I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5045 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to provide child care assistance to veterans receiving certain 
training or vocational rehabilitation, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 12, 2019 
Mr. CORREA (for himself, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. KILMER, Ms. NORTON, and 
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs to provide child care assistance 
to veterans receiving certain training or vocational reha-
bilitation, 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 ‘‘Veteran Employment 
and Child Care Access Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE FOR VETERANS RECEIV-
ING CERTAIN TRAINING OR VOCATIONAL RE-
HABILITATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 31 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘§ 3123. Child care assistance for veterans receiving 
training or vocational rehabilitation 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the Secretary shall provide child care assistance 
to an eligible veteran for any period that the veteran— 
‘‘(A) receives any training or vocational reha-
bilitation under this chapter, chapter 41, or section 
1718, 2021, or 2021A of this title; and 
‘‘(B) is required to travel to and return from a 
facility for the receipt of such training or vocational 
rehabilitation. 
‘‘(2)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the 
Secretary may only provide child care assistance under 
paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(i) once for a child; and 
‘‘(ii) for a period shorter than six months. 
‘‘(B) The Secretary may waive the limitations of sub-
paragraph (A) as the Secretary considers appropriate. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE VETERANS.—For purposes of this 
section, an eligible veteran is any veteran— 
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‘‘(1) who— 
‘‘(A) is the primary caretaker of a child or 
children; and 
‘‘(B) is— 
‘‘(i) receiving training or vocational 
rehabilitation 
described 
in 
subsection 
(a)(1) on a full-time basis; or 
‘‘(ii) in need of such training or voca-
tional rehabilitation on a full-time basis, 
and but for lack of child care services, 
would receive such training or vocational 
rehabilitation on a full-time basis; and 
‘‘(2) whose family’s adjusted gross income does 
not exceed 85 percent of the median adjusted gross 
income of the State in which the veteran resides. 
‘‘(c) CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE.—(1) Child care as-
sistance provided under this section may include any of 
the following: 
‘‘(A) A stipend for the payment of child care of-
fered by a licensed child care center (either directly 
or through a voucher program). 
‘‘(B) Direct provision of child care at an on-site 
facility of the Department or the Department of 
Labor. 
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‘‘(C) A collaboration with a facility or program 
of another Federal department or agency. 
‘‘(D) Such other form of assistance as the Sec-
retary considers appropriate. 
‘‘(2) In the case that child care assistance under this 
section is provided as a stipend under paragraph (1)(A), 
such stipend— 
‘‘(A) shall cover the full cost of such child care 
and associated fees, including application fees and 
full day, full week, and full month requirements of 
the child care provider; and 
‘‘(B) such stipend shall be paid to the eligible 
veteran. 
‘‘(d) COORDINATION.—Whenever practicable, the 
Secretary shall coordinate with the heads of other Federal 
agencies and with States and local entities in carrying out 
this section to ensure accessibility and continuity of care. 
‘‘(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed to require any provider of child 
care to change the provider’s standard eligibility require-
ments or practices. 
‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) Notwithstanding section 101 of this title, 
the term ‘child’ means— 
‘‘(A) a person— 
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‘‘(i) who is under the age of 13 years; 
or 
‘‘(ii)(I) who is under the age of 18 
years; 
‘‘(II) who is 13 years of age or older; 
and 
‘‘(III) who is physically or mentally 
incapable of caring for themselves; or 
‘‘(B) such other person as the Secretary 
considers appropriate. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘licensed child care center’ 
means a center-based child care provider, a family 
child care provider, or another provider of child care 
services for compensation on a regular basis, that is 
licensed, regulated, or registered under Federal or 
State law. 
‘‘(3) The term ‘primary caretaker’, with respect 
to a child, means— 
‘‘(A) the parent of the child; or 
‘‘(B) such other individual as the Secretary 
considers appropriate.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 3122 the following new 
item: 
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‘‘3123. Child care assistance for veterans receiving training or vocational reha-
bilitation.’’. 
Æ 
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