[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 21, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5024-S5025]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HIRE VETERAN HEALTH HEROES ACT OF 2021

  Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 85, S. 894.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 894) to identify and refer members of the Armed 
     Forces with a health care occupation who are separating from 
     the Armed Forces for potential employment with the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, with 
an amendment, as follows:
  (The parts of the bill intended to be stricken are shown in boldface 
brackets and the parts of the bill intended to be inserted are shown in 
italic.

                                 S. 894

       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 ``Hire Veteran Health Heroes 
     Act of 2021''.

     [SEC. 2. IDENTIFICATION AND REFERRAL OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 
                   FORCES WITH A HEALTH CARE OCCUPATION FOR 
                   POTENTIAL EMPLOYMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF 
                   VETERANS AFFAIRS DURING SEPARATION FROM THE 
                   ARMED FORCES.

       [(a) Identification.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall identify 
     members of the Armed Forces in a health care occupation 
     during the separation of such members from the Armed Forces.
       [(b) Referral of Interested Individuals.--
       [(1) In general.--If a member of the Armed Forces 
     identified under subsection (a) expresses an interest in 
     working in a health care occupation within the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     refer the member to a recruiter of the Department for 
     consideration of open positions in the specialty and 
     geography of interest of the member.
       [(2) Timing.--Any referral of a member of the Armed Forces 
     conducted under paragraph (1) shall be made not earlier than 
     one year before the separation of the member from the Armed 
     Forces.
       [(c) Rule of Construction.--Any identification of a member 
     of the Armed Forces under subsection (a) or referral of such 
     member under subsection (b) shall not be construed as a 
     guarantee of employment of such member with the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs.
       [(d) Reports.--Not later than each of one year and two 
     years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the 
     Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the appropriate 
     committees of Congress a report on the efficacy of the 
     identification and referral of separating members of the 
     Armed Forces under this section.
       [(e) Definitions.--In this section:
       [(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
     ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
       [(A) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
       [(B) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.
       [(2) Health care occupation.--The term ``health care 
     occupation'' means an occupation for which an individual may 
     be appointed for employment with the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs under section 7401 of title 38, United States Code.]

     SEC. 2. IDENTIFICATION AND REFERRAL OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 
                   FORCES WITH A HEALTH CARE OCCUPATION FOR 
                   POTENTIAL EMPLOYMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF 
                   VETERANS AFFAIRS DURING SEPARATION FROM THE 
                   ARMED FORCES.

       Section 207 of the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 
     2017 (Public Law 115-46; 38 U.S.C. 7401 note) is amended to 
     read as follows:

     ``SEC. 207. IDENTIFICATION AND REFERRAL OF MEMBERS OF THE 
                   ARMED FORCES WITH A HEALTH CARE OCCUPATION FOR 
                   POTENTIAL EMPLOYMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF 
                   VETERANS AFFAIRS DURING SEPARATION FROM THE 
                   ARMED FORCES.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall establish a 
     program to identify and refer members of the Armed Forces 
     with a health care occupation for employment with the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs during the separation of such 
     members from the Armed Forces.
       ``(b) Referral of Interested Individuals.--
       ``(1) In general.--If a member of the Armed Forces 
     identified under subsection (a) expresses an interest in 
     working in a health care occupation within the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     refer the member to a recruiter of the Department for 
     consideration of open positions in the specialty and 
     geography of interest to the member.
       ``(2) Timing.--Any referral of a member of the Armed Forces 
     conducted under paragraph (1) shall be made not earlier than 
     one year before the separation of the member from the Armed 
     Forces.
       ``(c) Rule of Construction.--Any identification of a member 
     of the Armed Forces under subsection (a) or referral of such 
     member under subsection (b) shall not be construed as a 
     guarantee of employment of such member with the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs.
       ``(d) Reports.--Not later than each of one year and two 
     years after the date of the enactment of the Hire Veteran 
     Health Heroes Act of 2021, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
     report on the program established under subsection (a).
       ``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
       ``(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
     `appropriate committees of Congress' means--
       ``(A) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
       ``(B) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.
       ``(2) Health care occupation.--The term `health care 
     occupation' means an occupation for which an individual may 
     be appointed for employment with the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs under section 7401 of title 38, United States 
     Code.''.

  Ms. SMITH. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported 
amendment be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a 
third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered 
made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee-reported amendment was agreed to.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page S5024, July 21, 2021, second column, the following 
appears: The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: The PRESIDING 
OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The committee-
reported amendment was agreed to.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  The bill (S. 894), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                 S. 894

       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 ``Hire Veteran Health Heroes 
     Act of 2021''.

     SEC. 2. IDENTIFICATION AND REFERRAL OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 
                   FORCES WITH A HEALTH CARE OCCUPATION FOR 
                   POTENTIAL EMPLOYMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF 
                   VETERANS AFFAIRS DURING SEPARATION FROM THE 
                   ARMED FORCES.

       Section 207 of the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 
     2017 (Public Law 115-46; 38 U.S.C. 7401 note) is amended to 
     read as follows:

     ``SEC. 207. IDENTIFICATION AND REFERRAL OF MEMBERS OF THE 
                   ARMED FORCES WITH A HEALTH CARE OCCUPATION FOR 
                   POTENTIAL EMPLOYMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF 
                   VETERANS AFFAIRS DURING SEPARATION FROM THE 
                   ARMED FORCES.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall establish a 
     program to identify and refer members of the Armed Forces 
     with a health care occupation for employment with the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs during the separation of such 
     members from the Armed Forces.
       ``(b) Referral of Interested Individuals.--
       ``(1) In general.--If a member of the Armed Forces 
     identified under subsection (a) expresses an interest in 
     working in a health care occupation within the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     refer the member to a recruiter of the Department for 
     consideration of open positions in the specialty and 
     geography of interest to the member.
       ``(2) Timing.--Any referral of a member of the Armed Forces 
     conducted under paragraph (1) shall be made not earlier than 
     one year before the separation of the member from the Armed 
     Forces.
       ``(c) Rule of Construction.--Any identification of a member 
     of the Armed Forces under subsection (a) or referral of such 
     member under subsection (b) shall not be construed as a 
     guarantee of employment of such member with the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs.
       ``(d) Reports.--Not later than each of one year and two 
     years after the date of the enactment of the Hire Veteran 
     Health Heroes Act of 2021, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
     report on the program established under subsection (a).
       ``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
       ``(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
     `appropriate committees of Congress' means--
       ``(A) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
       ``(B) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.
       ``(2) Health care occupation.--The term `health care 
     occupation' means an occupation for which an individual may 
     be appointed for employment with the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs under section 7401 of title 38, United States 
     Code.''.

[[Page S5025]]

  

                          ____________________