the fourth calendar 

8 quarter after exiting the program. 

9 (3) The median earnings of all such veterans 

10 for the second quarter after exiting the program. 

11 (4) The percentage of such veterans who attain 

12 a recognized postsecondary credential during the 12- 

13 month period after exiting the program. 

14 (j) LIMITATION.—Not more than 17,250 eligible vet15 erans may receive retraining assistance under this section. 

16 (k) TERMINATION.—No retraining assistance may be 

17 paid under this section after the date that is 21 months 

18 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

19 (l) GAO REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the 

20 termination of the retraining assistance program under 

21 subsection (k), the Comptroller General shall submit to 

22 the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

23 House of Representatives a report on the outcomes and 

24 effectiveness of the program. 

25 (m) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) The term ‘‘covered public health emer2 gency’’ means the declaration— 

3 (A) of a public health emergency, based on 

4 an outbreak of COVID–19 by the Secretary of 

5 Health and Human Services under section 319 

6 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

7 247d); or 

8 (B) of a domestic emergency, based on an 

9 outbreak of COVID–19 by the President, the 

10 Secretary of Homeland Security, or State, or 

11 local authority. 

12 (2) The term ‘‘veteran’’ means— 

13 (A) a person who served in the active mili14 tary, naval, or air service, and who was dis15 charged or released therefrom under conditions 

16 other than dishonorable; or 

17 (B) a member of a reserve component of 

18 the Armed Forces who performs active service 

19 for a period of 30 days or longer by reason of 

20 the covered public health emergency. 

21 (3) The term ‘‘active service’’ has the meaning 

22 given such term in section 101 of title 10, United 

23 States Code. 

24 (n) FUNDING.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—For each fiscal year for 

2 which the Secretary provides retraining assistance 

3 under this section, such sums as may be necessary 

4 shall be made available for such assistance from 

5 funds appropriated to, or otherwise made available 

6 to, the Department for the payment of readjustment 

7 benefits. 

8 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—There is author9 ized to be appropriated $15,000,000 to carry out ad10 ministrative functions of this section. 

11 (o) INITIATION OF PAYMENTS.—The Secretary may 

12 begin providing retraining assistance under this section on 

13 the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment 

14 of this Act. 

15 SEC. 202. ACCESS FOR THE SECRETARIES OF LABOR AND 

16 VETERANS AFFAIRS TO THE FEDERAL DIREC17 TORY OF NEW HIRES. 

18 Section 453A(h) of the Social Security Act (42 

19 U.S.C. 653a(h)) is amended by adding at the end the fol20 lowing new paragraph: 

21 ‘‘(4) VETERAN EMPLOYMENT.—The Secretaries 

22 of Labor and of Veterans Affairs shall have access 

23 to information reported by employers pursuant to 

24 subsection (b) of this section for purposes of track25 ing employment of veterans.’’. 


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1 SEC. 203. EXPANSION OF ELIGIBLE CLASS OF PROVIDERS 

2 OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS OF EDU3 CATION FOR VETERANS. 

4 Section 116 of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Edu5 cational Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–48; 38 

6 U.S.C. 3001 note) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 

8 following: ‘‘The Secretary shall treat an individual as 

9 an eligible veteran if the Secretary determines that 

10 the individual shall become an eligible veteran fewer 

11 than 180 days after the date of such determination. 

12 If an individual treated as an eligible veteran by rea13 son of the preceding sentence does anything to make 

14 the veteran ineligible during the 180-day period re15 ferred to in such sentence, the Secretary may re16 quire the veteran to repay any benefits received by 

17 such veteran by reason of such sentence.’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (c)— 

19 (A) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ‘‘has 

20 been operational for at least 2 years’’ and in21 serting ‘‘employs instructors whom the Sec22 retary determines are experts in their respective 

23 fields in accordance with paragraph (6)’’; and 

24 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

25 paragraph: 


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1 ‘‘(6) EXPERTS.—The Secretary shall determine 

2 whether instructors are experts under paragraph 

3 (3)(A) based on evidence furnished to the Secretary 

4 by the provider regarding the ability of the instruc5 tors to— 

6 ‘‘(A) identify professions in need of new 

7 employees to hire, tailor the programs to meet 

8 market needs, and identify the employers likely 

9 to hire graduates; 

10 ‘‘(B) effectively teach the skills offered to 

11 eligible veterans; 

12 ‘‘(C) provide relevant industry experience 

13 in the fields of programs offered to incoming el14 igible veterans; and 

15 ‘‘(D) demonstrate relevant industry experi16 ence in such fields of programs.’’; 

17 (3) in subsection (d), in the matter preceding 

18 paragraph (1)— 

19 (A) by inserting ‘‘(not including an indi20 vidual described in the second sentence of sub21 section (b))’’ after ‘‘each eligible veteran’’; and 

22 (B) by inserting ‘‘or part-time’’ after ‘‘full23 time’’; 

24 (4) in subsection (g), by striking 

25 ‘‘$15,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$45,000,000’’; and 


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1 (5) by adding at the end the following new sub2 section (i): 

3 ‘‘(i) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN ACCOUNTING OF AS4 SISTANCE.—The Secretary may not consider enrollment in 

5 a high technology program of education under this section 

6 to be assistance under a provision of law referred to in 

7 section 3695 of title 38, United States Code.’’. 

8 SEC. 204. PILOT PROGRAM FOR OFF-BASE TRANSITION 

9 TRAINING FOR VETERANS AND SPOUSES. 

10 (a) EXTENSION OF PILOT PROGRAM.—Subsection 

11 (a) of section 301 of the Dignified Burial and Other Vet12 erans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2012 (Public Law 

13 112–260; 10 U.S.C. 1144 note) is amended— 

14 (1) by striking ‘‘During the two-year period be15 ginning on the date of the enactment of this Act’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘During the 5-year period beginning 

17 on the date of the enactment of the Dependable Em18 ployment and Living Improvements for Veterans 

19 Economic Recovery Act’’; and 

20 (2) by striking ‘‘to assess the feasibility and ad21 visability of providing such program to eligible indi22 viduals at locations other than military installa23 tions’’. 

24 (b) LOCATIONS.—Subsection (c) of such section is 

25 amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘not less than 

2 three and not more than five States’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘not fewer than 50 locations in States (as defined 

4 in section 101 of title 38, United States Code)’’; 

5 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘at least two’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘at least 20’’; and 

7 (3) by adding at the end the following new 

8 paragraphs: 

9 ‘‘(5) PREFERENCES.—In selecting States for 

10 participation in the pilot program, the Secretary 

11 shall provide a preference for any State with— 

12 ‘‘(A) a high rate of usage of unemployment 

13 benefits for recently separated members of the 

14 Armed Forces; or 

15 ‘‘(B) a labor force or economy that has 

16 been significantly impacted by the covered pub17 lic health emergency. 

18 ‘‘(6) COVERED PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY.— 

19 In this subsection, the term ‘covered public health 

20 emergency’ means the declaration— 

21 ‘‘(A) of a public health emergency, based 

22 on an outbreak of COVID–19 by the Secretary 

23 of Health and Human Services under section 

24 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 

25 U.S.C. 247d); or 


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1 ‘‘(B) of a domestic emergency, based on an 

2 outbreak of COVID–19 by the President, the 

3 Secretary of Homeland Security, or State, or 

4 local authority.’’. 

5 (c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Subsection (e) of such section 

6 is amended by adding at the end the following new sen7 tence: ‘‘Each such report shall include information about 

8 the employment outcomes of the eligible individuals who 

9 received such training during the year covered by the re10 port.’’. 

11 (d) CONFORMING REPEAL.—Subsection (f) of such 

12 section is repealed. 

13 SEC. 205. GRANTS FOR PROVISION OF TRANSITION ASSIST14 ANCE TO MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES 

15 AFTER SEPARATION, RETIREMENT, OR DIS16 CHARGE. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

18 shall make grants to eligible organizations for the provi19 sion of transition assistance to members of the Armed 

20 Forces who are separated, retired, or discharged from the 

21 Armed Forces, and spouses of such members. 

22 (b) USE OF FUNDS.—The recipient of a grant under 

23 this section shall use the grant to provide to members of 

24 the Armed Forces and spouses described in subsection (a) 

25 resume assistance, interview training, job recruitment 


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1 training, and related services leading directly to successful 

2 transition, as determined by the Secretary. 

3 (c) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS.—To be eligible for a 

4 grant under this section, an organization shall submit to 

5 the Secretary an application containing such information 

6 and assurances as the Secretary, in consultation with the 

7 Secretary of Labor, may require. 

8 (d) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this section, 

9 the Secretary shall give priority to an organization that— 

10 (1) provides multiple forms of services described 

11 in subsection (b); or 

12 (2) is located in a State with— 

13 (A) a high rate of veteran unemployment; 

14 (B) a high rate of usage of unemployment 

15 benefits for recently separated members of the 

16 Armed Forces; or 

17 (C) a labor force or economy that has been 

18 significantly impacted by the covered public 

19 health emergency (as such term is defined in 

20 section 201(l)(1)). 

21 (e) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—A grant under this section 

22 shall be in an amount that does not exceed 50 percent 

23 of the amount required by the organization to provide the 

24 services described in subsection (b). 


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1 (f) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall carry out this 

2 section not later than six months after the effective date 

3 of this Act. 

4 (g) TERMINATION.—The authority to provide a grant 

5 under this section shall terminate on the date that is five 

6 years after the date on which the Secretary implements 

7 the grant program under this section. 

8 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

9 authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 to carry out 

10 this section. 

11 SEC. 206. ONE-YEAR INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF THE 

12 EFFECTIVENESS OF TRANSITION ASSIST13 ANCE PROGRAM. 

14 (a) INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 90 

15 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec16 retary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the cov17 ered officials, shall enter into an agreement with an appro18 priate entity with experience in adult education to carry 

19 out a one-year independent assessment of the Transition 

20 Assistance Program under sections 1142 and 1144 of title 

21 10, United States Code (in this section referred to as 

22 ‘‘TAP’’), including— 

23 (1) the effectiveness of TAP for members of 

24 each military department during the entire military 

25 life cycle; 


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1 (2) the appropriateness of the TAP career read2 iness standards; 

3 (3) a review of information that is provided to 

4 the Department of Veterans Affairs under TAP, in5 cluding mental health data; 

6 (4) whether TAP effectively addresses the chal7 lenges veterans face entering the civilian workforce 

8 and in translating experience and skills from mili9 tary service to the job market; 

10 (5) whether TAP effectively addresses the chal11 lenges faced by the families of veterans making the 

12 transition to civilian life; 

13 (6) appropriate metrics regarding TAP out14 comes for members of the Armed Forces one year 

15 after separation, retirement, or discharge from the 

16 Armed Forces; 

17 (7) what the Secretary, in consultation with the 

18 covered officials and veterans service organizations 

19 determine to be successful outcomes for TAP; 

20 (8) whether members of the Armed Forces 

21 achieve successful outcomes for TAP, as determined 

22 under paragraph (7); 

23 (9) how the Secretary and the covered officials 

24 provide feedback to each other regarding such out25 comes; 


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1 (10) recommendations for the Secretaries of the 

2 military departments regarding how to improve out3 comes for members of the Armed Forces after sepa4 ration, retirement, and discharge; and 

5 (11) other topics the Secretary and the covered 

6 officials determine would aid members of the Armed 

7 Forces as they transition to civilian life. 

8 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the com9 pletion of the independent assessment under subsection 

10 (a), the Secretary and the covered officials, shall submit 

11 to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

12 House of Representatives and the Committees on Armed 

13 Services of the Senate and House of Representatives— 

14 (1) the findings and recommendations (includ15 ing recommended legislation) of the independent as16 sessment prepared by the entity described in sub17 section (a); and 

18 (2) responses of the Secretary and the covered 

19 officials to the findings and recommendations de20 scribed in paragraph (1). 

21 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

22 (1) The term ‘‘covered officials’’ means— 

23 (A) the Secretary of Defense; 

24 (B) the Secretary of Labor; 


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1 (C) the Administrator of the Small Busi2 ness Administration; and 

3 (D) the Secretaries of the military depart4 ments. 

5 (2) The term ‘‘military department’’ has the 

6 meaning given that term in section 101 of title 10, 

7 United States Code. 

8 SEC. 207. LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON CHANGES TO TAP. 

9 (a) STUDY.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

10 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 

11 Affairs, in consultation with the Secretaries of Defense 

12 and Labor and the Administrator of the Small Business 

13 Administration, shall conduct a five-year longitudinal 

14 study regarding the Transition Assistance Program under 

15 sections 1142 and 1144 of title 10, United States Code 

16 (in this section referred to as ‘‘TAP’’), on three separate 

17 cohorts of members of the Armed Forces who have sepa18 rated from the Armed Forces, including— 

19 (1) a cohort that has attended TAP counseling 

20 as implemented on the date of the enactment of this 

21 Act; 

22 (2) a cohort that attends TAP counseling after 

23 the Secretaries of Defense and Labor implement 

24 changes recommended in the report under section 

25 206(b); and 


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1 (3) a cohort that has not attended TAP coun2 seling. 

3 (b) PROGRESS REPORTS.—Not later than 90 days 

4 after the date that is one year after the date of the initi5 ation of the study under subsection (a) and annually 

6 thereafter for the three subsequent years, the Secretaries 

7 of Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Labor, and the Adminis8 trator of the Small Business Administration, shall submit 

9 to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

10 House of Representatives and the Committees on Armed 

11 Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a 

12 progress report of activities under the study during the 

13 immediately preceding year. 

14 (c) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

15 the completion of the study under subsection (a), the Sec16 retaries of Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Labor, and the 

17 Administrator of the Small Business Administration, shall 

18 submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen19 ate and House of Representatives and the Committees on 

20 Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representa21 tives a report of final findings and recommendations based 

22 on the study. 

23 (d) ELEMENTS.—The final report under subsection 

24 (c) shall include information regarding the following: 


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1 (1) The percentage of each cohort that received 

2 unemployment benefits during the study. 

3 (2) The numbers of months members of each 

4 cohort were employed during the study. 

5 (3) Annual starting and ending salaries of 

6 members of each cohort who were employed during 

7 the study. 

8 (4) How many members of each cohort enrolled 

9 in an institution of higher learning, as that term is 

10 defined in section 3452(f) of title 38, United States 

11 Code. 

12 (5) The academic credit hours, degrees, and 

13 certificates obtained by members of each cohort dur14 ing the study. 

15 (6) The annual income of members of each co16 hort. 

17 (7) The total household income of members of 

18 each cohort. 

19 (8) How many members of each cohort own 

20 their principal residences. 

21 (9) How many dependents that members of 

22 each cohort have. 

23 (10) The percentage of each cohort that 

24 achieves a successful outcome for TAP, as deter25 mined under section 206(a)(7). 


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1 (11) Other criteria the Secretaries and the Ad2 ministrator of the Small Business Administration 

3 determine appropriate. 

4 SEC. 208. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS LOAN FEES. 

5 The loan fee table in section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, 

6 United States Code, is amended by striking subparagraph 

7 (E) and inserting the following: 

(E)(i) Interest rate reduction refinancing loan 

issued before January 1, 

2021 

0.50 0.50 NA 

(E)(ii) Interest rate reduction refinancing loan 

issued on or after January 

1, 2021, and before January 15, 2027 

0.85 0.85 NA 

(E)(iii) Interest rate reduction refinancing loan 

issued on or after January 

15, 2027 

0.50 0.50 NA 

Passed the House of Representatives September 23, 

2020. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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