H. R. 674—4 
(E) is not in receipt of compensation for a service- 
connected disability rated totally disabling by reason of 
unemployability; 
(F) was not and is not enrolled in any Federal or 
State job training program at any time during the 180- 
day period ending on the date of the submittal of the 
application for assistance under this section; and 
(G) by not later than October 1, 2013, submits to 
the Secretary of Labor an application for assistance under 
this section containing such information and assurances 
as that Secretary may require. 
(2) DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY.— 
(A) DETERMINATION BY SECRETARY OF LABOR.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—For each application for assist-
ance under this section received by the Secretary of 
Labor from an applicant, the Secretary of Labor shall 
determine whether the applicant is eligible for such 
assistance under subparagraphs (A), (C), (F), and (G) 
of paragraph (1). 
(ii) 
REFERRAL
TO
SECRETARY
OF
VETERANS 
AFFAIRS.—If the Secretary of Labor determines under 
clause (i) that an applicant is eligible for assistance 
under this section, the Secretary of Labor shall forward 
the application of such applicant to the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs in accordance with the terms of the 
agreement required by subsection (h). 
(B) DETERMINATION
BY
SECRETARY
OF
VETERANS 
AFFAIRS.—For each application relating to an applicant 
received by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under 
subparagraph (A)(ii), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
determine under subparagraphs (B), (D), and (E) of para-
graph (1) whether such applicant is eligible for assistance 
under this section. 
(f) EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE.—For each veteran who partici-
pates in the program established under subsection (a)(1), the Sec-
retary of Labor shall contact such veteran not later than 30 days 
after the date on which the veteran completes, or terminates partici-
pation in, such program to facilitate employment of such veteran 
and availability or provision of employment placement services 
to such veteran. 
(g) CHARGING OF ASSISTANCE AGAINST OTHER ENTITLEMENT.— 
Assistance provided under this section shall be counted against 
the aggregate period for which section 3695 of title 38, United 
States Code, limits the individual’s receipt of educational assistance 
under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 
(h) JOINT AGREEMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and 
the Secretary of Labor shall enter into an agreement to carry 
out this section. 
(2) APPEALS PROCESS.—The agreement required by para-
graph (1) shall include establishment of a process for resolving 
disputes relating to and appeals of decisions of the Secretaries 
under subsection (e)(2). 
(i) REPORT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than July 1, 2014, the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs shall, in collaboration with the Secretary 
of Labor, submit to the appropriate committees of Congress
H. R. 674—5 
a report on the retraining assistance provided under this sec-
tion. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
include the following: 
(A) The total number of— 
(i) eligible veterans who participated; and 
(ii) associates degrees or certificates awarded (or 
other similar evidence of the completion of the program 
of education or training earned). 
(B) Data related to the employment status of eligible 
veterans who participated. 
(j) FUNDING.—Payments under this section shall be made from 
amounts appropriated to or otherwise made available to the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs for the payment of readjustment benefits. 
Not more than $2,000,000 shall be made available from such 
amounts for information technology expenses (not including per-
sonnel costs) associated with the administration of the program 
established under subsection (a)(1). 
(k) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—The authority to make pay-
ments under this section shall terminate on March 31, 2014. 
(l) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DEFINED.—In this 
section, the term ‘‘appropriate committees of Congress’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension of the Senate; and 
(2) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representa-
tives. 
Subtitle B—Improving the Transition 
Assistance Program 
SEC. 221. MANDATORY PARTICIPATION OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 
FORCES IN THE TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM OF 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (c) of section 1144 of title 10, 
United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) PARTICIPATION.—(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security 
shall require the participation in the program carried out under 
this section of the members eligible for assistance under the pro-
gram. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland 
Security may, under regulations such Secretaries shall prescribe, 
waive the participation requirement of paragraph (1) with respect 
to— 
‘‘(A) such groups or classifications of members as the Secre-
taries determine, after consultation with the Secretary of Labor 
and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, for whom participation 
is not and would not be of assistance to such members based 
on the Secretaries’ articulable justification that there is extraor-
dinarily high reason to believe the exempted members are 
unlikely to face major readjustment, health care, employment, 
or other challenges associated with transition to civilian life; 
and
H. R. 674—6 
‘‘(B) individual members possessing specialized skills who, 
due to unavoidable circumstances, are needed to support a 
unit’s imminent deployment.’’. 
(b) REQUIRED USE OF EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE, JOB TRAINING 
ASSISTANCE, AND OTHER TRANSITIONAL SERVICES IN PRESEPARATION 
COUNSELING.—Section 1142(a)(2) of such title is amended by 
striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting ‘‘shall’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by subsections 
(a) and (b) shall take effect on the date that is 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 222. INDIVIDUALIZED ASSESSMENT FOR MEMBERS OF THE 
ARMED FORCES UNDER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE ON 
EQUIVALENCE BETWEEN SKILLS DEVELOPED IN MILITARY 
OCCUPATIONAL 
SPECIALTIES 
AND 
QUALIFICATIONS 
REQUIRED FOR CIVILIAN EMPLOYMENT WITH THE PRI-
VATE SECTOR. 
(a) STUDY ON EQUIVALENCE REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor shall, in consulta-
tion with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs, enter into a contract with a qualified organization 
to conduct a study to identify any equivalences between the 
skills developed by members of the Armed Forces through 
various military occupational specialties (MOS), successful 
completion of resident training courses, attaining various mili-
tary ranks or rates, or other military experiences and the 
qualifications required for various positions of civilian employ-
ment in the private sector. 
(2) COOPERATION OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.—The departments 
and agencies of the Federal Government, including the Office 
of Personnel Management, the General Services Administra-
tion, the Government Accountability Office, the Department 
of Education, and other appropriate departments and agencies, 
shall cooperate with the contractor under paragraph (1) to 
conduct the study required under that paragraph. 
(3) REPORT.—Upon completion of the study conducted 
under paragraph (1), the contractor under that paragraph shall 
submit to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs, and the Secretary of Labor a report setting forth the 
results of the study. The report shall include such information 
as the Secretaries shall specify in the contract under paragraph 
(1) for purposes of this section. 
(4) TRANSMITTAL TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary of Labor 
shall transmit to the appropriate committees of Congress the 
report submitted under paragraph (3), together with such com-
ments on the report as the Secretary considers appropriate. 
(5) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DEFINED.—In 
this subsection, the term ‘‘appropriate committees of Congress’’ 
means— 
(A) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, the Committee 
on Armed Services, and the Committee on Health, Edu-
cation, Labor, and Pension of the Senate; and 
(B) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, the Committee 
on Armed Services, and the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce of the House of Representatives.
H. R. 674—7 
(b) PUBLICATION.—The secretaries described in subsection (a)(1) 
shall ensure that the equivalences identified under subsection (a)(1) 
are— 
(1) made publicly available on an Internet website; and 
(2) regularly updated to reflect the most recent findings 
of the secretaries with respect to such equivalences. 
(c) INDIVIDUALIZED ASSESSMENT OF CIVILIAN POSITIONS AVAIL-
ABLE THROUGH MILITARY EXPERIENCES.—The Secretary of Defense 
shall ensure that each member of the Armed Forces who is partici-
pating in the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) of the Depart-
ment of Defense receives, as part of such member’s participation 
in that program, an individualized assessment of the various posi-
tions of civilian employment in the private sector for which such 
member may be qualified as a result of the skills developed by 
such member through various military occupational specialties 
(MOS), successful completion of resident training courses, attaining 
various military ranks or rates, or other military experiences. The 
assessment shall be performed using the results of the study con-
ducted under subsection (a) and such other information as the 
Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs and the Secretary of Labor, considers appropriate for that 
purpose. 
(d) FURTHER USE IN EMPLOYMENT-RELATED TRANSITION ASSIST-
ANCE.— 
(1) TRANSMITTAL
OF
ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary of 
Defense shall make the individualized assessment provided 
a member under subsection (a) available electronically to the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Labor. 
(2) USE IN ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
and the Secretary of Labor may use an individualized assess-
ment with respect to an individual under paragraph (1) for 
employment-related assistance in the transition from military 
service to civilian life provided the individual by such Secretary 
and to otherwise facilitate and enhance the transition of the 
individual from military service to civilian life. 
(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect on the 
date that is one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
SEC. 223. TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM CONTRACTING. 
(a) TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM CONTRACTING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 4113 of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 4113. Transition Assistance Program personnel 
‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT TO CONTRACT.—In accordance with section 
1144 of title 10, the Secretary shall enter into a contract with 
an appropriate private entity or entities to provide the functions 
described in subsection (b) at all locations where the program 
described in such section is carried out. 
‘‘(b) FUNCTIONS.—Contractors under subsection (a) shall provide 
to members of the Armed Forces who are being separated from 
active duty (and the spouses of such members) the services 
described in section 1144(a)(1) of title 10, including the following: 
‘‘(1) Counseling.