IIB 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1669 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 30, 2023 

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

AN ACT 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to make permanent 

the high technology pilot program of the Department 

of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘VET–TEC Authoriza3 tion Act of 2023’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HIGH TECH5 NOLOGY PROGRAM. 

6 (a) HIGH TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 36 of title 38, 

8 United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

9 end the following new section: 

10 ‘‘§ 3699C. High technology program 

11 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—(1) The Secretary shall 

12 carry out a program under which the Secretary provides 

13 covered individuals with the opportunity to enroll in high 

14 technology programs of education that the Secretary de15 termines provide training or skills sought by employers in 

16 a relevant field or industry. 

17 ‘‘(2) Not more than 6,000 covered individuals may 

18 participate in the program under this section in any fiscal 

19 year. 

20 ‘‘(b) AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE.—(1) The Secretary 

21 shall provide, to each covered individual who pursues a 

22 high technology program of education under this section, 

23 educational assistance in amounts equal to the amounts 

24 provided under section 3313(c)(1) of this title, including 

25 with respect to the housing stipend described in that sec26 tion and in accordance with the treatment of programs 


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1 that are distance learning and programs that are less than 

2 half-time. 

3 ‘‘(2) Under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall pro4 vide such amounts of educational assistance to a covered 

5 individual for each of the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) A high technology program of education. 

7 ‘‘(B) A second such program if— 

8 ‘‘(i) the second such program begins at 

9 least 18 months after the covered individual 

10 graduates from the first such program; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) the covered individual uses edu12 cational assistance under chapter 33 of this 

13 title to pursue the second such program. 

14 ‘‘(c) CONTRACTS.—(1) For purposes of carrying out 

15 subsection (a), the Secretary shall seek to enter into con16 tracts with any number of qualified providers of high tech17 nology programs of education for the provision of such 

18 programs to covered individuals. Each such contract shall 

19 provide for the conditions under which the Secretary may 

20 terminate the contract with the provider and the proce21 dures for providing for the graduation of students who 

22 were enrolled in a program provided by such provider in 

23 the case of such a termination. 

24 ‘‘(2) A contract under this subsection shall provide 

25 that the Secretary shall pay to a provider— 


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1 ‘‘(A) upon the enrollment of a covered indi2 vidual in the program, 25 percent of the cost of the 

3 tuition and other fees for the program of education 

4 for the individual; 

5 ‘‘(B) upon graduation of the individual from 

6 the program, 25 percent of such cost; and 

7 ‘‘(C) 50 percent of such cost upon— 

8 ‘‘(i) the successful employment of the cov9 ered individual for a period— 

10 ‘‘(I) of 180 days in the field of study 

11 of the program; and 

12 ‘‘(II) that begins not later than 180 

13 days following graduation of the covered 

14 individual from the program; 

15 ‘‘(ii) the employment of the individual by 

16 the provider for a period of one year; or 

17 ‘‘(iii) the enrollment of the individual in a 

18 program of education to continue education in 

19 such field of study. 

20 ‘‘(3) For purposes of this section, a provider of a high 

21 technology program of education is qualified if— 

22 ‘‘(A) the provider employs instructors whom the 

23 Secretary determines are experts in their respective 

24 fields in accordance with paragraph (5); 


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1 ‘‘(B) the provider has successfully provided the 

2 high technology program for at least one year; 

3 ‘‘(C) the provider does not charge tuition and 

4 fees to a covered individual who receives assistance 

5 under this section to pursue such program that are 

6 higher than the tuition and fees charged by such 

7 provider to another individual; and 

8 ‘‘(D) the provider meets the approval criteria 

9 developed by the Secretary under paragraph (4). 

10 ‘‘(4)(A) The Secretary shall prescribe criteria for ap11 proving providers of a high technology program of edu12 cation under this section. 

13 ‘‘(B) In developing such criteria, the Secretary may 

14 consult with State approving agencies. 

15 ‘‘(C) Such criteria are not required to meet the re16 quirements of section 3672 of this title. 

17 ‘‘(D) Such criteria shall include the job placement 

18 rate, in the field of study of a program of education, of 

19 covered individuals who complete such program of edu20 cation. 

21 ‘‘(5) The Secretary shall determine whether instruc22 tors are experts under paragraph (3)(A) based on evidence 

23 furnished to the Secretary by the provider regarding the 

24 ability of the instructors to— 


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1 ‘‘(A) identify professions in need of new em2 ployees to hire, tailor the programs to meet market 

3 needs, and identify the employers likely to hire grad4 uates; 

5 ‘‘(B) effectively teach the skills offered to cov6 ered individuals; 

7 ‘‘(C) provide relevant industry experience in the 

8 fields of programs offered to incoming covered indi9 viduals; and 

10 ‘‘(D) demonstrate relevant industry experience 

11 in such fields of programs. 

12 ‘‘(6) In entering into contracts under this subsection, 

13 the Secretary shall give preference to a provider of a high 

14 technology program of education— 

15 ‘‘(A) from which at least 70 percent of grad16 uates find full-time employment in the field of study 

17 of the program during the 180-day period beginning 

18 on the date the student graduates from the program; 

19 or 

20 ‘‘(B) that offers tuition reimbursement for any 

21 student who graduates from such a program and 

22 does not find employment described in subparagraph 

23 (A). 

24 ‘‘(d) EFFECT ON OTHER ENTITLEMENT.—(1) If a 

25 covered individual enrolled in a high technology program 


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1 of education under this section has remaining entitlement 

2 to educational assistance under chapter 30, 32, 33, 34, 

3 or 35 of this title, entitlement of the individual to edu4 cational assistance under this section shall be charged at 

5 the rate of one month of such remaining entitlement for 

6 each such month of educational assistance under this sec7 tion. 

8 ‘‘(2) The Secretary may not consider enrollment in 

9 a high technology program of education under this section 

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

11 section 3695 of this title. 

12 ‘‘(e) REQUIREMENTS FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITU13 TIONS.—(1) The Secretary shall not approve the enroll14 ment of any covered individual, not already enrolled, in 

15 any high technology programs of education under this sec16 tion for any period during which the Secretary finds that 

17 more than 85 percent of the students enrolled in the pro18 gram are having all or part of their tuition, fees, or other 

19 charges paid to or for them by the educational institution 

20 or by the Department of Veterans Affairs under this title 

21 or under chapter 1606 or 1607 of title 10, except with 

22 respect to tuition, fees, or other charges that are paid 

23 under a payment plan at an educational institution that 

24 the Secretary determines has a history of offering payVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 May 31, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1669.RFS H1669

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1 ment plans that are completed not later than 180 days 

2 after the end of the applicable term, quarter, or semester. 

3 ‘‘(2) The Secretary may waive a requirement of para4 graph (1) if the Secretary determines, pursuant to regula5 tions which the Secretary shall prescribe, such waiver to 

6 be in the interest of the covered individual and the Federal 

7 Government. Not later than 30 days after the Secretary 

8 waives such a requirement, the Secretary shall submit to 

9 the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

10 House of Representatives a report regarding such waiver. 

11 ‘‘(3)(A)(i) The Secretary shall establish and maintain 

12 a process by which an educational institution may request 

13 a review of a determination that the educational institu14 tion does not meet the requirements of paragraph (1). 

15 ‘‘(ii) The Secretary may consult with a State approv16 ing agency regarding such process or such a review. 

17 ‘‘(iii) Not later than 180 days after the Secretary es18 tablishes or revises a process under this subparagraph, the 

19 Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Af20 fairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report 

21 regarding such process. 

22 ‘‘(B) An educational institution that requests a re23 view under subparagraph (A)— 

24 ‘‘(i) shall request the review not later than 30 

25 days after the start of the term, quarter, or semester 


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1 for which the determination described in subpara2 graph (A) applies; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) may include any information that the edu4 cational institution believes the Department should 

5 have taken into account when making the deter6 mination, including with respect to any mitigating 

7 circumstances. 

8 ‘‘(f) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than one year 

9 after the date of the enactment of this section, and annu10 ally thereafter until the termination date specified in sub11 section (i), the Secretary shall submit to the Committees 

12 on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Rep13 resentatives a report on the operation of program under 

14 this section during the year covered by the report. Each 

15 such report shall include each of the following: 

16 ‘‘(1) The number of covered individuals enrolled 

17 in the program, disaggregated by type of educational 

18 institution, during the year covered by the report. 

19 ‘‘(2) The number of covered individuals who 

20 completed a high technology program of education 

21 under the program during the year covered by the 

22 report. 

23 ‘‘(3) The average employment rate of covered 

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1 cation during such year, as of 180 days after the 

2 date of completion. 

3 ‘‘(4) The average length of time between the 

4 completion of such a program of education and em5 ployment. 

6 ‘‘(5) The total number of covered individuals 

7 who completed a program of education under the 

8 program and who, as of the date of the submission 

9 of the report, are employed in a position related to 

10 technology. 

11 ‘‘(6) The average salary of a covered individual 

12 who completed a program of education under the 

13 program and who is employed in a position related 

14 to technology, in various geographic areas deter15 mined by the Secretary. 

16 ‘‘(7) The average salary of all individuals em17 ployed in positions related to technology in the geo18 graphic areas determined under subparagraph (F), 

19 and the difference, if any, between such average sal20 ary and the average salary of a covered individual 

21 who completed a program of education under the 

22 program and who is employed in a position related 

23 to technology. 

24 ‘‘(8) The number of covered individuals who 

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1 gram and who subsequently enrolled in a second 

2 program of education under the program. 

3 ‘‘(g) COLLECTION OF INFORMATION; CONSULTA4 TION.—(1) The Secretary shall develop practices to use 

5 to collect information about covered individuals and pro6 viders of high technology programs of education. 

7 ‘‘(2) For the purpose of carrying out program under 

8 this section, the Secretary may consult with providers of 

9 high technology programs of education and may establish 

10 an advisory group made up of representatives of such pro11 viders, private employers in the technology field, and other 

12 relevant groups or entities, as the Secretary determines 

13 necessary. 

14 ‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 ‘‘(1) The term ‘covered individual’ means any of 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(A) A veteran whom the Secretary deter18 mines— 

19 ‘‘(i) served an aggregate of at least 36 

20 months on active duty in the Armed 

21 Forces (including service on active duty in 

22 entry level and skill training) and was dis23 charged or released therefrom under condi24 tions other than dishonorable; and 

25 ‘‘(ii) has not attained the age of 62. 


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1 ‘‘(B) A member of the Armed Forces that 

2 the Secretary determines will become a veteran 

3 described in subparagraph (A) fewer than 180 

4 days after the date of such determination. 

5 ‘‘(2) The term ‘high technology program of edu6 cation’ means a program of education— 

7 ‘‘(A) offered by a public or private edu8 cational institution; 

9 ‘‘(B) if offered by an institution of higher 

10 learning, that is provided directly by such insti11 tution rather than by an entity other than such 

12 institution under a contract or other agreement; 

13 ‘‘(C) that does not lead to a degree; 

14 ‘‘(D) that has a term of not less than six 

15 and not more than 28 weeks; and 

16 ‘‘(E) that provides instruction in computer 

17 programming, computer software, media appli18 cation, data processing, or information sciences. 

19 ‘‘(i) TERMINATION.—The authority to carry out a 

20 program under this section shall terminate on September 

21 30, 2028.’’. 

22 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec23 tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended 

24 by inserting after the item relating to section 3699B 

25 the following new item: 

‘‘3699C. High technology program.’’. 


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1 (b) EFFECT ON HIGH TECHNOLOGY PILOT PRO2 GRAM.—Section 116 of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans 

3 Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–48; 

4 38 U.S.C. 3001 note) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (g), by striking paragraph (6); 

6 and 

7 (2) by striking subsection (h) and inserting the 

8 following new subsection (h): 

9 ‘‘(h) TERMINATION.—The authority to carry out a 

10 pilot program under this section shall terminate on Sep11 tember 30, 2023.’’. 

12 (c) APPROVAL OF CERTAIN HIGH TECHNOLOGY PRO13 GRAMS.—Section 3680A of title 38, United States Code, 

14 is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (4) 

16 and inserting the following: 

17 ‘‘(4) Any independent study program except— 

18 ‘‘(A) an independent study program (in19 cluding such a program taken over open circuit 

20 television) that— 

21 ‘‘(i) is accredited by an accrediting 

22 agency or association recognized by the 

23 Secretary of Education under subpart 2 of 

24 part H of title IV of the Higher Education 

25 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1099b); 


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1 ‘‘(ii) leads to— 

2 ‘‘(I) a standard college degree; 

3 ‘‘(II) a certificate that reflects 

4 educational attainment offered by an 

5 institution of higher learning; or 

6 ‘‘(III) a certificate that reflects 

7 graduation from a course of study of8 fered by— 

9 ‘‘(aa) an area career and 

10 technical education school (as de11 fined in subparagraphs (C) and 

12 (D) of section 3(3) of the Carl D. 

13 Perkins Career and Technical 

14 Education Act of 2006 (20 

15 U.S.C. 2302(3))) that provides 

16 education at the postsecondary 

17 level; or 

18 ‘‘(bb) a postsecondary voca19 tional institution (as defined in 

20 section 102(c) of the Higher 

21 Education Act of 1965 (20 

22 U.S.C. 1002(c))) that provides 

23 education at the postsecondary 

24 level; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) in the case of a program de2 scribed in clause (ii)(III)— 

3 ‘‘(I) provides training aligned 

4 with the requirements of employers in 

5 the State or local area where the pro6 gram is located, which may include in7 demand industry sectors or occupa8 tions; 

9 ‘‘(II) provides a student, upon 

10 graduation from the program, with a 

11 recognized postsecondary credential 

12 that is recognized by employers in the 

13 relevant industry, which may include 

14 a credential recognized by industry or 

15 sector partnerships in the State or 

16 local area where the industry is lo17 cated; and 

18 ‘‘(III) meets such content and in19 structional standards as may be re20 quired to comply with the criteria 

21 under section 3676(c)(14) and (15) of 

22 this title; or 

23 ‘‘(B) an online high technology program of 

24 education (as defined in subsection (h)(2) of 

25 section 3699C of this title)— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the provider of which has entered 

2 into a contract with the Secretary under 

3 subsection (c) of such section; 

4 ‘‘(ii) that has been provided to covered 

5 individuals (as defined in subsection (h)(1) 

6 of such section) under such contract for a 

7 period of at least five years; 

8 ‘‘(iii) regarding which the Secretary 

9 has determined that the average employ10 ment rate of covered individuals who grad11 uated from such program of education is 

12 65 percent or higher for the year preceding 

13 such determination; and 

14 ‘‘(iv) that satisfies the requirements of 

15 subsection (e) of such section.’’; and 

16 (2) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the 

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(8) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the enrollment 

19 of a veteran in an online high technology program de20 scribed in subsection (a)(4)(B).’’. 

21 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

22 subsections (a) and (c) shall take effect on October 1, 

23 2023. 


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1 SEC. 3. BURIAL ALLOWANCE FOR CERTAIN VETERANS WHO 

2 DIE AT HOME WHILE IN RECEIPT OF HOS3 PICE CARE FURNISHED BY DEPARTMENT OF 

4 VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a)(2)(A) of section 

6 2303 of title 38, United States Code, is further amend7 ed— 

8 (1) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘; or’’ and insert9 ing a semicolon; 

10 (2) in clause (ii)(III), by striking the period at 

11 the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

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

13 clause: 

14 ‘‘(iii) a home or other setting at which the 

15 deceased veteran was, at the time of death, re16 ceiving hospice care pursuant to section 

17 1717(a) of this title if such care was directly 

18 preceded by the Secretary furnishing to the vet19 eran hospital care or nursing home care de20 scribed in subclause (I), (II), or (III) of clause 

21 (ii).’’. 

22 (b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by sub23 section (a) shall take effect on the date of the enactment 

24 of this Act and apply with respect to deaths occurring on 

25 or after the date that is 180 days after the date of the 

26 enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 4. INCLUSION OF NON-DEGREE FLIGHT TRAINING IN 

2 CERTAIN REHABILITATION PROGRAMS FOR 

3 CERTAIN VETERANS WITH SERVICE-CON4 NECTED DISABILITIES. 

5 Section 3101 of title 38, United States Code, is 

6 amended— 

7 (1) in paragraph (7), by adding at the end the 

8 following: ‘‘A rehabilitation program may include a 

9 program that includes flight training and does not 

10 lead to a degree.’’; and 

11 (2) by redesignating the first paragraph (10) as 

12 paragraph (1). 

13 SEC. 5. SOLE LIABILITY FOR TRANSFERRED EDUCATIONAL 

14 ASSISTANCE BY AN INDIVIDUAL WHO FAILS 

15 TO COMPLETE A SERVICE AGREEMENT. 

16 Subsection (i) of section 3319 of title 38, United 

17 States Code, is amended— 

18 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

19 (A) by striking ‘‘In the event’’ and insert20 ing ‘‘Subject to paragraph (2), in the event’’; 

21 and 

22 (B) by inserting ‘‘of this title’’ after ‘‘sec23 tion 3685’’; 

24 (2) in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2)— 

25 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘IN GEN26 ERAL’’ and inserting ‘‘SOLE LIABILITY’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘under paragraph (1)’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘for which the individual shall be sole3 ly liable to the United States for the amount of 

4 the overpayment for purposes of section 3685 

5 of this title’’; and 

6 (3) in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2)— 

7 (A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by 

8 striking ‘‘Subparagraph (A) shall not apply’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘Neither the individual nor the 

10 dependent shall be liable to the United States 

11 for the amount of the overpayment for purposes 

12 of section 3685 of this title’’; and 

13 (B) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘of this 

14 title’’ after ‘‘section 3311(c)(4)’’. 

15 SEC. 6. INCREASE OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

16 EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR PROGRAMS 

17 OF EDUCATION IN REPUBLIC OF PHIL18 IPPINES. 

19 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the 

20 ‘‘Filipino Education Fairness Act’’. 

21 (b) INCREASE.—Section 3532 of title 38, United 

22 States Code, is amended— 

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

24 (2) by redesignating subsections (e) through (g) 

25 as subsections (d) through (f), respectively. 


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1 SEC. 7. PROVISION OF CERTIFICATES OF ELIGIBILITY AND 

2 AWARD LETTERS USING ELECTRONIC MEANS. 

3 Chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, is amend4 ed by inserting after section 3698 the following new sec5 tion (and conforming the table of sections at the beginning 

6 of such chapter accordingly): 

7 ‘‘§ 3698A. Provision of certificates of eligibility and 

8 award letters using electronic means 

9 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT.—Except as provided by sub10 section (b), the Secretary shall provide to an individual 

11 the following documents using electronic means: 

12 ‘‘(1) A certificate of eligibility for the entitle13 ment of the individual to covered educational assist14 ance. 

15 ‘‘(2) An award letter regarding the authoriza16 tion of the individual to receive covered educational 

17 assistance. 

18 ‘‘(b) ELECTION TO OPT OUT.—An individual may 

19 elect to receive the documents specified in subsection (a) 

20 by mail rather than through electronic means under sub21 section (a). An individual may revoke such an election at 

22 any time, by means prescribed by the Secretary. 

23 ‘‘(c) COVERED EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE.—In this 

24 section, the term ‘covered educational assistance’ means 

25 educational assistance under chapter 30, 33, or 35, or sec26 tion 3699C, of this title.’’. 


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1 SEC. 8. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HOUSING 

2 LOAN FEES. 

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

4 United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘November 

5 14, 2031’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘April 30, 

6 2032’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 24, 2023. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 

By LISA P. GRANT, 

Deputy Clerk. 


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