# VET-TEC Authorization Act of 2023: Plain Language Summary

This bill makes permanent a training program for veterans that helps them learn high-tech skills in fields like computer programming, software development, and data processing. Right now, this program is temporary and set to expire. The bill would keep it going indefinitely, giving veterans ongoing access to short-term tech training that's designed to lead directly to jobs rather than traditional college degrees.

Here's how it works in practice: Veterans who served at least three years on active duty and are under 62 years old can enroll in these tech programs, which typically last between six and 28 weeks. The Department of Veterans Affairs pays the training providers in stages—25 percent when a veteran enrolls, 25 percent when they graduate, and the final 50 percent once they either land a job in their field within six months, work for the training provider for a year, or continue their education in the same field. This payment structure incentivizes training providers to actually help veterans find employment, not just collect tuition money. Veterans can take up to two of these programs, as long as they wait at least 18 months between them.

The bill limits participation to 8,000 veterans per year and requires training providers to meet specific standards. They must employ instructors with real industry experience, have a track record of successfully running the program for at least a year, and charge veterans the same tuition as other students. The bill also includes protections to prevent schools from enrolling too many students who are entirely funded by VA benefits, which could indicate they're gaming the system rather than genuinely training people for jobs. Overall, this legislation aims to give veterans a faster, more direct path to employment in growing tech fields without requiring them to pursue traditional four-year degrees.

VET–TEC Authorization Act of 2023

Ciscomani, Juan

VET-TEC Authorization Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to permanently implement a program under which it provides up to 8,000 covered individuals per year the opportunity to enroll in high technology programs of education that provide non-degree training or skills related to computer programming, media application, data processing, or information sciences. A covered individual is a veteran who (1) the VA determines is under the age of 62, served an aggregate of at least 36 months on active duty, and was discharged or released from service under conditions other than dishonorable; or (2) will satisfy such requirements in fewer than 180 days after the VA's determination. In administering the program, the VA must provide assistance to covered individuals in amounts equal to those provided to Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients who are pursuing a degree on more than a half-time basis. The VA must seek to enter into contracts with any number of qualified providers of high technology programs of education and pay such providers a specified percentage of the tuition and other fees for each enrolled individual. The bill prescribes (1) requirements for a provider of a program to be considered as qualified (e.g., the provider employs instructors the VA determines are experts in their respective fields), and (2) criteria for the VA to approve providers for contracts. If a covered individual has remaining entitlement to other VA educational assistance, entitlement under this program must be charged at the rate of one month of that remaining entitlement for each month of assistance under this program.