S. 894 

One Hundred Seventeenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE FIRST SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Sunday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and twenty one 

An Act 

To identify and refer members of the Armed Forces with a health care occupation 

who are separating from the Armed Forces for potential employment with the 

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 ‘‘Hire Veteran Health Heroes 

Act of 2021’’. 

SEC. 2. IDENTIFICATION AND REFERRAL OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 

FORCES WITH A HEALTH CARE OCCUPATION FOR POTENTIAL EMPLOYMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS DURING SEPARATION FROM THE ARMED FORCES. 

Section 207 of the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act 

of 2017 (Public Law 115–46; 38 U.S.C. 7401 note) is amended 

to read as follows: 

‘‘SEC. 207. IDENTIFICATION AND REFERRAL OF MEMBERS OF THE 

ARMED FORCES WITH A HEALTH CARE OCCUPATION FOR 

POTENTIAL EMPLOYMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF 

VETERANS AFFAIRS DURING SEPARATION FROM THE 

ARMED FORCES. 

‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall establish a program 

to identify and refer members of the Armed Forces with a health 

care occupation for employment with the Department of Veterans 

Affairs during the separation of such members from the Armed 

Forces. 

‘‘(b) REFERRAL OF INTERESTED INDIVIDUALS.— 

‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If a member of the Armed Forces identified under subsection (a) expresses an interest in working in 

a health care occupation within the Department of Veterans 

Affairs, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall refer the member 

to a recruiter of the Department for consideration of open 

positions in the specialty and geography of interest to the 

member. 

‘‘(2) TIMING.—Any referral of a member of the Armed Forces 

conducted under paragraph (1) shall be made not earlier than 

one year before the separation of the member from the Armed 

Forces. 

‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Any identification of a member 

of the Armed Forces under subsection (a) or referral of such member 

under subsection (b) shall not be construed as a guarantee of 
S. 894—2 

employment of such member with the Department of Veterans 

Affairs. 

‘‘(d) REPORTS.—Not later than each of one year and two years 

after the date of the enactment of the Hire Veteran Health Heroes 

Act of 2021, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to 

the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the program 

established under subsection (a). 

‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

‘‘(1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS.—The term 

‘appropriate committees of Congress’ means— 

‘‘(A) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate; and 

‘‘(B) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives. 

‘‘(2) HEALTH CARE OCCUPATION.—The term ‘health care 

occupation’ means an occupation for which an individual may 

be appointed for employment with the Department of Veterans 

Affairs under section 7401 of title 38, United States Code.’’. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.