House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), together with Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Chairman Rep. Derrick Van Orden (Wis.), Subcommittee on Technology Modernization Chairman Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.), Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), and Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-Ariz.), has introduced a third set of bills as part of an ongoing strategy to update and reauthorize education and workforce programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Many of these programs have not been thoroughly reviewed in three decades.
The new legislative package aims to improve accountability in the VA’s Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program, strengthen the VA’s acquisition processes by enhancing cost evaluation, establish a new Veterans Economic Opportunity and Transition Administration, and transfer the Department of Labor’s Veterans Education and Training Service (DOL-VETS) program to the VA.
Chairman Bost stated, “The bills that were introduced today as part of our larger VA reauthorization strategy would bring needed education and workforce benefits reform to programs that hundreds of thousands of veterans have used, and will use in the future. Enhancing these multibillion-dollar VA programs to make them better – and create lasting change – would provide more economic opportunity for the veterans, transitioning active-duty servicemembers, and the veteran families they were created to serve. As Chairman, I look forward to leading the discussion on improving these VA benefits’ programs at a time when House Republicans are working – alongside President Trump – every day to bring down costs and expand affordability for families nationwide.”
The four proposed bills focus on several areas:
– Introducing accountability measures within VR&E for better service to disabled veterans.
– Creating a centralized acquisition system within VA with consistent cost evaluations.
– Establishing a new administration dedicated to economic opportunity and transition for veterans.
– Moving DOL-VETS from the Department of Labor to VA for streamlined delivery of workforce benefits.
Rep. Van Orden commented on his experience: “As Chairman of the VA Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, I have seen firsthand the need for stronger accountability and clearer outcomes in the Veterans Readiness and Employment program. As a veteran who has personally relied on this program, I understand how critical it is that this program is readily available to those who have earned them. This legislation modernizes VR&E by improving oversight, ensuring responsible use of resources, and reinforcing the program’s focus on helping disabled veterans achieve meaningful employment. With participation expected to grow, these reforms will better serve veterans while safeguarding taxpayer dollars and strengthening the program for the future.”
Rep. Barrett addressed technology issues: “Inefficiency at the VA directly — and too often negatively — affects the level of services and standard of care veterans receive. Every dollar wasted on overpriced and inefficient technology is a dollar not spent helping the men and women who defended our nation,” he said. “Meanwhile, delayed projects and failing IT systems are compromising the benefits and health care America promised them. The ARCA Act is long overdue legislation to streamline purchasing and strengthen accountability so the VA can achieve its mission of putting veterans first while preserving taxpayer dollars.”
Rep. Ciscomani emphasized support for Arizona’s veteran community: “Our veterans deserve a system that truly works for them — not one that buries critical education and transition programs under layers of bureaucracy. In Arizona’s Sixth District, we are home to nearly 80,000 veterans, and many of them rely on the GI Bill, VR&E, home loan benefits, and the Transition Assistance Program as they build their next chapter. These programs must receive the focus and accountability they deserve,” he said. “Creating the Economic Opportunity and Transition Administration is a practical, commonsense step to modernize the VA and strengthen oversight. By streamlining how these programs are managed, we can deliver more timely, effective support and ensure veterans across AZ-06 — and across the country — get the opportunities they have earned through their service.”
Rep. Hamadeh added: “I am proud to introduce this bill which addresses the lack of accountability and oversight of the past. Maintaining the status quo means the DOL-VETS program and its services will continue to underperform and will be underutilized by veterans. That is not acceptable, and Government Accountability Office reports make the case for change clear. This realigning of employment programs for workforce opportunities from Department of Labor to VA, an agency that is solely focused on veterans, only makes sense.”
These reforms seek both administrative improvements within existing structures at VA as well as organizational changes intended to centralize veteran-focused services under one department.
