1.Short title; table of
contents
(a)This Act may be cited
as the Housing, Employment, and Living
Programs for Veterans Act of 2011
or the
HELP Veterans Act of
2011
.
(b)The table of
contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. References to title 38, United States Code.
Sec. 3. Modification of standard of visual acuity required for
eligibility for specially adapted housing assistance provided by the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 4. Authorities regarding housing loans guaranteed by the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 5. Assistance for flight training.
Sec. 6. Seven-year increase in amount of assistance for
individuals pursuing internships or on-the-job training.
Sec. 7. Extension of authority for certain qualifying
work-study activities for purposes of the educational assistance programs of
the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 8. Expansion of work-study allowance to include certain
outreach services conducted through congressional offices.
Sec. 9. Temporary reduction of required amount of wages for
on-the-job training programs.
Sec. 10. Reauthorization of Veterans’ Advisory Committee on
Education.
Sec. 11. Review and evaluation of new technology.
Sec. 12. Child care; President’s Budget.
Sec. 13. Increase in amount of reporting fee payable to
educational institutions that enroll veterans receiving educational
assistance.
Sec. 14. Modification of advance payment of initial educational
assistance or subsistence allowance.
Sec. 15. Increase in amount of subsistence allowance payable to
veterans participating in vocational rehabilitation program.
Sec. 16. Expansion of availability of employment assistance
allowance for veterans using employment services.
Sec. 17. Veterans entrepreneurial development
summit.
Sec. 18. Increase in the maximum amount of specially adapted
housing assistance authorized to be provided by the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs.
Sec. 19. Department of Veterans Affairs housing loans for
construction of energy efficient dwellings.
Sec. 20. Pilot program on specially adapted housing assistance
for veterans residing temporarily in housing owned by a family
member.
2.References to
title 38, United States CodeExcept as otherwise expressly provided,
whenever in this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an
amendment to, or a repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall
be considered to be made to a section or other provision of title 38, United
States Code.
3.Modification of
standard of visual acuity required for eligibility for specially adapted
housing assistance provided by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
(a)Section 2101(b)(2)(A)
is amended by striking with 5/200
and all that follows through
the period and inserting the following: with central visual acuity of
20/200 or less in the better eye with the use of standard correcting lenses
(for purposes of this subparagraph, an eye which is accompanied by a limitation
in the fields of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field
subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees shall be treated as having a
central visual acuity of 20/200 or less).
.
(b)The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with
respect to specially adapted housing assistance provided on or after the date
of the enactment of this Act.
4.Authorities
regarding housing loans guaranteed by the Department of Veterans
Affairs
(a)Covenants and
liens in response to disaster-Relief assistanceParagraph (3) of section 3703(d) is amended
to read as follows:
(3)(A)Any real estate housing
loan (other than for repairs, alterations, or improvements) shall be secured by
a first lien on the realty. In determining whether a loan is so secured, the
Secretary may either disregard or allow for subordination to a superior lien
that—
(i)is created by a duly recorded covenant
running with the realty in favor of—
(I)a public entity that provides assistance in
response to a major disaster as determined by the President under the Robert T.
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.);
or
(II)a private entity to secure an
obligation to such entity for the homeowner’s share of the costs of the
management, operation, or maintenance of property, services, or programs within
and for the benefit of the development or community in which the veteran’s
realty is located; and
(ii)the Secretary determines will not prejudice
the interests of the veteran borrower and of the Government by the operation of
such a covenant.
(B)In respect to a superior lien
described by subparagraph (A) that is created after June 6, 1969, the
Secretary’s determination must have been made prior to the recordation of the
covenant.
.
(b)Extension of
authority to pool loansParagraph (2) of section 3720(h) is
amended by striking 2011
and inserting
2016
.
5.Assistance for
flight trainingSubsection
(e)(1) of section 3032 is amended by striking 60 percent
and
inserting 75 percent
.
6.Seven-year
increase in amount of assistance for individuals pursuing internships or
on-the-job trainingDuring the
seven-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall apply—
(1)section 3032(c)(1)
of title 38, United States Code—
(A)in subparagraph
(A), by substituting 80 percent
for 75
percent
;
(B)in subparagraph
(B), by substituting 60 percent
for 55 percent
;
and
(C)in subparagraph
(C), by substituting 40 percent
for 35
percent
;
(2)section 3233(a) of
such title—
(A)in paragraph (1),
by substituting 80 percent
for 75 percent
;
(B)in paragraph (2),
by substituting 60 percent
for 55 percent
;
and
(C)in paragraph (3),
by substituting 40 percent
for 35 percent
;
(3)section 3687(b)(2)
of such title—
(A)by substituting
$603
for $574
;
(B)by substituting
$450
for $429
; and
(C)by substituting
$299
for $285
; and
(4)section
16131(d)(1) of title 10, United States Code—
(A)in subparagraph
(A), by substituting 80 percent
for 75
percent
;
(B)in subparagraph
(B), by substituting 60 percent
for 55 percent
;
and
(C)in subparagraph
(C), by substituting 40 percent
for 35
percent
.
7.Extension of
authority for certain qualifying work-study activities for purposes of the
educational assistance programs of the Department of Veterans
AffairsParagraph (4) of
section 3485(a) is amended by striking June 30, 2013
each place
it appears and inserting June 30, 2020
.
8.Expansion of
work-study allowance to include certain outreach services conducted through
congressional officesSection
3485(a)(4) is amended by adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
(K)The following activities carried out
at the offices of Members of Congress for such Members:
(i)The distribution of information to
members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their dependents about the benefits
and services under laws administered by the Secretary and other appropriate
governmental and non-governmental programs.
(ii)The provision of assistance in ascertaining
the status of claims (including appeals) for benefits under laws administered
by the Secretary, as well as other constituent services for veterans as the
Secretary determines
appropriate.
.
9.Temporary reduction of
required amount of wages for on-the-job training programs
(a)
(1)Section
3677(b)(1)(A)(ii) is amended by striking 85 per centum
and
inserting 60 percent
.
(2)The amendment made by
paragraph (1) shall take effect on October 1, 2010, and shall apply to a
veteran who enrolls in a program of training on the job approved under section
3677 of title 38, United States Code, on or after such date.
(b)
(1)Effective October 1, 2013, section
3677(b)(1)(A)(ii) of such title, as amended by subsection (a) of this section,
is amended by striking 60 percent
and inserting 85
percent
.
(2)The amendment made by paragraph (1) shall
apply to a veteran who enrolls in a program of training on the job approved
under section 3677 of title 38, United States Code, on or after October 1,
2013.
(c)Not later than October
1, 2013, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’
Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
of the Senate a report on the effects of eliminating the requirement under
section 3677(b)(1)(A)(ii) of title 38, United States Code, for a private
employer to provide wage increases to veterans enrolled in a program of
training on the job approved under section 3677 of such title.
10.Reauthorization
of Veterans’ Advisory Committee on EducationSection 3692(c) is amended by striking
December 31, 2013
and inserting December 31,
2020
.
11.Review and evaluation
of new technologyThe
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a team of individuals from
appropriate disciplines to be responsible for reviewing new technologies,
processes, and products and for determining which such technologies, processes,
and products may be beneficial to the Department of Veterans Affairs or to the
veterans served by the Department. Upon completion of the review under this
subsection, the team shall submit the review to the Secretary, who shall
disseminate the review within the Department, as appropriate.
12.Child care;
President’s Budget
(a)Chapter 31 is amended by adding at the end the following
new sections:
3123.Child care
assistance for single parents
(a)Pursuant to
regulations prescribed by the Secretary to carry out this section, the
Secretary shall provide reimbursements for the actual cost of child care
provided by a licensed provider to a veteran who—
(1)is participating in a vocational
rehabilitation program under this chapter;
(2)is the sole caretaker of a child;
and
(3)would not otherwise be able to afford such
child care.
(b)The amount of the
reimbursement for the actual cost for child care under this section shall be
not more than $2,000 per month for each month the veteran is participating in a
vocational rehabilitation program under this chapter.
3124.Information
included in support of President’s budgetThe Secretary shall include in documents
submitted to Congress by the Secretary in support of the President’s budget for
each fiscal year submitted under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code,
the following:
(1)For the calendar
year preceding the submission—
(A)the percentage of veterans receiving
assistance under this chapter who became employed; and
(B)the percentage of veterans receiving
assistance under this chapter who achieved independence in daily living.
(2)Any changes made by the Secretary in
measuring or calculating the performance of the department under this
chapter.
.
(b)The table of
sections at the beginning of such chapter 31 is amended by adding at the end
the following:
3123. Child care assistance for single
parents.
3124. Information included in support of
President’s
budget.
.
13.Increase in amount of
reporting fee payable to educational institutions that enroll veterans
receiving educational assistance
(a)Increase in
amount of feeSubsection (c)
of section 3684 is amended—
(1)by striking
$7
and inserting $16
; and
(2)by striking
$11
and inserting $16
.
(b)Subsection (a) of such section is amended by striking
the second comma after 34
.
(c)The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) shall take
effect on January 1, 2011.
14.Modification of
advance payment of initial educational assistance or subsistence
allowance
(a)Section 3680(d)(2) is amended by inserting
after the third sentence the following new sentence: For purposes of the
entitlement to educational assistance of the veteran or person receiving an
advance payment under this subsection, the advance payment shall be charged
against the final month of the entitlement of the person or veteran and, if
necessary, the penultimate such month. In no event may any veteran or person
receive more than one advance payment under this subsection during any academic
year.
.
(b)The amendment made by
subsection (a) shall apply with respect to an advance payment of educational
assistance made on or after September 1, 2010.
15.Increase in amount of
subsistence allowance payable to veterans participating in vocational
rehabilitation program
(a)Increase in
subsistence allowanceSection
3108(b)(1) is amended by striking the table and inserting the following new
table:
Column IColumn
IIColumn IIIColumn
IVColumn V
Type of programNo
dependentsOne dependentTwo
dependentsMore than two dependents
The amount in column IV, plus the
following for each dependent in excess of two:
Full-time$576.01$714.50$841.98$61.37
Three-quarter time$432.80$536.65$629.50$47.19
Half-time$289.59$358.81$421.77$31.49.
(b)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.
16.Expansion of
availability of employment assistance allowance for veterans using employment
servicesParagraph (2) of
section 3108(a) is amended to read as follows:
(2)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.
.
17.Veterans
entrepreneurial development summit
(a)Subchapter II of
chapter 81 is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
8120.Veterans
entrepreneurial development summit
(a)Veterans
entrepreneurial development summitThe Secretary may hold an event, once every
year, to provide networking opportunities, outreach, education, training, and
support to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans, veterans
service organizations, and other entities as determined appropriate by the
Secretary.
(b)Authorization of
appropriationsThere is authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this subsection $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 and
2021.
.
(b)The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter
is amended by adding at the end of the items relating to subchapter II the
following:
8120. Veterans entrepreneurial development
summit.
.
18.Increase in the
maximum amount of specially adapted housing assistance authorized to be
provided by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
(a)Section 2102 is
amended—
(1)in subsection
(b)(2), by striking $12,000
and inserting
$13,756
; and
(2)in subsection
(d)—
(A)in paragraph (1),
by striking $60,000
and inserting $65,780
;
and
(B)in paragraph (2), by striking
$12,000
and inserting $13,756
.
(b)The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply with
respect to assistance furnished after the date of the enactment of this
Act.
19.Department of
Veterans Affairs housing loans for construction of energy efficient
dwellings
(a)Section 3710(d) is
amended—
(1)in paragraph (1)—
(A)by striking
The Secretary
and inserting (A) The
Secretary
;
(B)by striking
for the acquisition of
and all that follows through the end and
inserting for any of the following purposes:
;
(C)by adding at the
end the following new clauses:
(i)The acquisition of an existing dwelling and
the cost of making energy efficiency improvements to the dwelling.
(ii)The construction of a new dwelling
and the cost of making energy efficiency improvements to the dwelling.
(iii)Energy efficiency improvements to a
dwelling owned and occupied by a
veteran.
;
and
(D)by adding at the
end the following new subparagraphs:
(B)Except as otherwise provided in this
subsection, a loan may be guaranteed under this subsection only if it meets the
requirements of this chapter.
(C)The Secretary shall determine
appropriate energy efficiency standards for purposes of this subsection and
shall require that dwellings purchased, constructed, or improved using a loan
guaranteed under this subsection meet such
standards.
;
and
(2)in paragraph (2),
by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B) and inserting the following new
subparagraphs (A) and (B):
(A)five percent of the total established value
of the property, dwelling, and improvements; or
(B)$6,000, or a higher amount
specifically provided by the
Secretary.
.
(b)Not
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary
shall issue guidance on appraising the value of energy efficiency improvements
for purposes of section 3710(d) of title 38, United States Code, as amended by
this Act.
(c)
(1)Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall prescribe interim policy
guidance on energy efficiency audits and the conditions under which the
performance of such audits may be included in the amount guaranteed by the
Secretary under section 3710(d) of title 38, United States Code, as amended by
subsection (a).
(2)Not
later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary
shall prescribe regulations to carry out the amendments made by subsection
(a).
(3)Energy
efficiency audit definedFor purposes of this subsection, the
term energy efficiency audit means a measurement of the effects of
an improvement made to a dwelling for the purpose of reducing energy
consumption or increasing energy efficiency that is carried out by a certified
professional auditor, as determined by the Secretary.
(d)The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) shall apply
with respect to a loan secured on or after January 1, 2011.
20.Pilot program on
specially adapted housing assistance for veterans residing temporarily in
housing owned by a family member
(a)Treatment of
Certain LimitationsNotwithstanding subsection (d) of section
2102 of title 38, United States Code, and subject to subsection (b), a grant
under section 2102A of such title shall not count toward the dollar amount
limitations specified in that subsection.
(b)Subsection
(a) shall apply only to the first 25 grants made during fiscal year
2012.