,i #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #efdi ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #bg1 #bjah,mr4 ,arrington 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,o',rourke1 ,mr4 ,banks of ,indiana1 ,mr4 ,bilirakis1 ,mr4 ,rutherford1 and ,mr4 ,wenstrup7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 and in addition to the ,committees on ,veterans' ,affairs1 and ,ways and ,means1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to amend titles #aj and #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 to amend the ,social ,security ,act1 and to direct the ,secretaries of ,veterans ,affairs1 ,defense1 ,labor1 and ,homeland ,security1 and the ,administrator of the ,small ,business ,administration1 to take certain actions to improve transition assistance to members of the ,armed ,forces who separate1 retire1 or are discharged from the ,armed ,forces1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,navy ,,seal ,chief ,petty ,officer ,william ,bill ,mulder 7,ret47 ,transition ,improvement ,act of #bjah4 #b4 ,table of contents ,the table of contents for this ,act is as follows3 ,sec4 #a4 ,short title4 ,sec4 #b4 ,table of contents4 ,sec4 #c4 ,definitions4 ,title ,i--,improvements to ,,tap ,sec4 #aja4 ,pathways for ,,tap4 ,sec4 #ajb4 ,contents of ,,tap4 ,title ,,ii--,other ,transition ,assistance ,sec4 #bja4 ,access for the ,secretaries of ,labor and ,veterans ,affairs to the ,federal directory of new hires4 ,sec4 #bjb4 ,pilot program for off-base transition training for veterans and spouses4 ,sec4 #bjc4 ,grants for provision of transition assistance to members of the ,armed ,forces after separation1 retirement1 or discharge4 ,sec4 #bjd4 ,study of community-based transition assistance programs for members of the ,armed ,forces after separation1 retirement1 or discharge4 ,sec4 #bje4 ,one-year independent assessment of the effectiveness of ,,tap4 ,sec4 #bjf4 ,longitudinal study on changes to ,,tap4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,the term ,,tap means the ,transition ,assistance ,program under sections #aadb and #aadd of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,the term ,secretary concerned has the meaning given such term in section #aja of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code4 ,i ,improvements to ,,tap #aja4 ,pathways for ,,tap 7a7 ,in general ,section #aadb of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 in the section heading by striking medical and inserting certain2 7#b7 in subsection 7a7-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by inserting 7regardless of character of discharge7 after discharge2 7,b7 in paragraph 7#c77;,a7-- 7i7 by inserting or other separation after anticipated retirement each place it appears2 7ii7 by striking the second sentence2 7iii7 by striking #ij days and inserting #cfe days2 and 7iv7 by striking discharge or release and inserting retirement or other separation2 and 7,c7 in paragraph 7#c77;,b7-- 7i7 by striking #ij and inserting #cfe2 and 7ii7 by striking #ij-;day and inserting #cfe-;day2 7#c7 by redesignating subsection 7c7 as subsection 7d72 7#d7 by inserting after subsection 7b7 the following new subsection 7c73 7c7 ,counseling pathways 7#a7 ,each ,secretary concerned1 in consultation with the ,secretaries of ,labor and ,veterans ,affairs1 shall establish at least three pathways for members of the military department concerned receiving individualized counseling under this section4 ,the ,secretaries shall design the pathways to address the needs of members1 based on the following factors3 7,a7 ,rank4 7,b7 ,term of service4 7,c7 ,gender4 7,d7 ,whether the member was a member of a regular or reserve component of an armed force4 7,e7 ,disability4 7,f7 ,character of discharge 7including expedited discharge and discharge under conditions other than honorable74 7,g7 ,health 7including mental health74 7,h7 ,military occupational specialty4 7,i7 ,whether the member intends1 after separation1 retirement1 or discharge1 to-- 7i7 seek employment2 7ii7 enroll in a program of higher education2 7iii7 enroll in a program of vocational training2 or 7iv7 become an entrepreneur4 7,j7 ,the educational history of the member4 7,k7 ,the employment history of the member4 7,l7 ,whether the member has secured-- 7i7 employment2 7ii7 enrollment in a program of education2 or 7iii7 enrollment in a program of vocational training4 7,m7 ,other factors the ,secretary of ,defense and the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 in consultation with the ,secretaries of ,labor and ,veterans ,affairs1 determine appropriate4 7#b7 ,each member described in subsection 7a7 shall meet in person or by video conference with a counselor before beginning counseling under this section to-- 7,a7 take a self-assessment designed by the ,secretary concerned 7in consultation with the ,secretaries of ,labor and ,veterans ,affairs7 to ensure that the ,secretary concerned places the member in the appropriate pathway under this subsection2 and 7,b7 receive information from the counselor regarding reenlistment in the armed forces2 and 7,c7 receive information from the counselor regarding resources-- 7i7 for members of the armed forces separated1 retired1 or discharged2 7ii7 located in the community in which the member will reside after separation1 retirement1 or discharge4 7#c7 ,at the meeting under paragraph 7#b71 the member may elect to have the ,secretary concerned 7in consultation with the ,secretaries of ,labor and ,veterans ,affairs7 provide the contact information of the member to the resources described in paragraph 7#b77;,b74 2 and 7#e7 by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7e7 ,joint service transcript 7#a7 ,the ,secretary concerned shall provide a copy of the joint service transcript of a member described in subsection 7a7 to-- 7,a7 that member-- 7i7 at the meeting with a counselor under subsection 7c77#b72 and 7ii7 on the day the member separates1 retires1 or is discharged2 and 7,b7 the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs on the day the member separates1 retires1 or is discharged4 7#b7 ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall ensure that a member who has separated1 retired1 or is discharged may access the joint service transcript of that member from a website of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs not later than one year after the day the member separates1 retires1 or is discharged4 4 7b7 ,deadline ,each ,secretary concerned shall carry out subsection 7c7 of such section1 as amended by subsection 7a71 not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7c7 ,,gao study ,not later than one year after the ,secretaries concerned carry out subsection 7c7 of such section1 as amended by subsection 7a71 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall submit to ,congress a review of the pathways for the ,transition ,assistance ,program established under such subsection 7c74 #ajb4 ,contents of ,,tap 7a7 ,in general ,section #aadd of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7a71 by striking ,such services and inserting ,subject to subsection 7f77#b71 such services2 and 7#b7 by amending subsection 7f7 to read as follows3 7f7 ,program contents 7#a7 ,the program carried out under this section shall consist of at least five days of instruction as follows3 7,a7 ,one day of preseparation training specific to the armed force concerned1 as determined by the ,secretary concerned4 7,b7 ,one day of instruction regarding-- 7i7 benefits under laws administered by the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs2 and 7ii7 other subjects determined by the ,secretary concerned4 7,c7 ,one day of instruction regarding preparation for employment4 7,d7 ,two days of instruction regarding a topic selected by the member from the following subjects3 7i7 ,preparation for employment4 7ii7 ,preparation for education4 7iii7 ,preparation for vocational training4 7iv7 ,preparation for entrepreneurship4 7v7 ,other options determined by the ,secretary concerned4 7#b7 ,the ,secretary concerned may permit a member to attend training and instruction under the program established under this section-- 7,a7 before the time periods established under section #aadb7;a77#c7 of this title2 7,b7 in addition to such training and instruction required during such time periods4 4 7b7 ,deadline ,,tap shall comply with the requirements of subsection 7f7 of such section1 as amended by subsection 7a77#b71 not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7c7 ,report ,on the date that is two years after the date of the enactment of this ,act and annually thereafter for the subsequent four years1 the ,secretary of ,defense shall submit to the ,committees on ,armed ,services and ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate and the ,house of ,representatives a report regarding members of the ,armed ,forces who have attended ,,tap counseling during the preceding year4 ,the report shall detail the following3 7#a7 ,the total number of members who attended ,,tap counseling4 7#b7 ,the number of members who attended ,,tap counseling under paragraph 7#a7 of section #aadb7;f7 of title #aj1 as amended by subsection 7a74 7#c7 ,the number of members who attended ,,tap counseling under paragraph 7#b7 of such section4 7#d7 ,the number of members who elected to attend each two-day instruction under paragraph 7#a77;,d7 of such section4 ,,ii ,other transition assistance #bja4 ,access for the ,secretaries of ,labor and ,veterans ,affairs to the ,federal directory of new hires ,section #dec;,a7h7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fec;a7h77 is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#d7 ,veteran employment ,the ,secretaries of ,labor and of ,veterans ,affairs shall have access to information reported by employers pursuant to subsection 7b7 of this section for purposes of tracking employment of veterans4 4 #bjb4 ,pilot program for off-base transition training for veterans and spouses 7a7 ,extension of pilot program ,subsection 7a7 of section #cja of the ,dignified ,burial and ,other ,veterans' ,benefits ,improvement ,act of #bjab 7,public ,law #aab-bfj2 #aj ,u4,s4,c4 #aadd note7 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking ,during the two-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the and inserting ,during the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of the ,navy ,,seal ,chief ,petty ,officer ,william ,bill ,mulder 7,ret47 ,transition ,improvement ,act of #bjah1 the2 and 7#b7 by striking to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing such program to eligible individuals at locations other than military installations4 7b7 ,locations ,subsection 7c7 of such section is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by striking not less than three and not more than five ,states and inserting not less than #ej locations in ,states 7as defined in section #aja7bj7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code72 and 7#b7 in paragraph 7#b71 by striking at least two and inserting at least #bj4 7c7 ,conforming repeal ,subsection 7f7 of such section is repealed4 #bjc4 ,grants for provision of transition assistance to members of the ,armed ,forces after separation1 retirement1 or discharge 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall make grants to eligible organizations for the provision of transition assistance to members of the ,armed ,forces who are separated1 retired1 or discharged from the ,armed ,forces1 and spouses of such members4 7b7 ,use of funds ,the recipient of a grant under this section shall use the grant to provide to members of the ,armed ,forces and spouses described in subsection 7a7 resume assistance1 interview training1 job recruitment training1 and related services leading directly to successful transition1 as determined by the ,secretary4 7c7 ,eligible organizations ,to be eligible for a grant under this section1 an organization shall submit to the ,secretary an application containing such information and assurances as the ,secretary1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,labor1 may require4 7d7 ,priority for hubs of services ,in making grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall give priority to an organization that provides multiple forms of services described in subsection 7b74 7e7 ,inclusion in ,,tap counseling ,the ,secretary of the military department concerned shall include in the information provided to a member of the ,armed ,forces during ,,tap counseling under section #aadb7;c77#b77;,b7 of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 as amended by section #aja of this ,act1 information regarding any recipient of a grant under this section that is located in the community in which that member will reside after separation1 retirement1 or discharge from the ,armed ,forces4 7f7 ,amount of grant ,a grant under this section shall be in an amount that does not exceed #ej percent of the amount required by the organization to provide the services described in subsection 7b74 7g7 ,deadline ,the ,secretary shall carry out this section not later than six months after the effective date of this ,act4 7h7 ,termination ,the authority to provide a grant under this section shall terminate on the date that is five years after the date on which the ,secretary implements the grant program under this section4 7i7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated #aj1jjj1jjj to carry out this section4 #bjd4 ,study of community-based transition assistance programs for members of the ,armed ,forces after separation1 retirement1 or discharge 7a7 ,study ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1 in consultation with ,state entities that serve members of the ,armed ,forces who are retired1 separated1 or discharged from the ,armed ,forces1 shall enter into an agreement with an appropriate non-,federal entity to carry out a study to identify community-based programs-- 7#a7 that provide transition assistance to such members2 and 7#b7 operated by nonprofit entities4 7b7 ,transmission to members ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall transmit the list of programs identified under this section to the ,secretary of ,defense so the ,secretaries of the military departments may carry out section #aadb7;c77#b77;,b7 of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 as amended by section #aja of this ,act4 7c7 ,online publication ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall publish the most recent version of the list of programs identified under this section on a public website of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs4 #bje4 ,one-year independent assessment of the effectiveness of ,,tap 7a7 ,independent assessment ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1 in consultation with the covered officials1 shall enter into an agreement with an appropriate entity with experience in adult education to carry out a one-year independent assessment of ,,tap1 including-- 7#a7 the effectiveness of ,,tap for members of each military department during the entire military life cycle2 7#b7 the appropriateness of the ,,tap career readiness standards2 7#c7 a review of information that is provided to the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs under ,,tap1 including mental health data2 7#d7 whether ,,tap effectively addresses the challenges veterans face entering the civilian workforce and in translating experience and skills from military service to the job market2 7#e7 whether ,,tap effectively addresses the challenges faced by the families of veterans making the transition to civilian life2 7#f7 appropriate metrics regarding ,,tap outcomes for members of the ,armed ,forces one year after separation1 retirement1 or discharge from the ,armed ,forces2 7#g7 what the ,secretary1 in consultation with the covered officials1 veterans service organizations1 and organizations described in section #bjc7;a7 of this ,act1 determine to be successful outcomes for ,,tap2 7#h7 whether members of the ,armed ,forces achieve successful outcomes for ,,tap1 as determined under paragraph 7#g72 7#i7 how the ,secretary and the covered officials provide feedback to each other regarding such outcomes2 7#aj7 recommendations for the ,secretaries of the military departments regarding how to improve outcomes for members of the ,armed ,forces after separation1 retirement1 and discharge2 and 7#aa7 other topics the ,secretary and the covered officials determine would aid members of the ,armed ,forces as they transition to civilian life4 7b7 ,report ,not later than #ij days after the completion of the independent assessment under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary and the covered officials1 shall submit to the ,committees on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate and ,house of ,representatives and the ,committees on ,armed ,services of the ,senate and ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 the findings and recommendations 7including recommended legislation7 of the independent assessment prepared by the entity described in subsection 7a72 and 7#b7 responses of the ,secretary and the covered officials to the findings and recommendations described in paragraph 7#a74 7c7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the term covered officials is comprised of-- 7,a7 the ,secretary of ,defense2 7,b7 the ,secretary of ,labor2 7,c7 the ,administrator of the ,small ,business ,administration2 and 7,d7 the ,secretaries of the military departments4 7#b7 ,the term military departments has the meaning given such term in section #aja7h7 of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code4 #bjf4 ,longitudinal study on changes to ,,tap 7a7 ,study ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1 in consultation with the ,secretaries of ,defense and ,labor and the ,administrator of the ,small ,business ,administration1 shall conduct a five-year longitudinal study regarding ,,tap on three separate cohorts of members of the ,armed ,forces who have separated from the ,armed ,forces1 including-- 7#a7 a cohort that has attended ,,tap counseling as implemented on the date of the enactment of this ,act2 7#b7 a cohort that attends ,,tap counseling after the ,secretaries of ,defense and ,labor implement changes recommended in the report under section #bje7;b7 of this ,act2 and 7#c7 a cohort that has not attended ,,tap counseling4 7b7 ,progress reports ,not later than #ij days after the day that is one year after the date of the initiation of the study under subsection 7a7 and annually thereafter for the three subsequent years1 the ,secretaries of ,veterans ,affairs1 ,defense1 and ,labor1 and the ,administrator of the ,small ,business ,administration1 shall submit to the ,committees on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate and ,house of ,representatives and the ,committees on ,armed ,services of the ,senate and ,house of ,representatives a progress report of activities under the study during the immediately preceding year4 7c7 ,final report ,not later than #ahj days after the completion of the study under subsection 7a71 the ,secretaries of ,veterans ,affairs1 ,defense1 and ,labor1 and the ,administrator of the ,small ,business ,administration1 shall submit to the ,committees on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate and ,house of ,representatives and the ,committees on ,armed ,services of the ,senate and ,house of ,representatives a report of final findings and recommendations based on the study4 7d7 ,elements ,the final report under subsection 7c7 shall include information regarding the following3 7#a7 ,the percentage of each cohort that received unemployment benefits during the study4 7#b7 ,the numbers of months members of each cohort were employed during the study4 7#c7 ,annual starting and ending salaries of members of each cohort who were employed during the study4 7#d7 ,how many members of each cohort enrolled in an institution of higher learning1 as that term is defined in section #cdeb7;f7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#e7 ,the academic credit hours1 degrees1 and certificates obtained by members of each cohort during the study4 7#f7 ,the annual income of members of each cohort4 7#g7 ,the total household income of members of each cohort4 7#h7 ,how many members of each cohort own their principal residences4 7#i7 ,how many dependents that members of each cohort have4 7#aj7 ,the percentage of each cohort that achieves a successful outcome for ,,tap1 as determined under section #bje7;a77#f7 of this ,act4 7#aa7 ,other criteria the ,secretaries and the ,administrator of the ,small ,business ,administration determine appropriate4