[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 297 Introduced in House (IH)]







111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 297

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for an increase in 
    the amount of subsistence allowance payable by the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to veterans participating in vocational rehabilitation 
                   programs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 8, 2009

 Mr. Buyer (for himself, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Boozman, and Mr. Buchanan) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for an increase in 
    the amount of subsistence allowance payable by the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to veterans participating in vocational rehabilitation 
                   programs, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Veteran Vocational Rehabilitation 
and Employment Subsistence Allowance Improvement Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. INCREASE IN AMOUNT OF SUBSISTENCE ALLOWANCE PAYABLE TO VETERANS 
              PARTICIPATING IN VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAM.

    (a) Increase in Subsistence Allowance.--Section 3108(b)(1) is 
amended by striking the table and inserting the following new table:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Column  I                   Column  II    Column   Column  IV              Column V
---------------------------------------------------------    III    --------------------------------------------
                                                         -----------
              Type of   program                   No         One         Two        More than  two dependents
                                              dependents  dependent  dependents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              ..........  .........  ..........  The amount in column IV, plus
                                                                                  the following for each
                                                                                  dependent in excess of two:
Full-time...................................      $1,200     $1,500      $1,800  $120
Three-quarter time..........................        $900     $1,125      $1,350  $90
Half-time...................................        $600       $750        $900  $60
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to a payment made for the third month beginning 
after the date of the enactment of this Act and each subsequent month.

SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF AVAILABILITY OF EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE ALLOWANCE 
              FOR VETERANS USING EMPLOYMENT SERVICES.

    Section 3108(a) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the following 
        new sentence: ``In the case of a veteran with a service-
        connected disability who the Secretary determines has reached a 
        point of employability and who is participating only in a 
        program of employment services provided under section 
        3104(a)(5) of this title, the Secretary shall pay the veteran a 
        subsistence allowance as prescribed in this section for three 
        months while the veteran is satisfactorily pursuing such 
        program.''; and
            (2) by striking paragraph (2) and redesignating paragraph 
        (3) as paragraph (2).
                                 <all>