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- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Economic 4 Recovery Act of 2020’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7111.IH H7111 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 7111 IH SEC. 2. COVID-19 VETERAN RAPID RETRAINING ASSIST- 1 ANCE PROGRAM. 2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 3 shall carry out a program under which the Secretary shall 4 provide up to 12 months of retraining assistance to an 5 eligible veteran for the pursuit of a covered program of 6 education. Such retraining assistance shall be in addition 7 to any other entitlement to educational assistance or bene- 8 fits for which a veteran is, or has been, eligible. 9 (b) ELIGIBLE VETERANS.— 10 (1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this section, 11 the term ‘‘eligible veteran’’ means a veteran who— 12 (A) as of the date of the submittal of the 13 application for assistance under this section, is 14 at least 25 years of age but not more than 60 15 years of age; 16 (B) as of the date of the submittal of the 17 application for assistance under this section, is 18 unemployed by reason of the covered public 19 health emergency, as certified by the veteran; 20 (C) as of the date of the submittal of the 21 application for assistance under this section, is 22 not eligible to receive educational assistance 23 under chapter 30, 31, 32, 33, or 35 of title 38, 24 United States Code, or chapter 1606 or 1607 25 of title 10, United States Code; 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7111.IH H7111 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 7111 IH (D) is not enrolled in any Federal or State 1 jobs program; 2 (E) is not in receipt of compensation for a 3 service-connected disability rated totally dis- 4 abling by reason of unemployability; and 5 (F) will not be in receipt of unemployment 6 compensation (as defined in section 85(b) of the 7 Internal Revenue Code of 1986), including any 8 cash benefit received pursuant to subtitle A of 9 title II of division A of the Cares Act (Public 10 Law 116–136), as of the first day on which the 11 veteran would pursue a program of education 12 using retraining assistance under this section. 13 (2) TREATMENT OF VETERANS WHO TRANSFER 14 ENTITLEMENT.—For purposes of paragraph (1)(C), 15 a veteran who has transferred all of the veteran’s 16 entitlement to educational assistance under section 17 3319 of title 38, United States Code, shall be con- 18 sidered to be a veteran who is not eligible to receive 19 educational assistance under chapter 33 of such 20 title. 21 (3) FAILURE TO COMPLETE.—A veteran who 22 receives retraining assistance under this section to 23 pursue a program of education and who fails to com- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7111.IH H7111 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 7111 IH plete the program of education shall not be eligible 1 to receive additional assistance under this section. 2 (c) COVERED PROGRAMS OF EDUCATION.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible veteran who 4 receives retraining assistance under this section may 5 only use such assistance to pursue a program of 6 education (as such term is defined in section 7 3452(b) of title 38, United States Code) for train- 8 ing, on a full-time or part-time basis, that— 9 (A) that— 10 (i) is approved under chapter 36 of 11 such title; 12 (ii) does not lead to a bachelors or 13 graduate degree; and 14 (iii) is designed to provide training for 15 a high-demand occupation, as determined 16 under paragraph (2); or 17 (B) is a high technology programs of edu- 18 cation offered by a qualified provider, under the 19 meaning of such terms in section 116 of the 20 Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational As- 21 sistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–48; 38 22 U.S.C. 3001 note). 23 (2) ACCREDITED PROGRAMS.—In the case of an 24 accredited program of education, the program of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7111.IH H7111 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 7111 IH education shall not be considered a covered program 1 of education under this section if the program has 2 received a show cause order from the accreditor of 3 the program during the five-year period preceding 4 the date of the enactment of this Act. 5 (3) DETERMINATION OF HIGH-DEMAND OCCU- 6 PATIONS.— 7 (A) INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION.—In car- 8 rying out this section, the Secretary shall use 9 the list of high-demand occupations compiled by 10 the Commissioner of Labor Statistics until the 11 final list under subparagraph (C) is complete. 12 (B) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of 13 Veterans Affairs shall enter into an agreement 14 with a federally funded research and develop- 15 ment corporation or another appropriate non- 16 Department entity for the conduct of a study to 17 determine which occupations are high-demand 18 occupations. Such study shall be completed not 19 later than 30 days after the date of the enact- 20 ment of this Act. 21 (C) FINAL LIST.—The Secretary— 22 (i) may add or remove occupation 23 from the list in use pursuant to subpara- 24 graph (A) during the 60-day period fol- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7111.IH H7111 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 7111 IH lowing the completion of the study required 1 by subparagraph (B); 2 (ii) shall issue a final list of high-de- 3 mand occupations for use under this sec- 4 tion by not later than 60 days after the 5 date of the completion of the study; and 6 (iii) shall make such final list publicly 7 available on a website of the Department. 8 (D) USE OF LIST.—The Secretary shall 9 use the list developed under this paragraph in 10 order to apply the requirement that retraining 11 assistance under this section is used for train- 12 ing for a high-demand occupation, but the Sec- 13 retary may remove occupations from the list as 14 the Secretary determines appropriate. 15 (d) AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE.— 16 (1) RETRAINING ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 17 of Veterans Affairs shall provide to an eligible vet- 18 eran pursuing a covered program of education under 19 the retraining assistance program under this section 20 an amount equal to the amount of educational as- 21 sistance payable under section 3313(c)(1)(A) for 22 each month the veteran pursues the covered pro- 23 gram of education. Such amount shall be payable di- 24 rectly to the educational institution offering the cov- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7111.IH H7111 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 7111 IH ered program of education pursued by the veteran as 1 follows: 2 (A) 50 percent of the total amount payable 3 shall be paid when the eligible veteran begins 4 the program of education. 5 (B) 25 percent of the total amount payable 6 shall be paid when the eligible veteran com- 7 pletes the program of education. 8 (C) 25 percent of the total amount payable 9 shall be paid when the eligible veteran finds em- 10 ployment in a field related to the program of 11 education. 12 (2) FAILURE TO COMPLETE.—In the case of a 13 veteran who pursues a covered program of education 14 under the retraining assistance program under this 15 section, but who does not complete the program of 16 education, the Secretary shall pay to the educational 17 institution offering such program of education a pro- 18 rated amount based on the number of months the 19 veteran pursued the program of education— 20 (A) under paragraph (1)(B), which shall 21 be payable when the veteran provides notice to 22 the educational institution that the veteran no 23 longer intends to pursue the program of edu- 24 cation; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7111.IH H7111 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 7111 IH (B) under paragraph (1)(C), which shall 1 by payable only if the veteran finds employment 2 in a field related to the program of education 3 during the 180-day period beginning on the 4 date on which the veteran withdraws from the 5 program of education. 6 (3) HOUSING STIPEND.—For each month that 7 an eligible veteran pursues a covered program of 8 education under the retraining assistance program 9 under this section, the Secretary shall pay to the 10 veteran a monthly housing stipend in an amount 11 equal to— 12 (A) in the case of a covered program of 13 education leading to a degree at an institution 14 of higher learning (as that term is defined in 15 section 3452(f) of title 38, United States Code) 16 pursued on more than a half-time basis, the 17 amount specified under subsection (c)(1)(B) of 18 section 3313 of title 38, United States Code; 19 (B) in the case of a covered program of 20 education other than a program of education 21 leading to a degree at an institution other than 22 an institution of higher learning pursued on 23 more than a half-time basis, the amount speci- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7111.IH H7111 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 7111 IH fied under subsection (g)(3)(A)(ii) of such sec- 1 tion; 2 (C) in the case of a covered program of 3 education pursued on less than a half-time 4 basis, the amount specified under subsection 5 (f)(2)(A)(ii) of such section; or 6 (D) in the case of a covered program of 7 education pursued solely through distance 8 learning on more than a half-time basis, the 9 amount specified under subsection (c)(1)(B)(iii) 10 of such section. 11 (4) FAILURE TO FIND EMPLOYMENT.—The 12 Secretary shall not make a payment under para- 13 graph (1)(C) with respect to an eligible veteran who 14 completes or fails to completes a program of edu- 15 cation under the retraining assistance program 16 under this section if the veteran fails to find employ- 17 ment in a field related to the program of education 18 within the 180-period beginning on the date on 19 which the veteran withdraws from or completes the 20 program. 21 (e) NO TRANSFERABILITY.—Retraining assistance 22 provided under this section may not be transferred to an- 23 other individual. 24 (f) EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7111.IH H7111 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 7111 IH (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor shall 1 contact each veteran who pursues a covered program 2 of education under this section— 3 (A) not later than 30 days after the date 4 on which the veteran begins the program of 5 education to notify the veteran of the avail- 6 ability of employment placement services upon 7 completion of the program; and 8 (B) not later than 14 days after the date 9 on which the veteran completes, or terminates 10 participation in, such program to facilitate the 11 provision of employment placement services to 12 such veteran. 13 (2) PROVISION OF INFORMATION.—The Sec- 14 retary of Veterans Affairs shall provide to the Sec- 15 retary of Labor such information as may be nec- 16 essary to carry out paragraph (1). 17 (g) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.— 18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 19 Affairs may enter into a memorandum of under- 20 standing with one or more qualified nonprofit orga- 21 nizations for the purpose of facilitating the employ- 22 ment of veterans who participate in the retraining 23 assistance program under this section. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7111.IH H7111 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 7111 IH (2) QUALIFIED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.— 1 For purposes of this subsection, a qualified non- 2 profit organization is a nonprofit organization 3 that— 4 (A) is an association of businesses; and 5 (B) has at least two years of experience 6 providing job placement services for veterans. 7 (h) FOLLOW-UP OUTREACH.—The Secretary of Vet- 8 erans Affairs, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor 9 shall contact each veteran who completes a covered pro- 10 gram of education under the retraining assistance pro- 11 gram under this section 30, 60, 90, and 180 days after 12 the veteran completes such program of education to ask 13 the veteran about the experience of the veteran in the re- 14 training assistance program and the veteran’s employment 15 status. 16 (i) TIME FRAME FOR PARTICIPATION.—An eligible 17 veteran who participates in the retraining assistance pro- 18 gram under this section shall— 19 (1) begin a program of education by not later 20 than 150 days after the date of the enactment of 21 this Act; and 22 (2) complete such program of education by not 23 later than 17 months after the date of the enact- 24 ment of this Act. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7111.IH H7111 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 7111 IH (j) LIMITATION.—Not more than 35,000 eligible vet- 1 erans may receive retraining assistance under this section. 2 (k) TERMINATION.—No retraining assistance may be 3 paid under this section after the date that is 17 months 4 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 5 (l) GAO REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the 6 termination of the retraining assistance program under 7 subsection (k), the Comptroller General shall submit to 8 the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 9 House of Representatives a report on the outcomes and 10 effectiveness of the program. 11 (m) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 12 (1) The t [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]