SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HIGH TECH-
NOLOGY PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) PILOT PROGRAM.—The Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs shall carry out a pilot program under which the Sec-
retary shall provide eligible veterans with the opportunity 
to enroll in high technology programs of education. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—For purposes of the pilot program 
under this section, an eligible veteran is a veteran who 
is entitled to educational assistance under the laws admin-
istered by the Secretary. 
(c) CONTRACTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of carrying out 
subsection (a), by not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall seek to enter into contracts with multiple quali-
fied providers of high technology programs of edu-
cation for the provision of such programs to eligible 
veterans under the pilot program. 
(2) PAYMENT OF CONTRACTORS.—A contract 
under this subsection shall provide that the Sec-
retary shall pay to a provider— 
(A) 25 percent of the cost of providing the 
program of education upon the enrollment of an 
eligible veteran in the program; 
(B) 25 percent of such cost upon the com-
pletion of the program by the veteran; and 
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(C) 50 percent of such cost upon the em-
ployment of the veteran following completion of 
the program. 
(3) QUALIFIED PROVIDERS.—For purposes of 
the pilot program, a provider of a high technology 
program of education is qualified if the provider has 
been operational for at least two years. 
(4) TUITION
REIMBURSEMENT.—In entering 
into contracts to carry out the pilot program, the 
Secretary shall give preference to a qualified pro-
vider that offers tuition reimbursement for any stu-
dent who— 
(A) completes a program of education of-
fered by the provider; and 
(B) does not find full-time meaningful em-
ployment within the 180-day period beginning 
on the date the student completes the program. 
(d) HOUSING STIPEND.—The Secretary shall pay to 
each eligible veteran who is enrolled in a high technology 
program of education under the pilot program on a full- 
time basis a monthly housing stipend equal to the prod-
uct— 
(1) of— 
(A) in the case of a veteran pursuing resi-
dent training, the monthly amount of the basic 
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allowance for housing payable under section 
403 of title 37, United States Code, for a mem-
ber with dependents in pay grade E–5 residing 
in the military housing area that encompasses 
all or the majority portion of the ZIP code area 
in which is located the institution at which the 
individual is enrolled; or 
(B) in the case of a veteran pursuing a 
program of education through distance learn-
ing, a monthly amount equal to 50 percent of 
the amount payable under subparagraph (A), 
multiplied by 
(2) the lesser of— 
(A) 1.0; or 
(B) the number of course hours borne by 
the individual in pursuit of the program of edu-
cation involved, divided by the minimum num-
ber of course hours required for full-time pur-
suit of such program of education, rounded to 
the nearest multiple of 10. 
(e) HIGH TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM OF EDUCATION 
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘high technology 
program of education’’ means a program of education 
that— 
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(1) is offered by an entity other than an institu-
tion of higher learning; 
(2) does not lead to a degree; and 
(3) provides instruction in computer program-
ming, computer software, media application, data 
processing, or information sciences. 
(f) REPORTS.— 
(1) SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.—Not 
later than one year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary 
shall submit to Congress a report on the pilot pro-
gram under this section. 
(2) COMPTROLLER GENERAL.— 
(A) INTERIM
REPORT.—Not later than 
three years after the date on which the Sec-
retary first enters into a contract under this 
section, the Comptroller General of the United 
States shall submit to Congress a report con-
taining the results of the interim assessment of 
the Comptroller General. Such report shall in-
clude the recommendations of the Comptroller 
General for improving the pilot program and an 
assessment of each of the following: 
(i) The technology experience of the 
directors and instructors of the providers 
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of high technology programs of education 
under the pilot program. 
(ii) Whether the providers cooperated 
with the technology industry to create the 
curriculum for the program of education. 
(iii) Whether the providers use an 
open source curriculum for the program of 
education. 
(iv) The admittance rate into the pilot 
program. 
(v) The job placement rate for vet-
erans who completed a program of edu-
cation under the pilot program. 
(vi) The average salary of veterans 
who completed a program of education 
under the pilot program and were subse-
quently employed. 
(vii) The average age of veterans who 
participated in the pilot program. 
(B) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than five 
years after the date on which the Secretary first 
enters into a contract under this section, the 
Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a 
final report on the pilot program. Such report 
shall include the recommendation of the Comp-
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troller General with respect to whether the pro-
gram should be extended and an assessment of 
each of the following: 
(i) Each item described in clauses (i) 
through (vii) of subparagraph (A). 
(ii) The percentage of veterans who 
completed a program of education under 
the pilot program who were subsequently 
employed for a period of six months or 
longer. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs $15,000,000 for each fiscal year during which the 
Secretary carries out a pilot program under this section. 
(h) TERMINATION.—The authority to carry out a 
pilot program under this section shall terminate on the 
date that is five years after the date on which the Sec-
retary first enters into a contract under this section. 
Æ 
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