,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ejcb  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #i1 #bjad ,mr4 
,sean ,patrick ,maloney of ,new ,york   
7for himself1 ,mr4 ,mullin1 and ,mr4    
,takano7 introduced the following bill2 
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
 ,affairs4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act 
may be cited as the ,wounded ,warrior   
,employment ,improvement ,act4  #b4     
,findings ,congress makes the following 
findings3  7#a7 ,despite an improving   
economy1 a recent study indicates that  
among veterans with service-connected   
disabilities who served in the ,armed   
,forces after ,september #aa1 #bjja     
7hereinafter referred to as wounded     
warriors71 the unemployment rate is     
nearly #ag4h percent4  7#b7 ,wounded    

warriors should receive the tools1      
skills1 education1 resources1 and       
support needed to find work and thrive  
economically4  7#c7 ,designed to provide
 the expert counseling and other        
services and supports vital to achieving
 economic empowerment1 the vocational   
rehabilitation and employment program of
 the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs  
should be the premier program assisting 
wounded warriors to realize their       
economic goals4  7#d7 ,only #bj percent 
of wounded warriors pursuing an         
education in #bjac chose to pursue      
vocational rehabilitation1 while #ed    
percent chose to use their entitlement  
to educational assistance under the     
,post-#i_/aa ,educational ,assistance   
,program of the ,department of ,veterans
 ,affairs1 thereby foregoing counseling 
and other supports4  7#e7 ,wounded      
warriors who elect to pursue an         
education through the ,post-#i_/aa      
,educational ,assistance ,program rather
 than vocational rehabilitation and     

education report choosing the such      
program because of its relatively       
easier1 more expeditious application    
process1 and the far greater freedom it 
affords the veteran to pursue his or her
 career or educational goals4  7#f7 ,the
 ,department of ,veterans ,affairs      
continues to face challenges with the   
program's workload management1          
particularly with staff and resource    
allocation models1 decentralized program
 administration1 and staff training1    
resulting in some regional offices      
struggling with average caseloads as    
high as #age per counselor1 all of which
 are affecting the delivery and quality 
of services to veterans1 according to   
the ,government ,accountability ,office4
  #c4 ,vocational rehabilitation and    
education action plan ,not later than   
#bgj days after the date of the         
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
of ,veterans ,affairs shall develop and 
publish an action plan for improving the
 services and assistance provided under 

chapter #ca of title #ch1 ,united       
,states ,code4 ,such plan shall include 
each of the following3  7#a7 ,a         
comprehensive analysis of1 and          
recommendations and a proposed          
implementation plan for remedying       
workload management challenges at       
regional offices of the ,department of  
,veterans ,affairs1 including steps to  
reduce counselor caseloads of veterans  
participating in a rehabilitation       
program under such chapter1 particularly
 for counselors who are assisting       
veterans with traumatic brain injury and
 post-traumatic stress disorder and     
counselors with educational and         
vocational counseling workloads4  7#b7  
,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 #aa1 #bjja1 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 #cc of title   
#ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 including an
 analysis of barriers to timely         
enrollment in rehabilitation programs   
under chapter #ca of such title and of  
any barriers to a veteran enrolling in  
the program of that veteran's choice4   
7#c7 ,recommendations and a proposed    
implementation plan for encouraging more
 veterans with service-connected        
disabilities who served in the ,armed   
,forces after ,september #aa1 #bjja1 to 
participate in rehabilitation programs  
under chapter #ca of such title4  7#d7  
,a national staff training program for  
vocational rehabilitation counselors of 
the ,department that includes the       
provision of--  7,a7 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 injury2  7,b7 training 

to assist counselors in working in      
partnership with veterans on individual 
rehabilitation plans2 and  7,c7 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 conditions1         
including by providing information on   
the broad spectrum of such conditions   
and the effect of such conditions on an 
individual's abilities and functional   
limitations4