[House Report 115-871]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
115th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 115-871
======================================================================
VETERANS SERVING VETERANS ACT OF 2018
_______
July 24, 2018.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Roe of Tennessee, from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 5938]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 5938) to amend the VA Choice and Quality
Employment Act to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to
establish a vacancy and recruitment database to facilitate the
recruitment of certain members of the Armed Forces to satisfy
the occupational needs of the Department of Veterans Affairs,
to establish and implement a training and certification program
for intermediate care technicians in that Department, and for
other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably
thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as
amended do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Purpose and Summary.............................................. 3
Background and Need for Legislation.............................. 3
Hearings......................................................... 5
Subcommittee Consideration....................................... 6
Committee Consideration.......................................... 6
Committee Votes.................................................. 6
Committee Oversight Findings..................................... 6
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............ 6
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures 6
Earmarks and Tax and Tariff Benefits............................. 7
Committee Cost Estimate.......................................... 7
Congressional Budget Office Estimate............................. 7
Federal Mandates Statement....................................... 8
Advisory Committee Statement..................................... 8
Constitutional Authority Statement............................... 8
Applicability to Legislative Branch.............................. 8
Statement on Duplication of Federal Programs..................... 8
Disclosure of Directed Rulemaking................................ 9
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation................... 9
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill as Reported............. 9
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Serving Veterans Act of
2018''.
SEC. 2. RECRUITMENT DATABASE.
(a) Establishment.--Section 208 of the VA Choice and Quality
Employment Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-46; 38 U.S.C. 701 note) is
amended as follows:
(1) In subsection (a)--
(A) in the matter proceeding paragraph (1), by
striking ``a single database'' and inserting ``and
maintain a single searchable database (to be known as
the `Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs
Recruitment Database')'';
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``; and'' and
inserting a semicolon;
(C) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the
end and inserting ``; and''; and
(D) by adding after paragraph (2) the following new
paragraph:
``(3) with respect to each vacant position under paragraphs
(1) and (2)--
``(A) the military occupational specialty or skill
that corresponds to the position, as determined by the
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of
Defense; and
``(B) each qualified member of the Armed Forces who
may be recruited to fill the position before such
qualified member of the Armed Forces has been
discharged and released from active duty.''.
(2) By redesignating subsections (b), (c), and (d) as
subsections (f), (g), and (h), respectively.
(3) By inserting after subsection (a) the following new
subsections:
``(b) Additional Information.--Subject to subsection (c), the
database established under subsection (a) shall include, with respect
to each qualified member of the Armed Forces, the following
information:
``(1) The name and contact information of the qualified
member of the Armed Forces.
``(2) The date on which the qualified member of the Armed
Forces is expected to be discharged and released from active
duty.
``(3) Each military occupational specialty currently or
previously assigned to the qualified member of the Armed
Forces.
``(c) Availability.--Information in the database shall be available
to offices, officials, and employees of the Department of Veterans
Affairs to the extent the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines
appropriate.
``(d) Expedited Hiring Procedures.--The Secretary shall hire
qualified members of the Armed Forces who apply for vacant positions
listed in the database established under subsection (a) without regard
to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, United
States Code.
``(e) Relocation Bonus.--The Secretary may authorize a relocation
bonus, in an amount determined appropriate by the Secretary and subject
to the same limitations as in the case of the authority provided under
section 5753 of title 5, to any qualified member of the Armed Forces
who has accepted a position listed in the database established under
subsection (a).''.
(4) In subsection (g)(1), as redesignated in paragraph (2),
by striking ``subsection (b)'' and inserting ``subsection
(g)''.
(5) In subsection (h), as redesignated in paragraph (2), by
striking ``of this Act'' and inserting ``of the Veterans
Serving Veterans Act of 2018, and annually thereafter''.
(6) By adding after subsection (h), as redesignated in
paragraph (2), the following new subsection:
``(i) Qualified Member of the Armed Forces Defined.--In this section,
the term `qualified member of the Armed Forces' means a member of the
Armed Forces--
``(1) described in section 1142(a) of title 10;
``(2) who elects to be listed in the database established
under subsection (a); and
``(3) who has been determined by the Secretary, in
consultation with the Secretary of Defense, to have a military
occupational speciality that corresponds to a vacant position
described in subsection (a).''.
(b) Implementation Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of
Representatives and the Senate a plan to implement, including a
timeline, section 208 of the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of
2017 (Public Law 115-46; 38 U.S.C. 701 note), as amended by this
section.
SEC. 3. INTERMEDIATE CARE TECHNICIAN TRAINING PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall implement
a program to train and certify covered veterans to work as intermediate
care technicians in the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(b) Locations.--
(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish centers at
medical facilities of the Department selected by the Secretary
for the purposes of carrying out the program under subsection
(a).
(2) Selection of medical facilities.--In selecting a medical
facility of the Department under this subsection to serve as a
center, the Secretary shall consider--
(A) the experience and success of the facility in
training intermediate care technicians; and
(B) the availability of resources of the facility to
train intermediate care technicians.
(c) Covered Veteran Defined.--In this section, the term ``covered
veteran'' means a veteran whom the Secretary determines served as a
basic health care technician while serving in the Armed Forces.
SEC. 4. NO AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
section 208 of the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017 (Public
Law 115-46; 38 U.S.C. 701 note), as amended by section 2 of this Act,
or to carry out section 3 of this Act. Such sections shall be carried
out using amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated for such
purpose.
Purpose and Summary
H.R. 5938, as amended, the Veterans Serving Veterans Act,
would alleviate staff shortages and provide employment
opportunities in the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA's) for
transitioning and separated servicemembers. Representative
Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico introduced H.R. 5938 on
May 23, 2018.
Background and Need for Legislation
Section 2. Recruitment database
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which manages and
oversees the VA healthcare system, is currently facing staffing
shortages in many critical-need occupations nationwide.\1\
These shortages exist for both clinical occupations, like
physicians and nurses, and non-clinical positions, like human
resource officers and law enforcement personnel.\2\ They are
exacerbated by the arduous hiring process utilized by VA, which
often results in a significant time lag between the need for
and the filling of a position.\3\ In recognition of this, the
Committee has taken a number of actions to improve VHA's
ability to recruit and retain needed health professionals and
support staff to fill shortage areas. For example, section 208
of the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017 (Public Law
115-46; 131 STAT. 958) established a recruiting database within
VHA. The database lists each vacant position within VHA that VA
determines is critical, is difficult to fill, or both. It also
contains information on qualified individuals who applied for a
position within VHA and were not chosen but could be qualified
for similar positions elsewhere in VHA. The Committee's intent
with establishing this database is to assist VHA in more
quickly identifying potential qualified applicants for vacant
positions.
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\1\VA Office of the Inspector General 18-01693-196, June 2018,
``OIG Determination of Veterans Health Administration's Occupational
Staffing Shortages,'' https://www.va.gov/oig/pubs/VAOIG-18-01693-
196.pdf.
\2\Ibid.
\3\United States Cong. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Subcommittee on Health. ``Healthy Hiring: Enabling VA to Recruit and
Retain Quality Providers'' March 22, 2017. 115th Cong. 1st sess.
Washington: GPO, 2017 (testimony of Robert Goldenkoff, Director,
Strategic Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Each year thousands of former servicemembers from all
branches of the Armed Services separate from the Department of
Defense (DOD).\4\ Despite the extensive training and experience
these transitioning servicemembers received while in the
military, they often do not possess a civilian certificate
allowing them to continue in the occupations for which they
were trained once they have separated from DOD.\5\ As a result,
some experience a period of unemployment, as evidenced by a
2017 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which found
that post-9/11 veterans had a higher unemployment rate (4.5
percent) when compared to non-veterans (4.1 percent).\6\
Congress acted in the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 (Public
Law 112-56; 125 STAT. 713) to require federal agencies to treat
servicemembers who are separating from the Armed Services
within 120 days and applying for a position within a federal
agency as veterans to encourage transitioning servicemembers to
seek government employment. However, the Committee believes
that establishing an improved process for VA to identify
separating service members with skills sets and experience that
match those needed within VHA will be useful to both overcoming
VA's staffing challenges and assisting transitioning
servicemembers. This is particularly important given that
employment soon following separation from the military has been
found to be beneficial for veterans from both a financial and
psychological perspective.\7\ Section 2 of the bill would
require VA to identify military occupational specialties that
correlate with positions that VA needs and to coordinate with
DOD to identify soon-to-be separated servicemembers with those
military occupational specialties and to add such
servicemembers information to the recruiting database that
Congress previously established.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\Brock, D, Bolon S, Wick K, et al: ``The military veteran
physician assistant pathway: building the primary care workforce.''
Acad Med 2013; 88(12): 1890-4
\5\Watts, B, Lawrence, RH, Schaub, K, et al: ``Transitioning former
military medics to civilian health care jobs: a novel pilot program to
integrate medics into ambulatory care teams for high-risk patients.''
Military Medicine 2016; Vol 181 (November/December): 1464-69
\6\Employment Situation of Veterans--2017; Bureau of Labor
Statistics report, March 22, 2018; https://www.bls.gov/news.release/
pdf/vet.pdf
\7\Blakely, T, Collins, S, Atkinson, J; ``Unemployment and suicide.
Evidence for a causal association?''; Journal of Epidemiology and
Community Health; 2003; 57: 594-600
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 3. Intermediate care technician training program
As established above, VA has a number of staffing shortages
in critical-need clinical occupations.\8\ The Committee
believes that some of these shortages could be addressed by
improved recruiting of transitioning servicemembers with
relevant experience in the health professions. In 2014, VHA
instituted a pilot program to recruit, train, and utilize
veterans who served as medics in the military as Intermediate
Care Technicians (ICTs) in VA medical facilities.\9\ National
survey data demonstrated a 100% satisfaction rate among
veterans who were cared for by ICTs.\10\ Furthermore, a recent
study at a VA medical facility demonstrated that ICTs working
in VA emergency departments decreased per patient time by 40
minutes, suggesting that greater utilization of ICTs could
result in greater access and higher productivity.\11\ ICTs earn
an annual salary of $43,000.\12\ An informal analysis by VA
estimates that, if only 1% of the clinical shortages were
filled with an ICT, VA could potentially realize savings of
approximately $40 million over five years.\13\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\VA Office of the Inspector General 18-01693-196, June 2018,
``OIG Determination of Veterans Health Administration's Occupational
Staffing Shortages,'' https://www.va.gov/oig/pubs/VAOIG-18-01693-
196.pdf.
\9\Ibid
\10\Veterans Affairs ICT informational Brief provided to House
Committee on Veterans Affairs, January 16, 2018
\11\Ibid
\12\Federalpay.org; https://www.federalpay.org/gs/2018/GS-7;
accessed 7-18-2018
\13\Data provided by Louis B. Stokes Veterans Affairs Medical
Center to House Committee Veterans Affairs; January 22, 2018
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Committee is fully supportive of veterans working in VA
medical facilities as ICTs. As such, section 3 of the bill
would require VA to implement an expanded program to recruit,
train, and certify former military medics as ICTs. The
Committee believes this will serve to reduce health
professional shortages within VA, reduce veteran unemployment
by allowing former DOD health care providers to utilize their
training and experience after serving in the military, and
improve veteran access to VA care.
Hearings
On June 13, 2018, the Subcommittee on Health conducted a
legislative hearing on a number of bills including H.R. 5938.
The following witnesses testified:
The Honorable Vicky Hartzler, U.S. House of
Representatives, 4th District, Missouri; The Honorable
Marcy Kaptur, U.S. House of Representatives, 9th
District, Ohio; The Honorable Matt Cartwright, U.S.
House of Representatives,17th District, Pennsylvania;
The Honorable Clay Higgins, U.S. House of
Representatives, 3rd District, Louisiana; The Honorable
Mike Bost, U.S. House of Representatives, 12th
District, Illinois; The Honorable Jeff Denham, U.S.
House of Representatives, 10th District, California;
The Honorable Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, U.S. House of
Representatives, Puerto Rico; The Honorable Brad
Wenstrup, U.S. House of Representatives, 2nd District,
Ohio; Roscoe Butler, Deputy Director for Health Care,
Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation, The American
Legion; Jeremy Villanueva, Associate National
Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans; Kayda
Keleher, Associate Director, National Legislative
Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States;
and Jessica Bonjorni MBA, PMP, SPHR, Acting Assistant
Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Workforce
Services, Veterans Health Administration, U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs, who was accompanied by
Dayna Cooper MSN, RN, Director, Home and Community-
Based Programs, Veterans Health Administration, U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs.
Statements for the record were submitted by:
American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association,
Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Military Officers
Association of America.
Subcommittee Consideration
On June 27, 2018, the Subcommittee on Health met in open
markup session, a quorum being present, and favorably forwarded
H.R. 5938, as amended, to the Full Committee. During
consideration of the bill, the following amendment was
considered and agreed to by voice vote:
An amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by
Representative Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico,
which would allow transitioning servicemembers to
choose whether or not to include their contact
information in VA's recruiting database.
Committee Consideration
On July 11, 2018, the full Committee met in open markup
session, a quorum being present, and ordered H.R. 5938, as
amended, to be reported favorably to the House of
Representatives by voice vote.
Committee Votes
In compliance with clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, there were no recorded votes
taken on amendments or in connection with ordering H.R. 5938,
as amended, reported to the House. A motion by Representative
Tim Walz of Minnesota to report H.R. 5938, as amended,
favorably to the House of Representatives was adopted by voice
vote.
Committee Oversight Findings
In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause
(2)(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of
Representatives, the Committee's oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the descriptive portions of
this report.
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives
In accordance with clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, the Committee's performance
goals and objectives are to authorize VA to develop a process
to recruit current and former service members for employment
within the VA healthcare system.
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures
In compliance with clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, the Committee adopts as its
own the estimate of new budget authority, entitlement
authority, or tax expenditures or revenues contained in the
cost estimate prepared by the Director of the Congressional
Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the Congressional
Budget Act of 1974.
Earmarks and Tax and Tariff Benefits
H.R. 5938, as amended, does not contain any Congressional
earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as
defined in clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of
Representatives.
Committee Cost Estimate
The Committee adopts as its own the cost estimate on H.R.
5938, as amended, prepared by the Director of the Congressional
Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the Congressional
Budget Act of 1974.
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the following is the cost estimate
for H.R. 5938, as amended, provided by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, July 18, 2018.
Hon. Phil Roe, M.D.,
Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5938, the Veterans
Serving Veterans Act of 2018.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Ann E.
Futrell.
Sincerely,
Mark P. Hadley
(For Keith Hall, Director).
Enclosure.
H.R. 5938--Veterans Serving Veterans Act of 2018
H.R. 5938 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) to expand its recruitment database, which identifies
certain open positions at the department, to include the
military occupational specialties that correspond to those open
positions as well as contact information for qualified service
members who could fill those positions. Such members would be
those who are preparing to separate from the armed forces,
whose occupational speciality in the military corresponds to an
open position in the database, and who choose to be listed.
VA reports that it is currently in the process of targeting
service members who are transitioning out of the military for
positions at the department by using data contained in the VA/
DoD Identity Repository database. Using information from VA and
the Department of Defense (DoD), CBO expects that under the
bill VA would hire two additional information technology
specialists (at an average compensation of $100,000) to add
appropriate service-member data into the database. On that
basis, CBO estimates that including applicants from DoD in VA's
recruitment database would cost $1 million over the 2019-2023
period; such spending would be subject to the availability of
appropriated funds.
The bill also would require VA to train and certify
veterans who served as health care technicians while serving in
the armed forces to work as intermediate care technicians at
the department. According to VA, the department already
operates a training program for intermediate care technicians
at 23 medical facilities and is in the process of expanding
that training. Thus, the bill's codification of that
responsibility would not result in any additional costs.
Enacting H.R. 5938 would not affect direct spending or
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5938 would not increase
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
H.R. 5938 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Ann E. Futrell.
The estimate was reviewed by Leo Lex, Deputy Assistant Director
for Budget Analysis.
Federal Mandates Statement
The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal
mandates regarding H.R 5938, as amended, prepared by the
Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section
423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
Advisory Committee Statement
No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b)
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act would be created by H.R.
5938, as amended.
Statement of Constitutional Authority
Pursuant to Article I, section 8 of the United States
Constitution, H.R. 5938, as amended, is authorized by Congress'
power to ``provide for the common Defense and general Welfare
of the United States.''
Applicability to Legislative Branch
The Committee finds that H.R. 5938, as amended, does not
relate to the terms and conditions of employment or access to
public services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.
Statement on Duplication of Federal Programs
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the Committee finds that no provision
of H.R. 5938, as amended, establishes or reauthorizes a program
of the Federal Government known to be duplicative of another
Federal program, a program that was included in any report from
the Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to
section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program related to a
program identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance.
Disclosure of Directed Rulemaking
Pursuant to section 3(i) of H. Res. 5, 115th Cong. (2017),
the Committee estimates that H.R. 5938, as amended, contains no
directed rulemaking that would require the Secretary to
prescribe regulations.
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation
Section 1. Short title
Section 1 of the bill would provide a short title of the
``Veterans Serving Veterans Act of 2018.''
Section 2. Recruitment database
Section 2(a) of the bill would amend section 208 of the VA
Choice and Quality Employment Act (Public Law 115-46) to
require VA to identify military occupational specialties that
correlate with positions that VA needs, to coordinate with DOD
to identify soon to be separated servicemembers and, upon the
election of the servicemember, to add those servicemembers'
military occupational specialties and contact information to
VA's existing recruiting database.
Section 2(b) of the bill requires the Secretary to submit,
no later than 180 days after enactment, a plan, to include
timeline, for implementation of this database requirement.
Section 3. Intermediate care technician training program
Section 3(a) of the bill would require VA to implement a
program to train and certify covered veterans to work as VA
ICTs.
Section 3(b) of the bill would require VA to establish
centers at VA medical facilities selected by VA for the purpose
of carrying out the program required by section 3(a) of the
bill and require VA, in selecting a VA medical facility to
serve as such a center, to consider the experience and success
of the facility in training ICTs and the availability of
resources to train ICTs.
Section 3(c) of the bill would define the term ``covered
veteran'' to mean a veteran whom VA determines served as a
basic health care technician while serving in the Armed Forces.
Section 4. No authorization of appropriations
Section 4 of the bill would establish that no additional
funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act
and that this Act is required to be carried out using amounts
otherwise authorized to be appropriated.
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italic, and existing law in which no
change is proposed is shown in roman):
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italic, and existing law in which no
change is proposed is shown in roman):
VA CHOICE AND QUALITY EMPLOYMENT ACT OF 2017
* * * * * * *
TITLE II--PERSONNEL MATTERS
* * * * * * *
SEC. 208. RECRUITING DATABASE AT DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
establish [a single database] and maintain a single searchable
database (to be known as the ``Departments of Defense and
Veterans Affairs Recruitment Database'') that lists--
(1) each vacant position in the Department of
Veterans Affairs that the Secretary determines is
critical to the mission of the Department, difficult to
fill, or both[; and];
(2) each vacant position in the Department of
Veterans Affairs for a mental health professional[.];
and
(3) with respect to each vacant position under
paragraphs (1) and (2)--
(A) the military occupational specialty or
skill that corresponds to the position, as
determined by the Secretary, in consultation
with the Secretary of Defense; and
(B) each qualified member of the Armed Forces
who may be recruited to fill the position
before such qualified member of the Armed
Forces has been discharged and released from
active duty.
(b) Additional Information.--Subject to subsection (c), the
database established under subsection (a) shall include, with
respect to each qualified member of the Armed Forces, the
following information:
(1) The name and contact information of the qualified
member of the Armed Forces.
(2) The date on which the qualified member of the
Armed Forces is expected to be discharged and released
from active duty.
(3) Each military occupational specialty currently or
previously assigned to the qualified member of the
Armed Forces.
(c) Availability.--Information in the database shall be
available to offices, officials, and employees of the
Department of Veterans Affairs to the extent the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs determines appropriate.
(d) Expedited Hiring Procedures.--The Secretary shall hire
qualified members of the Armed Forces who apply for vacant
positions listed in the database established under subsection
(a) without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter
33 of title 5, United States Code.
(e) Relocation Bonus.--The Secretary may authorize a
relocation bonus, in an amount determined appropriate by the
Secretary and subject to the same limitations as in the case of
the authority provided under section 5753 of title 5, to any
qualified member of the Armed Forces who has accepted a
position listed in the database established under subsection
(a).
[(b)] (f) Qualified Applicant.--If the Secretary determines
that an applicant for a vacant position listed in the database
established under subsection (a) is qualified for such position
but does not select the applicant for such position, the
Secretary, at the election of the applicant, may consider the
applicant for other similar vacant positions listed in the
database for which the applicant is qualified.
[(c)] (g) Prolonged Vacancies.--If the Secretary does not
fill a vacant position listed in the database established under
subsection (a) after a period determined appropriate by the
Secretary, the Secretary--
(1) may ensure that applicants described in
[subsection (b)] subsection (g) are considered for such
position; and
(2) may use the database established under subsection
(a) to assist in filling such position.
[(d)] (h) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment [of this Act] of the Veterans Serving Veterans
Act of 2018, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall
submit to Congress a report on the use and efficacy of the
database established under subsection (a).
(i) Qualified Member of the Armed Forces Defined.--In this
section, the term ``qualified member of the Armed Forces''
means a member of the Armed Forces--
(1) described in section 1142(a) of title 10;
(2) who elects to be listed in the database
established under subsection (a); and
(3) who has been determined by the Secretary, in
consultation with the Secretary of Defense, to have a
military occupational speciality that corresponds to a
vacant position described in subsection (a).
* * * * * * *
[all]