1.Comprehensive policy on
providing education information to veterans
(a)Comprehensive
policy required
(1)Chapter 36 of title 38,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new
section:
3698.Comprehensive
policy on providing education information to veterans
(a)Comprehensive
policy requiredThe Secretary
shall develop a comprehensive policy to improve outreach and transparency to
veterans and members of the Armed Forces through the provision of information
on institutions of higher learning.
(b)In developing the policy required by
subsection (a), the Secretary shall include each of the following
elements:
(1)The most effective
way to inform individuals of the educational and vocational counseling provided
under section 3697A of this title.
(2)A centralized way
to track and publish feedback from students and State approving agencies
regarding the quality of instruction and accreditation, recruiting practices,
and post-graduation employment placement of institutions of higher
learning.
(3)The merit of and the manner in which a
State approving agency shares with an accrediting agency or association
recognized by the Secretary of Education under subpart 2 of part H of title IV
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1099b et seq.)
information regarding the State approving agency’s evaluation of an institution
of higher learning.
(4)The manner in
which information regarding institutions of higher learning is provided to
individuals participating in the Transition Assistance Program under
section
1144 of title 10.
(5)The most effective
way to provide veterans and members of the Armed Forces with information
regarding postsecondary education and training opportunities available to the
veteran or member.
(c)Postsecondary
education information(1)The Secretary shall
ensure that the information provided pursuant to subsection (b)(5)
includes—
(A)an explanation of the different types
of accreditation available to educational institutions and programs of
education;
(B)a description of Federal student aid
programs; and
(C)for each institution of higher learning,
for the most recent academic year for which information is available—
(i)whether the institution is public,
private nonprofit, or proprietary for-profit;
(ii)the name of the national or
regional accrediting agency that accredits the institution, including the
contact information used by the agency to receive complaints from
students;
(iii)information on the State approving agency,
including the contact information used by the agency to receive complaints from
students;
(iv)whether the institution participates in
programs under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et
seq.);
(v)the tuition and fees;
(vi)the median amount of debt from Federal
student loans under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1070 et
seq.) held by students at institution;
(vii)the cohort default rate, as defined in
section 435(m) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1085(m)),
of the institution;
(viii)the enrollment rates, graduation
rates, and retention rates;
(ix)for each program of education offered by
the institution that is designed to prepare a student for an occupation that
requires a licensure or certification test offered by a Federal, State, or
local government or has other preconditions or requirements, the degree to
which the program prepares the student for the particular occupation;
(x)whether the institution provides
students with technical support, academic support, and other support services,
including career counseling and job placement; and
(xi)whether the institution accepts academic
credit by students who are transferring to the institution, including credits
awarded by a proprietary for-profit institution.
(2)To the extent possible, the Secretary shall
provide the information described in paragraph (1) by including hyperlinks on
the Internet website of the Department to other websites that contain such
information in a form that is comprehensive and easily understood by veterans,
members, and other individuals.
(d)In
this section:
(1)The term
institution of higher learning has the meaning given that term in
section 3452(f) of this title.
(2)The term
postsecondary education and training opportunities means any
postsecondary program of education, including apprenticeships and on-job
training, for which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs provides assistance to a
veteran or member of the Armed
Forces.
.
(2)The table of
sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding after the item
relating to section 3697A the following new item:
3698. Comprehensive policy on providing
education information to
veterans.
.
(b)Prohibition on
inducementsSection 3696 of title 38, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
(e)The Secretary shall not approve an
educational institution if the educational institution provides any commission,
bonus, or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on success in
securing enrollments or financial aid to any persons or entities engaged in any
student recruiting or admission activities or in making decisions regarding the
award of student financial
assistance.
.
(c)In
developing the policy required by
section
3698(a) of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection
(a), the Secretary shall conduct a market survey to determine the availability
of the following:
(1)A commercially available off-the-shelf
online tool that allows a veteran or member of the Armed Forces to assess
whether the veteran or member is academically ready to engage in postsecondary
education and training opportunities and whether the veteran or member would
need any remedial preparation before beginning such opportunities.
(2)A commercially available off-the-shelf
online tool that provides a veteran or member of the Armed Forces with a list
of providers of postsecondary education and training opportunities based on
criteria selected by the veteran or member.
(d)Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on
Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Committee
on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, and the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report that
includes—
(1)a description of the policy developed by
the Secretary under section 3698(a) of title 38, United
States Code, as added by subsection (a);
(2)a
plan of the Secretary to implement such policy; and
(3)the results of the
survey conducted under subsection (b), including whether the Secretary plans to
implement the tools described in such subsection.
(e)In this section:
(1)The term
commercially available off-the-shelf has the meaning given that
term in section
104 of title 41, United States Code.
(2)The term postsecondary education and
training opportunities means any postsecondary program of education,
including apprenticeships and on-job training, for which the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs provides assistance to a veteran or member of the Armed
Forces.
2.State
consideration of military training in granting certain State certifications and
licenses as a condition on the receipt of funds for veterans employment and
training
(a)Section 4102A(c)
of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following:
(9)(A)As a condition of a
grant or contract under which funds are made available to a State in order to
carry out section
4103A or
4104
of this title for any program year, the Secretary shall require the State to
disclose to the Secretary in writing the following:
(i)Criteria applicants must satisfy to
receive a certification or license described in subparagraph (B) by the
State.
(ii)A description of the standard
practices of the State for evaluating training received by veterans while
serving on active duty in the Armed Forces and evaluating the documented work
experience of such veterans during such service for purposes of approving or
denying a certification or license described in subparagraph (B).
(iii)Identification of areas in which
training and experience described in clause (ii) fails to meet criteria
described in clause (i).
(B)A
certification or license described in this subparagraph is any of the
following:
(i)A
license to be a nonemergency medical professional.
(ii)A
license to be an emergency medical professional.
(iii)Any commercial driver’s
license.
(C)The Secretary shall share the
information the Secretary receives under subparagraph (A)(ii) with the
Secretary of Defense to help the Secretary of Defense improve training for
military occupational specialties so that individuals who receive such training
are able to receive a certification or license described in subparagraph (B)
from a State.
(D)The Secretary shall publish on the
Internet website of the Department—
(i)any guidance the Secretary gives the
Secretary of Defense with respect to carrying out this section; and
(ii)any information the Secretary
receives from a State pursuant to subparagraph
(A).
.
(b)The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with
respect to a program year beginning on or after October 1, 2013.
3.Conditions on the
award of per diem payments by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the
provision of housing or services to homeless veterans
(a)
(1)Paragraph (1) of
section
2012(c) of title 38, United States Code, is amended to read as
follows:
(1)Except as provided in paragraph (2), a per
diem payment may not be provided under this section to a grant recipient or
eligible entity unless the entity submits to the Secretary a certification that
the building where the entity provides such housing or services is in
compliance with codes relevant to the operations and level of care provided,
including the most current Life Safety Code or International Fire Code and all
applicable State and local housing codes, licensing requirements, fire and
safety requirements, and any other requirements in the jurisdiction in which
the project is located regarding the condition of the structure and the
operation of the supportive housing or service
center.
.
(2)The amendment made by
paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to an application for a per diem payment
under section
2012 of title 38, United States Code, submitted on or after the
date of the enactment of this Act.
(b)Section 2065(b) of title 38, United
States Code, is amended—
(1)by redesignating
paragraph (6) as paragraph (7); and
(2)by inserting after
paragraph (5) the following new paragraph (6):
(6)The Secretary’s evaluation of the safety
and accessibility of facilities used to provide programs established by grant
recipients or eligible entities under section 2011 and 2012 of this title,
including the number of such grant recipients or eligible entities who have
submitted a certification under section
2012(c)(1).
.
(c)Treatment of
current recipientsIn the
case of the recipient of a per diem payment under
section
2012 of title 38, United States Code, that receives such a
payment during the year in which this Act is enacted, the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall require the recipient to submit the certification required under
section 2012(c)(1) of such title, as amended by subsection (a)(1), by not later
than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act. If the recipient
fails to submit such certification by such date, the Secretary may not make any
additional per diem payments to the recipient under such section 2012 until the
recipient submits such certification.
4.Establishment of
Open Burn Pit Registry
(a)Establishment of
registryNot later than 180
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall—
(1)establish and maintain an open burn pit
registry for eligible individuals who may have been exposed to toxic chemicals
and fumes caused by open burn pits;
(2)include any information in such registry
that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines necessary to ascertain and
monitor the health effects of the exposure of members of the Armed Forces to
toxic chemicals and fumes caused by open burn pits;
(3)develop a public
information campaign to inform eligible individuals about the open burn pit
registry, including how to register and the benefits of registering; and
(4)periodically
notify eligible individuals of significant developments in the study and
treatment of conditions associated with exposure to toxic chemicals and fumes
caused by open burn pits.
(b)
(1)Report by
independent scientific organizationThe Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall enter into an agreement with an independent scientific
organization to develop a report containing the following:
(A)An assessment of the effectiveness of
actions taken by the Secretaries to collect and maintain information on the
health effects of exposure to toxic chemicals and fumes caused by open burn
pits.
(B)Recommendations to
improve the collection and maintenance of such information.
(C)Using established
and previously published epidemiological studies, recommendations regarding the
most effective and prudent means of addressing the medical needs of eligible
individuals with respect to conditions that are likely to result from exposure
to open burn pits.
(2)Not later than 18 months after the date on which the
registry under subsection (a) is established, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall submit to Congress the report developed under paragraph (1).
(c)In
this section:
(1)The term open burn pit means
an area of land located in Afghanistan or Iraq that—
(A)is designated by
the Secretary of Defense to be used for disposing solid waste by burning in the
outdoor air; and
(B)does not contain a
commercially manufactured incinerator or other equipment specifically designed
and manufactured for the burning of solid waste.
(2)The term eligible individual
means any individual who, on or after September 11, 2001—
(A)was deployed in
support of a contingency operation while serving in the Armed Forces;
and
(B)during such
deployment, was based or stationed at a location where an open burn pit was
used.
5.Performance awards in
the Senior Executive ServiceFor each of fiscal years 2013 through 2017,
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may not pay more than $1,000,000
in performance awards under
section
5384 of title 5, United States Code.
Passed the House of
Representatives September 11, 2012.
Karen L. Haas,
Clerk