I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1786 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a report 
on the Warrior Training Advancement Course, to direct the Secretary 
of the Interior to administer a pilot program to employ veterans in 
positions that relate to conservation and resource management activities 
of the Department of the Interior, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 24, 2023 
Mr. LEVIN (for himself and Mr. WITTMAN) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addi-
tion to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to 
Congress a report on the Warrior Training Advancement 
Course, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to admin-
ister a pilot program to employ veterans in positions 
that relate to conservation and resource management 
activities of the Department of the Interior, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Get Rewarding Out-
door Work for our Veterans Act’’ or the ‘‘GROW Act’’. 
SEC. 2. REPORTING ON THE WARRIOR TRAINING ADVANCE-
MENT COURSE OF THE VETERANS BENEFIT 
ADMINISTRATION. 
(a) REPORTS REQUIRED.— 
(1) INITIAL
REPORT.—Not later than six 
months after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the 
Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 
House of Representatives a report on WARTAC. 
(2) ANNUAL REPORT.—One year after the sub-
mission under paragraph (1) and annually there-
after, the Secretary shall submit to such Committees 
a report that contains the elements under para-
graphs (1) and (3) of subsection (b) with regards to 
the preceding year. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—Subject to subsection (a)(2), the re-
ports under this section shall include the following ele-
ments: 
(1) BEST
PRACTICES.—With regards to best 
practices of WARTAC— 
(A) how many covered members have ap-
plied to participate in WARTAC; 
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(B) how many covered members have par-
ticipated in WARTAC; 
(C) how the Secretary provides training to 
covered members during TAP; 
(D) how many covered members have com-
pleted WARTAC; and 
(E) any other information the Secretary 
determines appropriate. 
(2) COST SAVINGS.—With regards to cost sav-
ings of WARTAC— 
(A) how much money the Secretary deter-
mines WARTAC saves the United States each 
fiscal year; 
(B) how much money the Secretary deter-
mines WARTAC has saved the United States 
since its establishment; and 
(C) the determination of the Secretary 
whether other Federal agencies may save money 
by establishing a program similar to WARTAC. 
(3) HIRING.—With regards to hiring covered 
members who complete WARTAC— 
(A) how the Secretary identifies positions 
in the Department of Veterans Affairs for 
which such covered members may qualify; 
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(B) the grades of such positions on the 
General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, 
United States Code; and 
(C) how many such covered members the 
Secretary has hired to such positions. 
(c) DISTRIBUTION.—Not later than 30 days after 
submitting the report under subsection (a)(1), the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs shall transmit a copy of the re-
port under this section to each head of a Federal agency. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘covered member’’ means mem-
bers of the Armed Forces participating in TAP. 
(2) The term ‘‘TAP’’ means the Transition As-
sistance Program of the Department of Defense 
under sections 1142 and 1144 of title 10, United 
States Code. 
(3) The term ‘‘WARTAC’’ means the Warrior 
Training Advancement Course of the Veterans Ben-
efit Administration, in which the Secretary provides 
training to covered members so such covered mem-
bers may qualify for certain employment in the Vet-
erans Benefit Administration. 
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SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM TO EMPLOY VETERANS IN POSI-
TIONS RELATING TO CONSERVATION AND RE-
SOURCE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES. 
(a) BEST PRACTICES FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS.— 
The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employ-
ment and Training, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs, shall establish guidelines containing best 
practices for departments and agencies of the Federal 
Government that carry out programs to employ veterans 
who are transitioning from service in the Armed Forces. 
Such guidelines shall include the findings of the report re-
quired under section 2. 
(b) PILOT PROGRAM.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of the In-
terior, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary 
of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training 
and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall establish 
a pilot program under which veterans are employed 
by the Federal Government in positions that relate 
to the conservation and resource management activi-
ties of the Department of the Interior. 
(2) POSITIONS.—The Secretary of the Interior 
shall— 
(A) identify vacant positions in the De-
partment of the Interior that are appropriate to 
fill using the pilot program; and 
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(B) to the extent practicable, fill such posi-
tions using the pilot program. 
(3) APPLICATION OF CIVIL SERVICE LAWS.—A 
veteran employed under the pilot program shall be 
treated as an employee as defined by section 2105 
of title 5, United States Code. 
(4) BRIEFINGS AND REPORT.— 
(A) INITIAL BRIEFING.—Not later than 60 
days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of the Interior and the As-
sistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Em-
ployment and Training shall jointly provide to 
the appropriate congressional committees a 
briefing on the pilot program under this sub-
section, which shall include— 
(i) a description of how the pilot pro-
gram will be carried out in a manner to re-
duce the unemployment of veterans; and 
(ii) any recommendations for legisla-
tive actions to improve the pilot program. 
(B) 
IMPLEMENTATION
BRIEFING.—Not 
later than one year after the date on which the 
pilot program under subsection (a) commences, 
the Secretary of the Interior and the Assistant 
Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment 
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