Title: VET Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veteran Employment Transition Act or the VET Act
This bill requires the Department of Defense to collect contact information from service members and share the information with veterans' service organizations for purposes of outreach regarding benefits, employment opportunities, and other programs and events.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4941 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4941

   To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the Transition 
Assistance Program by allowing certain veterans' service organizations 
to contact veterans regarding benefits and to better inform veterans of 
           employment opportunities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 31, 2019

   Mr. Kim (for himself, Mr. Cook, and Mr. Cisneros) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, 
and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to 
      be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the Transition 
Assistance Program by allowing certain veterans' service organizations 
to contact veterans regarding benefits and to better inform veterans of 
           employment opportunities, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veteran Employment Transition Act'' 
or the ``VET Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT TO TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM OUTREACH.

    (a) In General.--Section 1144 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(g) Outreach.--(1) The Secretary concerned shall collect the 
following information from each member participating in the program 
under this section:
            ``(A) The name of the member.
            ``(B) The mailing address of the member while participating 
        in such program and, if different, the mailing address of the 
        member after being separated from active duty.
            ``(C) The email address of the member.
            ``(D) The telephone number of the member.
    ``(2)(A) Except as provided by paragraph (3), the Secretary 
concerned shall share with the veterans' service organizations covered 
by section 5902 of title 38, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and 
veterans agencies of State governments, the information of members 
collected under paragraph (1) for the purpose of such organizations 
contacting such members with respect to the following:
            ``(i) Programs described in subsection (b)(3).
            ``(ii) Benefits available to veterans.
            ``(iii) Employment opportunities for veterans, including 
        employment opportunities with the Federal Government and State 
        and local governments.
            ``(iv) Events for veterans in the area in which the member 
        lives.
    ``(B) The Secretary concerned may not share information under 
subparagraph (A) with a veterans' service organization if such 
organization--
            ``(i) uses such information to solicit membership with the 
        organization;
            ``(ii) contacts the member or dependents of the member 
        under this subsection more frequently than semiannually; or
            ``(iii) does not allow a member or dependent of a member to 
        opt out of being contacted under this subsection.
    ``(3) In collecting information under paragraph (1), the Secretary 
concerned shall permit a member participating in the program under this 
section to not be contacted under paragraph (2).''.
    (b) Prior Participants.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
ensure that a veteran who completed the Transition Assistance Program 
under section 1144 of title 10, United States Code, before the date of 
the enactment of this Act may provide the information under subsection 
(g)(1) of such section, as added by this section.
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