Veterans Readiness and Employment Improvement and Accountability Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Veterans Readiness and Employment Improvement and Accountability Act changes several rules for VA education, employment, and rehabilitation benefits. VA may bar a person from specified veterans education and counseling benefits if convicted of assaulting a VA officer or employee under 18 U.S.C. 111 after enactment. The bill extends Veteran Readiness and Employment eligibility when a veteran has completed training but has not obtained employment in the occupation trained for during the following year. It adds cost control by requiring Secretary approval for VR&E equipment purchases above $5,000 and annual reports to the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees for five years. It caps federal funding for a rehabilitation program at $250,000, adjusted annually. It also bars veterans participating in VR&E from receiving chapter 11 disability compensation based on total disability due to individual unemployability during that participation.
Who Benefits and How
Veterans who finish training but cannot obtain work in their trained occupation benefit from an eligibility extension that can keep VR&E support available. VA employees benefit from a benefits bar for people convicted of assaulting VA officers or employees. Congressional veterans committees benefit from new equipment-purchase reporting. Federal taxpayers benefit from equipment approval, program-funding caps, and limits on overlapping VR&E participation and TDIU compensation.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Veterans convicted of assaulting VA employees may lose access to covered education, counseling, and rehabilitation benefits. Veterans in VR&E who also receive TDIU compensation bear a direct income risk because the bill bars that compensation during participation. Veterans needing equipment over $5,000 may face approval delays or denials. VA VR&E counselors, VA Secretary staff, and benefit processors must administer the new eligibility extension, benefit bar, equipment approvals, reports, funding cap, and compensation coordination rules.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes VA to bar certain benefits after convictions for assaulting VA officers or employees.
- Extends VR&E eligibility when a veteran does not obtain work in the trained occupation within one year.
- Requires VA Secretary approval and annual congressional reports for VR&E equipment purchases above $5,000.
- Limits federal funding for a rehabilitation program to $250,000 with annual adjustment.
- Bars veterans participating in VR&E from also receiving TDIU-based disability compensation during participation.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Tightens and audits VA Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits by barring certain assault convictions, extending eligibility when training does not lead to work, requiring approval and reports for high-cost equipment, capping rehabilitation funding, and limiting simultaneous TDIU compensation during participation.
Key Policy Areas
Veterans, Government Oversight, Labor
Primary Purpose
Tightens and audits VA Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits by barring certain assault convictions, extending eligibility when training does not lead to work, requiring approval and reports for high-cost equipment, capping rehabilitation funding, and limiting simultaneous TDIU compensation during participation.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Veterans unable to obtain trained-for work
- VA employees
- Congressional veterans committees
- Federal taxpayers
Identified Costs
- Veterans convicted of assaulting VA employees
- Veterans receiving TDIU compensation while in VR&E
- Veterans needing high-cost VR&E equipment
- VA VR&E counselors
- VA Secretary staff
- Benefit processors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeCommittee Hearings Held
Committee Hearings Held
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced in House
Mr. Van Orden introduced the following bill; which was referred …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Congressional veterans committees, VA Secretary staff, VA VR&E counselors
Positive-direction: Congressional veterans committees
Negative-direction: VA Secretary staff, VA VR&E counselors, VA benefit processors, VA code maintenance staff, VA rehabilitation program staff
Veterans in high-cost rehabilitation programs, Veterans needing high-cost VR&E equipment, Veterans receiving TDIU compensation while in VR&E
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology