I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7111 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a retraining 
assistance program for unemployed veterans, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 4, 2020 
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee (for himself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. BANKS, 
Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Mr. BOST, Mr. DUNN, Mr. WENSTRUP, Mr. 
BERGMAN, Mr. ARRINGTON, Mr. LEVIN of California, Mr. BARR, and Mr. 
MEUSER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Ways 
and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 
a retraining assistance program for unemployed veterans, 
and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Veterans Economic 
Recovery Act of 2020’’. 
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SEC. 2. COVID-19 VETERAN RAPID RETRAINING ASSIST-
ANCE PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall carry out a program under which the Secretary shall 
provide up to 12 months of retraining assistance to an 
eligible veteran for the pursuit of a covered program of 
education. Such retraining assistance shall be in addition 
to any other entitlement to educational assistance or bene-
fits for which a veteran is, or has been, eligible. 
(b) ELIGIBLE VETERANS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this section, 
the term ‘‘eligible veteran’’ means a veteran who— 
(A) as of the date of the submittal of the 
application for assistance under this section, is 
at least 25 years of age but not more than 60 
years of age; 
(B) as of the date of the submittal of the 
application for assistance under this section, is 
unemployed by reason of the covered public 
health emergency, as certified by the veteran; 
(C) as of the date of the submittal of the 
application for assistance under this section, is 
not eligible to receive educational assistance 
under chapter 30, 31, 32, 33, or 35 of title 38, 
United States Code, or chapter 1606 or 1607 
of title 10, United States Code; 
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(D) is not enrolled in any Federal or State 
jobs program; 
(E) is not in receipt of compensation for a 
service-connected disability rated totally dis-
abling by reason of unemployability; and 
(F) will not be in receipt of unemployment 
compensation (as defined in section 85(b) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986), including any 
cash benefit received pursuant to subtitle A of 
title II of division A of the Cares Act (Public 
Law 116–136), as of the first day on which the 
veteran would pursue a program of education 
using retraining assistance under this section. 
(2) TREATMENT OF VETERANS WHO TRANSFER 
ENTITLEMENT.—For purposes of paragraph (1)(C), 
a veteran who has transferred all of the veteran’s 
entitlement to educational assistance under section 
3319 of title 38, United States Code, shall be con-
sidered to be a veteran who is not eligible to receive 
educational assistance under chapter 33 of such 
title. 
(3) FAILURE TO COMPLETE.—A veteran who 
receives retraining assistance under this section to 
pursue a program of education and who fails to com-
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plete the program of education shall not be eligible 
to receive additional assistance under this section. 
(c) COVERED PROGRAMS OF EDUCATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible veteran who 
receives retraining assistance under this section may 
only use such assistance to pursue a program of 
education (as such term is defined in section 
3452(b) of title 38, United States Code) for train-
ing, on a full-time or part-time basis, that— 
(A) that— 
(i) is approved under chapter 36 of 
such title; 
(ii) does not lead to a bachelors or 
graduate degree; and 
(iii) is designed to provide training for 
a high-demand occupation, as determined 
under paragraph (2); or 
(B) is a high technology programs of edu-
cation offered by a qualified provider, under the 
meaning of such terms in section 116 of the 
Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational As-
sistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–48; 38 
U.S.C. 3001 note). 
(2) ACCREDITED PROGRAMS.—In the case of an 
accredited program of education, the program of 
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education shall not be considered a covered program 
of education under this section if the program has 
received a show cause order from the accreditor of 
the program during the five-year period preceding 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(3) DETERMINATION OF HIGH-DEMAND OCCU-
PATIONS.— 
(A) INITIAL
IMPLEMENTATION.—In car-
rying out this section, the Secretary shall use 
the list of high-demand occupations compiled by 
the Commissioner of Labor Statistics until the 
final list under subparagraph (C) is complete. 
(B) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall enter into an agreement 
with a federally funded research and develop-
ment corporation or another appropriate non- 
Department entity for the conduct of a study to 
determine which occupations are high-demand 
occupations. Such study shall be completed not 
later than 30 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
(C) FINAL LIST.—The Secretary— 
(i) may add or remove occupation 
from the list in use pursuant to subpara-
graph (A) during the 60-day period fol-
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lowing the completion of the study required 
by subparagraph (B); 
(ii) shall issue a final list of high-de-
mand occupations for use under this sec-
tion by not later than 60 days after the 
date of the completion of the study; and 
(iii) shall make such final list publicly 
available on a website of the Department. 
(D) USE
OF
LIST.—The Secretary shall 
use the list developed under this paragraph in 
order to apply the requirement that retraining 
assistance under this section is used for train-
ing for a high-demand occupation, but the Sec-
retary may remove occupations from the list as 
the Secretary determines appropriate. 
(d) AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE.— 
(1) RETRAINING ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs shall provide to an eligible vet-
eran pursuing a covered program of education under 
the retraining assistance program under this section 
an amount equal to the amount of educational as-
sistance payable under section 3313(c)(1)(A) for 
each month the veteran pursues the covered pro-
gram of education. Such amount shall be payable di-
rectly to the educational institution offering the cov-
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ered program of education pursued by the veteran as 
follows: 
(A) 50 percent of the total amount payable 
shall be paid when the eligible veteran begins 
the program of education. 
(B) 25 percent of the total amount payable 
shall be paid when the eligible veteran com-
pletes the program of education. 
(C) 25 percent of the total amount payable 
shall be paid when the eligible veteran finds em-
ployment in a field related to the program of 
education. 
(2) FAILURE TO COMPLETE.—In the case of a 
veteran who pursues a covered program of education 
under the retraining assistance program under this 
section, but who does not complete the program of 
education, the Secretary shall pay to the educational 
institution offering such program of education a pro- 
rated amount based on the number of months the 
veteran pursued the program of education— 
(A) under paragraph (1)(B), which shall 
be payable when the veteran provides notice to 
the educational institution that the veteran no 
longer intends to pursue the program of edu-
cation; and 
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(B) under paragraph (1)(C), which shall 
by payable only if the veteran finds employment 
in a field related to the program of education 
during the 180-day period beginning on the 
date on which the veteran withdraws from the 
program of education. 
(3) HOUSING STIPEND.—For each month that 
an eligible veteran pursues a covered program of 
education under the retraining assistance program 
under this section, the Secretary shall pay to the 
veteran a monthly housing stipend in an amount 
equal to— 
(A) in the case of a covered program of 
education leading to a degree at an institution 
of higher learning (as that term is defined in 
section 3452(f) of title 38, United States Code) 
pursued on more than a half-time basis, the 
amount specified under subsection (c)(1)(B) of 
section 3313 of title 38, United States Code; 
(B) in the case of a covered program of 
education other than a program of education 
leading to a degree at an institution other than 
an institution of higher learning pursued on 
more than a half-time basis, the amount speci-
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fied under subsection (g)(3)(A)(ii) of such sec-
tion; 
(C) in the case of a covered program of 
education pursued on less than a half-time 
basis, the amount specified under subsection 
(f)(2)(A)(ii) of such section; or 
(D) in the case of a covered program of 
education pursued solely through distance 
learning on more than a half-time basis, the 
amount specified under subsection (c)(1)(B)(iii) 
of such section. 
(4) FAILURE
TO
FIND
EMPLOYMENT.—The 
Secretary shall not make a payment under para-
graph (1)(C) with respect to an eligible veteran who 
completes or fails to completes a program of edu-
cation under the retraining assistance program 
under this section if the veteran fails to find employ-
ment in a field related to the program of education 
within the 180-period beginning on the date on 
which the veteran withdraws from or completes the 
program. 
(e) NO TRANSFERABILITY.—Retraining assistance 
provided under this section may not be transferred to an-
other individual. 
(f) EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE.— 
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