Veterans Readiness and Employment Program Integrity Act
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Would tighten eligibility, cap the duration of job-placement assistance, and strengthen oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Veterans Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program, which provides job training and employment services to veterans with service-connected disabilities.
The changes would require an upfront application with work and education records, set a 365-day limit on employment assistance (extendable by 180 days), and mandate new data reporting and an independent expert review of rehabilitation programs.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would make four changes to the VA's Veterans Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program. First, it would require veterans to submit an application — including their work history and educational transcripts — before the VA could conduct an initial eligibility evaluation. Second, it would cap employment assistance under the program at 365 days, with a one-time 180-day extension available if a counselor certifies the veteran is actively seeking work. Third, it would require the VA to report to the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees on employment outcomes, including each participant's annual wages before and after completing a program, along with which regional office administered it. The VA would also be required to publish annual average wait times between a veteran's program request and their first counselor meeting.
Fourth, it would direct the VA Secretary to contract within one year of enactment with a non-VA entity that has expertise in vocational rehabilitation to conduct an independent review of VR&E rehabilitation programs, with the contractor required to submit recommendations to the Secretary within one year of that contract.
Key provisions
- 1Would require veterans to submit an application with their work history and educational transcripts before the VA may conduct an initial VR&E eligibility evaluation.
- 2Would cap VR&E employment assistance at 365 days, with an additional 180-day extension if a counselor certifies the veteran is actively seeking employment.
- 3Would require the VA to report to Congress on vocational rehabilitation participants' annual wages before and after program completion, broken down by regional office.
- 4Would require the VA to publish annually the average wait time between a veteran's program request and their first counselor meeting.
- 5Would direct the VA Secretary to contract with a non-VA vocational rehabilitation expert to review VR&E programs and submit improvement recommendations within one year.
Who would be affected
Veterans with service-connected disabilities who participate in or seek to enroll in the VR&E program, particularly those currently receiving open-ended employment assistance. VA regional offices that administer the program would face new reporting obligations, and vocational rehabilitation firms or nonprofit organizations would be eligible to compete for the independent review contract.
Why it matters
Veterans relying on extended VR&E employment assistance could be cut off at 365 days unless their counselor certifies active job-seeking, potentially affecting those who face barriers to employment. The new wage-tracking and wait-time reporting requirements would give Congress and the public better visibility into how well the program is actually working for participants.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 3106(a) (Sec. 2)
Adds a new requirement that veterans submit a substantive work record and educational transcripts before receiving an initial VR&E evaluation.
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 3117(a) (Sec. 3)
Adds a 365-day cap on VR&E employment assistance, with an optional 180-day counselor-certified extension for veterans actively seeking work.
Creates Title 38, United States Code, Chapter 31 (Sec. 4)
Adds new section 3123 establishing data collection and reporting requirements on wages, wait times, and an independent program review.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- VA must seek to enter independent review contract
- Non-VA entity must submit recommendations report to the Secretary
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 3579 would cost less than $500,000 over the 2025–2030 period, subject to appropriations, with no effect on direct spending, revenues, or the deficit.
CBO estimates that H.R. 3579 would have no effect on direct (mandatory) spending, revenues, or the federal deficit over the 2025–2035 period. The only budgetary impact is a negligible cost — less than $500,000 over 2025–2030 — in discretionary spending (funds that require annual congressional appropriations), driven primarily by a one-time outside review of the VA's Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program and a new reporting requirement. A provision capping employment assistance at 18 months is expected to produce a small, offsetting savings since VA reports few veterans currently receive assistance beyond that threshold. CBO identified no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates in the bill.
How implementation would work
The VA Secretary would begin requiring application materials (work records and educational transcripts) before scheduling initial evaluations. For the 180-day extension, a VR&E counselor must provide certification of active job-seeking. The VA would report employment outcomes — wages before and after, by regional office — to the relevant congressional committees and annually publish counselor wait-time data on a VA website. Within one year of enactment, the Secretary must seek a contract with a qualified non-VA vocational rehabilitation entity; that entity then has one year from the contract date to submit improvement recommendations to the Secretary.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill modifies the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VR&E program provides job training and employment-related services to veterans with service-connected disabilities.
The bill requires veterans to submit an application to the VA in order to receive an initial evaluation to participate in the VR&E program.
Further, a veteran may not receive employment assistance under the VR&E program for more than 365 days.
The bill also requires the VA to report to Congress regarding the employment of veterans who participate in a vocational rehabilitation program under the VR&E program, including the annual wages of veterans before and after completion of a program. Additionally, the VA must annually publish the average time between the date on which a veteran requests a vocational rehabilitation program under the VR&E program and the date on which they first meet with a counselor as part of the program.
Finally, the VA must seek to enter into a contract with a non-VA entity that has expertise in vocational rehabilitation to review, report, and provide recommendations on rehabilitation programs under the VR&E program.
Legislative subjects
Armed Forces and National Security; Congressional oversight; Data collection, sharing, protection; Employment and training programs; Government information and archives; Public contracts and procurement; Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-262