(1) IN
GENERAL.—For each fiscal year for 
which the Secretary provides retraining assistance 
under this section, such sums as may be necessary 
shall be made available for such assistance from 
funds appropriated to, or otherwise made available 
to, the Department for the payment of readjustment 
benefits. 
(2) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—There is author-
ized to be appropriated $15,000,000 to carry out ad-
ministrative functions of this section. 
(o) INITIATION OF PAYMENTS.—The Secretary may 
begin providing retraining assistance under this section on 
the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
SEC. 202. ACCESS FOR THE SECRETARIES OF LABOR AND 
VETERANS AFFAIRS TO THE FEDERAL DIREC-
TORY OF NEW HIRES. 
Section 453A(h) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 653a(h)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(4) VETERAN EMPLOYMENT.—The Secretaries 
of Labor and of Veterans Affairs shall have access 
to information reported by employers pursuant to 
subsection (b) of this section for purposes of track-
ing employment of veterans.’’.
SEC. 203. EXPANSION OF ELIGIBLE CLASS OF PROVIDERS 
OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS OF EDU-
CATION FOR VETERANS. 
Section 116 of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Edu-
cational Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–48; 38 
U.S.C. 3001 note) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 
following: ‘‘The Secretary shall treat an individual as 
an eligible veteran if the Secretary determines that 
the individual shall become an eligible veteran fewer 
than 180 days after the date of such determination. 
If an individual treated as an eligible veteran by rea-
son of the preceding sentence does anything to make 
the veteran ineligible during the 180-day period re-
ferred to in such sentence, the Secretary may re-
quire the veteran to repay any benefits received by 
such veteran by reason of such sentence.’’; 
(2) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ‘‘has 
been operational for at least 2 years’’ and in-
serting ‘‘employs instructors whom the Sec-
retary determines are experts in their respective 
fields in accordance with paragraph (6)’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
‘‘(6) EXPERTS.—The Secretary shall determine 
whether instructors are experts under paragraph 
(3)(A) based on evidence furnished to the Secretary 
by the provider regarding the ability of the instruc-
tors to— 
‘‘(A) identify professions in need of new 
employees to hire, tailor the programs to meet 
market needs, and identify the employers likely 
to hire graduates; 
‘‘(B) effectively teach the skills offered to 
eligible veterans; 
‘‘(C) provide relevant industry experience 
in the fields of programs offered to incoming el-
igible veterans; and 
‘‘(D) demonstrate relevant industry experi-
ence in such fields of programs.’’; 
(3) in subsection (d), in the matter preceding 
paragraph (1)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘(not including an indi-
vidual described in the second sentence of sub-
section (b))’’ after ‘‘each eligible veteran’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘or part-time’’ after ‘‘full- 
time’’; 
(4) 
in 
subsection 
(g), 
by 
striking 
‘‘$15,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$45,000,000’’; and
(5) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section (i): 
‘‘(i) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN ACCOUNTING OF AS-
SISTANCE.—The Secretary may not consider enrollment in 
a high technology program of education under this section 
to be assistance under a provision of law referred to in 
section 3695 of title 38, United States Code.’’. 
SEC. 204. PILOT PROGRAM FOR OFF-BASE TRANSITION 
TRAINING FOR VETERANS AND SPOUSES. 
(a) EXTENSION
OF PILOT PROGRAM.—Subsection 
(a) of section 301 of the Dignified Burial and Other Vet-
erans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2012 (Public Law 
112–260; 10 U.S.C. 1144 note) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘During the two-year period be-
ginning on the date of the enactment of this Act’’ 
and inserting ‘‘During the 5-year period beginning 
on the date of the enactment of the Dependable Em-
ployment and Living Improvements for Veterans 
Economic Recovery Act’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘to assess the feasibility and ad-
visability of providing such program to eligible indi-
viduals at locations other than military installa-
tions’’. 
(b) LOCATIONS.—Subsection (c) of such section is 
amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘not less than 
three and not more than five States’’ and inserting 
‘‘not fewer than 50 locations in States (as defined 
in section 101 of title 38, United States Code)’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘at least two’’ 
and inserting ‘‘at least 20’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(5) PREFERENCES.—In selecting States for 
participation in the pilot program, the Secretary 
shall provide a preference for any State with— 
‘‘(A) a high rate of usage of unemployment 
benefits for recently separated members of the 
Armed Forces; or 
‘‘(B) a labor force or economy that has 
been significantly impacted by the covered pub-
lic health emergency. 
‘‘(6) COVERED PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY.— 
In this subsection, the term ‘covered public health 
emergency’ means the declaration— 
‘‘(A) of a public health emergency, based 
on an outbreak of COVID–19 by the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services under section 
319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 247d); or
‘‘(B) of a domestic emergency, based on an 
outbreak of COVID–19 by the President, the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, or State, or 
local authority.’’. 
(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Subsection (e) of such section 
is amended by adding at the end the following new sen-
tence: ‘‘Each such report shall include information about 
the employment outcomes of the eligible individuals who 
received such training during the year covered by the re-
port.’’. 
(d) CONFORMING REPEAL.—Subsection (f) of such 
section is repealed. 
SEC. 205. GRANTS FOR PROVISION OF TRANSITION ASSIST-
ANCE TO MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES 
AFTER SEPARATION, RETIREMENT, OR DIS-
CHARGE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall make grants to eligible organizations for the provi-
sion of transition assistance to members of the Armed 
Forces who are separated, retired, or discharged from the 
Armed Forces, and spouses of such members. 
(b) USE OF FUNDS.—The recipient of a grant under 
this section shall use the grant to provide to members of 
the Armed Forces and spouses described in subsection (a) 
resume assistance, interview training, job recruitment
training, and related services leading directly to successful 
transition, as determined by the Secretary. 
(c) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS.—To be eligible for a 
grant under this section, an organization shall submit to 
the Secretary an application containing such information 
and assurances as the Secretary, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Labor, may require. 
(d) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this section, 
the Secretary shall give priority to an organization that— 
(1) provides multiple forms of services described 
in subsection (b); or 
(2) is located in a State with— 
(A) a high rate of veteran unemployment; 
(B) a high rate of usage of unemployment 
benefits for recently separated members of the 
Armed Forces; or 
(C) a labor force or economy that has been 
significantly impacted by the covered public 
health emergency (as such term is defined in 
section 201(l)(1)). 
(e) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—A grant under this section 
shall be in an amount that does not exceed 50 percent 
of the amount required by the organization to provide the 
services described in subsection (b).
(f) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall carry out this 
section not later than six months after the effective date 
of this Act. 
(g) TERMINATION.—The authority to provide a grant 
under this section shall terminate on the date that is five 
years after the date on which the Secretary implements 
the grant program under this section. 
(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 to carry out 
this section. 
SEC. 206. ONE-YEAR INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF THE 
EFFECTIVENESS 
OF 
TRANSITION 
ASSIST-
ANCE PROGRAM. 
(a) INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 90 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the cov-
ered officials, shall enter into an agreement with an appro-
priate entity with experience in adult education to carry 
out a one-year independent assessment of the Transition 
Assistance Program under sections 1142 and 1144 of title 
10, United States Code (in this section referred to as 
‘‘TAP’’), including— 
(1) the effectiveness of TAP for members of 
each military department during the entire military 
life cycle;
(2) the appropriateness of the TAP career read-
iness standards; 
(3) a review of information that is provided to 
the Department of Veterans Affairs under TAP, in-
cluding mental health data; 
(4) whether TAP effectively addresses the chal-
lenges veterans face entering the civilian workforce 
and in translating experience and skills from mili-
tary service to the job market; 
(5) whether TAP effectively addresses the chal-
lenges faced by the families of veterans making the 
transition to civilian life; 
(6) appropriate metrics regarding TAP out-
comes for members of the Armed Forces one year 
after separation, retirement, or discharge from the 
Armed Forces; 
(7) what the Secretary, in consultation with the 
covered officials and veterans service organizations 
determine to be successful outcomes for TAP; 
(8) whether members of the Armed Forces 
achieve successful outcomes for TAP, as determined 
under paragraph (7); 
(9) how the Secretary and the covered officials 
provide feedback to each other regarding such out-
comes;
(10) recommendations for the Secretaries of the 
military departments regarding how to improve out-
comes for members of the Armed Forces after sepa-
ration, retirement, and discharge; and 
(11) other topics the Secretary and the covered 
officials determine would aid members of the Armed 
Forces as they transition to civilian life. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the com-
pletion of the independent assessment under subsection 
(a), the Secretary and the covered officials, shall submit 
to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 
House of Representatives and the Committees on Armed 
Services of the Senate and House of Representatives— 
(1) the findings and recommendations (includ-
ing recommended legislation) of the independent as-
sessment prepared by the entity described in sub-
section (a); and 
(2) responses of the Secretary and the covered 
officials to the findings and recommendations de-
scribed in paragraph (1). 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘covered officials’’ means— 
(A) the Secretary of Defense; 
(B) the Secretary of Labor;
(C) the Administrator of the Small Busi-
ness Administration; and 
(D) the Secretaries of the military depart-
ments. 
(2) The term ‘‘military department’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 101 of title 10, 
United States Code. 
SEC. 207. LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON CHANGES TO TAP. 
(a) STUDY.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs, in consultation with the Secretaries of Defense 
and Labor and the Administrator of the Small Business 
Administration, shall conduct a five-year longitudinal 
study regarding the Transition Assistance Program under 
sections 1142 and 1144 of title 10, United States Code 
(in this section referred to as ‘‘TAP’’), on three separate 
cohorts of members of the Armed Forces who have sepa-
rated from the Armed Forces, including— 
(1) a cohort that has attended TAP counseling 
as implemented on the date of the enactment of this 
Act; 
(2) a cohort that attends TAP counseling after 
the Secretaries of Defense and Labor implement 
changes recommended in the report under section 
206(b); and
(3) a cohort that has not attended TAP coun-
seling. 
(b) PROGRESS REPORTS.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date that is one year after the date of the initi-
ation of the study under subsection (a) and annually 
thereafter for the three subsequent years, the Secretaries 
of Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Labor, and the Adminis-
trator of the Small Business Administration, shall submit 
to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 
House of Representatives and the Committees on Armed 
Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a 
progress report of activities under the study during the 
immediately preceding year. 
(c) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the completion of the study under subsection (a), the Sec-
retaries of Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Labor, and the 
Administrator of the Small Business Administration, shall 
submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen-
ate and House of Representatives and the Committees on 
Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representa-
tives a report of final findings and recommendations based 
on the study. 
(d) ELEMENTS.—The final report under subsection 
(c) shall include information regarding the following: