Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Improving Veterans’ 
Opportunity in Education and Business Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 2. CONTRACTING GOALS AND PREFERENCES FOR VET-
ERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS. 
Section 8127 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (j) and (k) as 
subsections (k) and (l), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (i) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(j) APPLICABILITY
OF REQUIREMENTS
TO CON-
TRACTS.—(1) If the Secretary enters, on or after June 
1, 2007, into a contract, memorandum of understanding, 
agreement, or other arrangement with any governmental 
entity or person to acquire goods or services, or both, the 
Secretary shall include in such contract, memorandum, 
agreement, or other arrangement a requirement that the 
entity or person will comply with the provisions of this 
section in acquiring such goods or services, or both. 
‘‘(2) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall take such 
action as may be necessary to ensure that the efforts to 
comply with this section of the Department and govern-
mental entities and persons to which paragraph (1) ap-
plies are coordinated. 
‘‘(3) The Secretary shall modify contracts, memo-
randa of understanding, agreements, and other arrange-
ments of the Department in effect on the date of enact-
ment of the Improving Veterans’ Opportunity in Edu-
cation and Business Act of 2008 to comply with this sub-
section. 
‘‘(4) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to 
supersede or otherwise affect the authorities provided by 
and under the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et 
seq.)’’. 
SEC. 3. FIVE-YEAR PILOT PROGRAM FOR ON-CAMPUS 
WORKSTUDY POSITIONS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM.—The Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct a five-year pilot 
project to test the feasibility and advisability of expanding 
the scope of qualifying workstudy activities for purposes 
of section 3485(a)(4) of title 38, United States Code, in-
cluding workstudy positions available on site at edu-
cational institutions. 
(b) 
TYPE
OF
WORKSTUDY
POSITIONS.—The 
workstudy positions referred to in subsection (a) may in-
clude positions in academic departments (including posi-
tions as tutors or research, teaching, and lab assistants)
and in student services (including positions in career cen-
ters and financial aid, campus orientation, cashiers, ad-
missions, records, and registration offices). 
(c) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall issue regula-
tions to carry out the pilot project under this section, in-
cluding regulations providing for the supervision of 
workstudy positions referred to in subsection (a) by appro-
priate personnel of the Department. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized 
to 
be 
appropriated 
to 
the 
Secretary 
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2013 
to carry out the pilot project under this section. 
(e) FUNDING.—Notwithstanding any other provision 
of law, this section shall not be carried out with any funds 
provided for or under any authority of the Readjustment 
benefits program described by the list of Appropriated En-
titlements and Mandatories for Fiscal Year 1997 con-
tained in the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 2015 
of the 105th Congress, the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 
(H. Report 105-217). Instead, no funds shall be obligated 
for the purpose of carrying out this section except discre-
tionary funds appropriated specifically for the purpose of 
carrying out this section in appropriation Acts enacted 
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 4. MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY TRANSITION 
(MOST) PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 36 of 
title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 
section 3687 the following new section: 
‘‘§ 3687A. Military occupational specialty transition 
(MOST) program 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT; ELIGIBILITY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability 
of appropriations, the Secretary shall carry out a 
program of training to provide eligible veterans with 
skills relevant to the job market. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE VETERAN.—For purposes of this 
section, the term ‘eligible veteran’ means any vet-
eran if— 
‘‘(A) such veteran’s military occupational 
specialty at the time of discharge is determined 
by the Secretary to have limited transferability 
to the civilian job market; 
‘‘(B) such veteran is not otherwise eligible 
for education or training services under this 
title; 
‘‘(C) such veteran has not acquired a mar-
ketable skill since leaving military service;
‘‘(D) such veteran was discharged under 
conditions not less than general under honor-
able conditions; and 
‘‘(E)(i) such veteran has been unemployed 
for at least 90 of the 180 days preceding the 
date of application for the program established 
under this section; or 
‘‘(ii) the maximum hourly rate of pay of 
such veteran during such 180-day period is not 
more than 150 percent of the Federal minimum 
wage. 
‘‘(b) MOST PROGRAM.—The program established 
under this section shall provide for payments to employers 
who provide for eligible veterans a program of apprentice-
ship or on-the-job training if— 
‘‘(1) such program is approved as provided in 
paragraph (1) or (2) of section 3687(a) of this title; 
‘‘(2) the rate of pay for veterans participating 
in the program is not less than the rate of pay for 
nonveterans in similar jobs; and 
‘‘(3) the Secretary reasonably expects that— 
‘‘(A) the veteran will be qualified for em-
ployment in that field upon completion of train-
ing; and
‘‘(B) the employer providing the program 
will hire the veteran at the completion of train-
ing. 
‘‘(c) PAYMENTS TO EMPLOYERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability 
of appropriations, the Secretary shall enter into con-
tracts with employers to provide programs of ap-
prenticeship or on-the-job training which meet the 
requirements of this section. Such contract shall pro-
vide for the payment of the amounts described in 
subsection (b) to employers whose programs meet 
such requirements. 
‘‘(2) AMOUNT
OF
PAYMENTS.—The amount 
paid under this section with respect to any eligible 
veteran for any period shall be 50 percent of the 
wages paid by the employer to such veteran for such 
period. Wages shall be calculated on an hourly basis. 
‘‘(3) AMOUNT AND DURATION OF PAYMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B)— 
‘‘(i) the amount paid under this sec-
tion with respect to a veteran participating 
in the program established under this sec-
tion may not exceed $20,000 in the aggre-
gate and $1,666.67 per month; and