[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5032 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5032
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop and publish an
action plan for improving the vocational rehabilitation services and
assistance provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 9, 2014
Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York (for himself, Mr. Mullin, and Mr.
Takano) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop and publish an
action plan for improving the vocational rehabilitation services and
assistance provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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 ``Wounded Warrior Employment
Improvement Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Despite an improving economy, a recent study indicates
that among veterans with service-connected disabilities who
served in the Armed Forces after September 11, 2001
(hereinafter referred to as ``wounded warriors''), the
unemployment rate is nearly 17.8 percent.
(2) Wounded warriors should receive the tools, skills,
education, resources, and support needed to find work and
thrive economically.
(3) Designed to provide the expert counseling and other
services and supports vital to achieving economic empowerment,
the vocational rehabilitation and employment program of the
Department of Veterans Affairs should be the premier program
assisting wounded warriors to realize their economic goals.
(4) Only 20 percent of wounded warriors pursuing an
education in 2013 chose to pursue vocational rehabilitation,
while 54 percent chose to use their entitlement to educational
assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program
of the Department of Veterans Affairs, thereby foregoing
counseling and other supports.
(5) Wounded warriors who elect to pursue an education
through the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program rather
than vocational rehabilitation and education report choosing
the such program because of its relatively easier, more
expeditious application process, and the far greater freedom it
affords the veteran to pursue his or her career or educational
goals.
(6) The Department of Veterans Affairs continues to face
challenges with the program's workload management, particularly
with staff and resource allocation models, decentralized
program administration, and staff training, resulting in some
regional offices struggling with average caseloads as high as
175 per counselor, all of which are affecting the delivery and
quality of services to veterans, according to the Government
Accountability Office.
SEC. 3. VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AND EDUCATION ACTION PLAN.
Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall develop and publish an
action plan for improving the services and assistance provided under
chapter 31 of title 38, United States Code. Such plan shall include
each of the following:
(1) A comprehensive analysis of, and recommendations and a
proposed implementation plan for remedying workload management
challenges at regional offices of the Department of Veterans
Affairs, including steps to reduce counselor caseloads of
veterans participating in a rehabilitation program under such
chapter, particularly for counselors who are assisting veterans
with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder
and counselors with educational and vocational counseling
workloads.
(2) A comprehensive analysis of the reasons for the
disproportionately low percentage of veterans with service-
connected disabilities who served in the Armed Forces after
September 11, 2001, who opt to participate in a rehabilitation
program under such chapter relative to the percentage of such
veterans who use their entitlement to educational assistance
under chapter 33 of title 38, United States Code, including an
analysis of barriers to timely enrollment in rehabilitation
programs under chapter 31 of such title and of any barriers to
a veteran enrolling in the program of that veteran's choice.
(3) Recommendations and a proposed implementation plan for
encouraging more veterans with service-connected disabilities
who served in the Armed Forces after September 11, 2001, to
participate in rehabilitation programs under chapter 31 of such
title.
(4) A national staff training program for vocational
rehabilitation counselors of the Department that includes the
provision of--
(A) training to assist counselors in understanding
the very profound disorientation experienced by
warriors whose lives and life-plans have been upended
and out of their control because of their injury;
(B) training to assist counselors in working in
partnership with veterans on individual rehabilitation
plans; and
(C) training on post-traumatic stress disorder and
other mental health conditions and on moderate to
severe traumatic brain injury that is designed to
improve the ability of such counselors to assist
veterans with these conditions, including by providing
information on the broad spectrum of such conditions
and the effect of such conditions on an individual's
abilities and functional limitations.
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