‘‘(A) annually determine the parameters of the 
surveys required under paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(B) not later than September 1 of each year, 
make available to the State approving agencies a list 
of the educational institutions and training establish-
ments that will be surveyed during the fiscal year fol-
lowing the date of making such list available.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(c) In this section, the terms ‘educational institution’ 
and ‘training establishment’ have the meaning given such 
terms in section 3452 of this title.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Subsection (b) of 
such section is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘subsection (a) of this section for 
an annual compliance survey’’ and inserting ‘‘sub-
section (a)(1) for a compliance survey’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘institution’’ and inserting ‘‘edu-
cational institution or training establishment’’; and 
(3) by striking ‘‘institution’s demonstrated 
record of compliance’’ and inserting ‘‘record of com-
pliance of such institution or establishment’’. 
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SEC. 406. SURVEY OF INDIVIDUALS USING THEIR ENTITLE-
MENT TO EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE UNDER 
THE EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS 
ADMINISTERED BY THE SECRETARY OF VET-
ERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) SURVEY REQUIRED.—By not later than 270 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs shall enter into a contract with a non- 
government entity for the conduct of a survey of a statis-
tically valid sample of individuals who have used or are 
using their entitlement to educational assistance under 
chapters 30, 32, 33, and 35 of title 38, United States Code, 
to pursue a program of education or training. The contract 
shall provide that— 
(1) not later than one month before the collection 
of data under the survey begins, the survey shall be 
submitted to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of 
the Senate and House of Representatives; 
(2) the non-government entity shall complete the 
survey and submit to the Secretary the results of the 
survey by not later than 180 days after entering into 
the contract; and 
(3) the survey shall be conducted by electronic 
means and by any other means the non-government 
entity determines appropriate. 
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(b) INFORMATION TO BE COLLECTED.—The contract 
under subsection (a) shall provide that the survey shall be 
designed to collect the following types of information about 
each individual surveyed, where applicable: 
(1) Demographic information, including the 
highest level of education completed by the individual, 
the military occupational specialty or specialties of 
the individual while serving on active duty as a 
member of the Armed Forces or as a member of the 
National Guard or of a Reserve Component of the 
Armed Forces, and whether the individual has a serv-
ice-connected disability. 
(2) The opinion of the individual regarding par-
ticipation in the transition assistance program under 
section 1144 of title 10, United States Code, and the 
effectiveness of the program, including instruction on 
the use of the benefits under laws administered by the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 
(3) The resources the individual used to help the 
individual— 
(A) decide to use the individual’s entitle-
ment to educational assistance to enroll in a 
program of education or training; and 
(B) choose the program of education or 
training the individual pursued. 
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(4) The individual’s goal when the individual 
enrolled in the program of education or training. 
(5) The nature of the individual’s experience 
with the education benefits processing system of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. 
(6) The nature of the individual’s experience 
with the school certifying official of the educational 
institution where the individual pursued the program 
of education or training who processed the individ-
ual’s claim. 
(7) Any services or benefits the educational insti-
tution or program of education or training provided 
to veterans while the individual pursued the program 
of education or training. 
(8) The type of educational institution at which 
the individual pursued the program of education or 
training. 
(9) Whether the individual completed the pro-
gram of education or training or the number of credit 
hours completed by the individual as of the time of 
the survey, and, if applicable, any degree or certifi-
cate obtained by the individual for completing the 
program. 
(10) The employment status of the individual 
and whether such employment status differs from the 
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employment status of the individual prior to enrolling 
in the program of education or training. 
(11) Whether the individual is or was enrolled in 
a program of education on a full-time or part-time 
basis. 
(12) The opinion of the individual on the effec-
tiveness of the educational assistance program of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs under which the indi-
vidual was entitled to educational assistance. 
(13) Whether the individual was ever entitled to 
a rehabilitation under chapter 31 of title 38, United 
States Code, and whether the individual participated 
in such a program. 
(14) A description of any circumstances that 
prevented the individual from using the individual’s 
entitlement to educational assistance to pursue a de-
sired career path or degree. 
(15) Whether the individual is using the individ-
ual’s entitlement to educational assistance to pursue 
a program of education or training or has transferred 
such an entitlement to a dependent. 
(16) Such other matters as the Secretary deter-
mines appropriate. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after receiving 
the results of the survey required under this section, the Sec-
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retary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs 
of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the 
results of the survey and any recommendations of the Sec-
retary relating to such results. Such report shall also in-
clude an unedited version of the results of the survey sub-
mitted by the non-government entity that conducted the 
study. 
SEC. 407. IMPROVEMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 
OF THE VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRA-
TION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS. 
(a) PROCESSING OF CERTAIN EDUCATIONAL ASSIST-
ANCE CLAIMS.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall, to 
the maximum extent possible, make such changes and im-
provements to the information technology system of the Vet-
erans Benefits Administration of the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs to ensure that— 
(1) to the maximum extent possible, all original 
and supplemental claims for educational assistance 
under chapter 33 of title 38, United States Code, are 
adjudicated electronically; and 
(2) rules-based processing is used to make deci-
sions with respect to such claims with little human 
intervention. 
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(b) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a plan to im-
plement the changes and improvements described in sub-
section (a). 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs shall submit to Congress a report on the implementa-
tion of the changes and improvements described in sub-
section (a). 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs $30,000,000 to carry out this section during fiscal 
years 2016 and 2017. 
SEC. 408. TECHNICAL AMENDMENT RELATING TO IN-STATE 
TUITION RATE FOR INDIVIDUALS TO WHOM 
ENTITLEMENT IS TRANSFERRED UNDER ALL- 
VOLUNTEER FORCE EDUCATIONAL ASSIST-
ANCE 
PROGRAM 
AND 
POST-9/11 
EDU-
CATIONAL ASSISTANCE. 
(a) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 3679(c)(2)(B) 
of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘or 
3319 of this title’’ and all that follows and inserting ‘‘of 
this title or to whom educational assistance is transferred 
under section 3319 of this title.’’. 
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(b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendment made by sub-
section (a) shall apply with respect to a course, semester, 
or term that begins after July 1, 2016. 
TITLE V—OTHER MATTERS 
SEC. 501. AMOUNT OF LOAN GUARANTEED UNDER HOME 
LOAN PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VET-
ERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) 
ADJUSTMENT
OF
LOAN
LIMIT.—Section 
3703(a)(1) of title 38, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A)(i)(IV)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘the lesser of’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘or 25 percent of the loan’’; 
and 
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘Freddie 
Mac’’ and all that follows through the period at the 
end and inserting ‘‘amount of the loan.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this 
section shall apply with respect to a loan guaranteed under 
section 3710 of title 38, United States Code, on or after 
the date that is 30 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
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SEC. 502. LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF JOB COUNSELING, 
TRAINING, AND PLACEMENT SERVICE FOR 
VETERANS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 41 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following 
new section: 
‘‘§ 4115. Longitudinal study of job counseling, train-
ing, and placement service for veterans 
‘‘(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—(1) The Secretary shall enter 
into a contract with a non-government entity to conduct 
a longitudinal study of a statistically valid sample of each 
of the groups of individuals described in paragraph (2). The 
contract shall provide for the study of each such group over 
a period of at least five years. 
‘‘(2) The groups of individuals described in this para-
graph are the following: 
‘‘(A) Veterans who have received intensive serv-
ices. 
‘‘(B) Veterans who did not receive intensive serv-
ices but who otherwise received services under this 
chapter. 
‘‘(C) Veterans who did not seek or receive services 
under this chapter. 
‘‘(3) The study required by this subsection shall in-
clude the collection of the following information for each 
individual who participates in the study: 
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‘‘(A) The average number of months such indi-
vidual served on active duty. 
‘‘(B) The distribution of disability ratings of 
such individual. 
‘‘(C) Any unemployment benefits received by 
such individual. 
‘‘(D) The average number of months such indi-
vidual was employed during the year covered by the 
report. 
‘‘(E) The average annual starting and ending 
salaries of any such individual who was employed 
during the year covered by the report. 
‘‘(F) The average annual income of such indi-
vidual. 
‘‘(G) The average total household income of such 
individual for the year covered by the report. 
‘‘(H) The percentage of such individuals who 
own their principal residences. 
‘‘(I) The employment status of such individual. 
‘‘(J) In the case of such an individual who re-
ceived services under this chapter, whether the indi-
vidual believes that any service provided by a dis-
abled veterans’ outreach specialist or local veterans’ 
employment representative helped the individual to 
become employed. 
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‘‘(K) In the case of such an individual who be-
lieves such a service helped the individual to become 
employed, whether— 
‘‘(i) the individual retained the position of 
employment for a period of one year or longer; 
and 
‘‘(ii) the individual believes such a service 
helped the individual to secure a higher wage or 
salary. 
‘‘(L) The conditions under which such individual 
was discharged or released from the Armed Forces. 
‘‘(M) Whether such individual has used any edu-
cational assistance to which the individual is entitled 
under this title. 
‘‘(N) Whether such individual has participated 
in a rehabilitation program under chapter 31 of this 
title. 
‘‘(O) Demographic information about such indi-
vidual. 
‘‘(P) Such other information as the Secretary de-
termines appropriate. 
‘‘(b) ANNUAL REPORTS.—(1) By not later than July 
1 of each year covered by the study required under sub-
section (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committees 
on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives a report on the outcomes of the study during the pre-
ceding year. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary shall include in each annual report 
submitted under paragraph (1) any information the Sec-
retary determines is necessary to determine the long-term 
outcomes of the individuals in the groups described in sub-
section (a)(2).’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at 
the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding at the 
end the following new item: 
‘‘4115. Longitudinal study of job counseling, training, and placement service for 
veterans.’’. 
SEC. 503. LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTS UNDER CON-
TRACTS WITH SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS 
OWNED AND CONTROLLED BY VETERANS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8127 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (l) as subsection 
(m); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (k) the following 
new subsection (l): 
‘‘(l) LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING.—(1)(A) The 
requirements applicable to a covered small business concern 
under section 46 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657s) 
shall apply with respect to a small business concern owned 
and controlled by a veteran with a service-connected dis-
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ability or a small business concern owned and controlled 
by a veteran that is awarded a contract that is counted 
for purposes of meeting the goals under subsection (a). 
‘‘(B) For purposes of applying the requirements of sec-
tion 46 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657s) pursu-
ant to subparagraph (A), the term ‘similarly situated enti-
ty’ used in such section 46 includes a subcontractor for a 
small business concern owned and controlled by a veteran 
with a service-connected disability or a small business con-
cern owned and controlled by a veteran described in such 
subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(2) Before awarding a contract that is counted for 
purposes of meeting the goals under subsection (a), the Sec-
retary shall obtain from an offeror a certification that the 
offeror will comply with the requirements described in para-
graph (1)(A) if awarded the contract. Such certification 
shall— 
‘‘(A) specify the exact performance requirements 
applicable under such paragraph; and 
‘‘(B) explicitly acknowledge that the certification 
is subject to section 1001 of title 18. 
‘‘(3) If the Secretary determines that a small business 
concern that is awarded a contract that is counted for pur-
poses of meeting the goals under subsection (a) did not act 
in good faith with respect to the requirements described in 
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paragraph (1)(A), the small business concern shall be sub-
ject to the penalties specified in— 
‘‘(A) section 16(g)(1) of the Small Business Act 
(15 U.S.C. 645(g)(1)); and 
‘‘(B) section 1001 of title 18. 
‘‘(4)(A) The Director of Small and Disadvantaged 
Business Utilization for the Department, established pursu-
ant to section 15(k) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
644(k)), and the Chief Acquisition Officer of the Depart-
ment, established pursuant to section 1702 of title 41, shall 
jointly implement a process using the systems described in 
section 16(g)(2) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
645(g)(2)), or any other systems available, to monitor com-
pliance with this subsection. The Chief Acquisition Officer 
shall refer any violations of this subsection to the Inspector 
General of the Department. 
‘‘(B) Not later than November 30 of each year, the In-
spector General shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ 
Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report 
for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year during which 
the report is submitted that includes, for the fiscal year cov-
ered by the report— 
‘‘(i) the number of referred violations received 
under subparagraph (A); and 
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‘‘(ii) the disposition of such referred violations, 
including the number of small business concerns sus-
pended or debarred from Federal contracting or re-
ferred to the Attorney General for prosecution.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (l) of section 8127 
of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a) 
shall apply with respect to a contract entered into after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 504. PROCEDURES FOR PROVISION OF CERTAIN IN-
FORMATION TO STATE VETERANS AGENCIES 
TO FACILITATE THE FURNISHING OF ASSIST-
ANCE AND BENEFITS TO VETERANS. 
(a) PROCEDURES REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall develop procedures to share the informa-
tion described in subsection (b) regarding veterans with 
State veterans agencies in electronic data format as a 
means of facilitating the furnishing of assistance and bene-
fits to veterans. 
(b) COVERED INFORMATION.—The information shared 
with State veterans agencies under subsection (a) regarding 
a veteran shall include the following: 
(1) Military service and separation data. 
(2) A personal email address. 
(3) A personal telephone number. 
(4) A mailing address. 
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(c) OPT-OUT ELECTION.—A veteran may elect to pre-
vent their information from being shared with State vet-
erans agencies under subsection (a) pursuant to a process 
that the Secretary shall establish for purposes of this sub-
section. 
(d) USE OF INFORMATION.—The Secretary shall en-
sure that the information shared with State veterans agen-
cies in accordance with the procedures developed under sub-
section (a) is only shared by such agencies with county gov-
ernment veterans service offices for such purposes as the 
Secretary shall specify for the administration and delivery 
of assistance and benefits. 
Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to amend title 
38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in 
the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs relating to health care, educational assistance, and 
vocational rehabilitation, to establish the Veterans Eco-
nomic Opportunity and Transition Administration, and 
for other purposes.’’. 
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Union Calendar No. 274 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 3016 
[Report No. 114–358] 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify 
the role of podiatrists in the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs. 
DECEMBER 1, 2015 
Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee 
of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and or-
dered to be printed 
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