To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to administer a pilot program to employ veterans in positions that relate to conservation and resource management activities.

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to administer a pilot program to employ veterans in positions that relate to conservation and resource management activities. 1. Pilot program to employ veterans in positions relating to conservation and resource management activities (a) Establishment The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretaries concerned shall jointly establish a pilot program under which veterans are employed by the Federal Government in positions that relate to the conservation and resource management activities of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture. (b) Administration The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall administer the pilot program under subsection (a). (c) Positions The Secretaries concerned shall— (1) identify vacant positions in the respective Departments of the Secretaries that are appropriate to fill using the pilot program under subsection (a); and (2) to the extent practicable, fill such positions using the pilot program. (d) Application of civil service laws A veteran employed under the pilot program under subsection (a) shall be treated as an employee as defined by section 2105 of title 5, United States Code. (e) Best practices for other departments The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish guidelines containing best practices for departments and agencies of the Federal Government that carry out programs to employ veterans who are transitioning from service in the Armed Forces. Such guidelines shall include— (1) lessons learned under the Warrior Training Advancement Course of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and (2) methods to realize cost savings based on such lessons learned. (f) Partnership The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretaries concerned, and the Secretary of Defense may enter into a partnership to include the pilot program under subsection (a) as part of the Skillbridge program under section 1143 of title 10, United States Code. (g) Reports (1) Initial report Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretaries concerned shall jointly submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the pilot program under subsection (a), including— (A) a description of how the pilot program will be carried out in a manner to reduce the unemployment of veterans; and (B) any recommendations for legislative actions to improve the pilot program. (2) Implementation Not later than one year after the date on which the pilot program under subsection (a) commences, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretaries concerned shall jointly submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the implementation of the pilot program. (3) Final report Not later than 30 days after the date on which the pilot program under subsection (a) is completed, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretaries concerned shall jointly submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the pilot program that includes the following: (A) The number of veterans who applied to participate in the pilot program. (B) The number of such veterans employed under the pilot program. (C) The number of veterans identified in subparagraph (B) who transitioned to full-time positions with the Federal Government after participating in the pilot program. (D) Any other information the Secretaries determine appropriate with respect to measuring the effectiveness of the pilot program. (h) Duration The authority to carry out the pilot program under subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that is two years after the date on which the pilot program commences. (i) Definitions In this section: (1) The term appropriate congressional committees (A) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, the Committee on Agriculture, and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives; and (B) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate. (2) The term Secretary concerned (A) the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to matters regarding the National Forest System and the Department of Agriculture; and (B) the Secretary of the Interior with respect to matters regarding the National Park System and the Department of the Interior.

Summary: This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Department of the Interior to jointly establish a pilot program to employ veterans in positions that relate to the conservation and resource management activities of USDA and Interior. The VA, USDA, Interior, and the Department of Defense (DOD) are authorized to enter into a partnership to include the pilot program as part of the Skillbridge program, which is a DOD program to provide training to members who are transitioning out of service in the Armed Forces. The bill also requires the VA to establish guidelines containing best practices for other federal agencies that carry out programs to employ veterans who are transitioning from service in the Armed Forces.