aining employment consistent with such veteran's abilities, apties, interests, and employment handicap, including assistance essary to insure that such veteran receives the benefit of any licable provisions of law or regulation providing for special coneration or emphasis or preference for such veteran ín employnt or training.

2) Assistance provided under this subsection may include(A) direct placement of such veteran in employment;

(B) utilization of the services of disabled veterans outreach program specialists under section 4103A of this title; and

(Č) utilization of the job development and placement services of (i) programs under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, (ii) the State employment service and the Veterans' Employment Service of the Department of Labor, (iii) the Office of Personnel Management, (iv) any other public or nonprofit organization having placement services available, and (v) any for-profit entity in a case in which the Secretary has determined that services necessary to provide such assistance are available from such entity and that comparably effective services are not available, or cannot be obtained cost-effectively, from the entities described in subclauses (i) through (iv) of this clause. b)(1) In any case in which a veteran has completed a vocational abilitation program for self-employment in a small business enprise under this chapter, the Secretary shall assist such veteran securing, as appropriate, a loan under subchapter IV of chapter of this title and shall cooperate with the Small Business Adminration to assist such veteran to secure a loan for the purchase equipment needed to establish such veteran's own business and insure that such veteran receives the special consideration proled for in section 8 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 633(b)). 2) In the case of a veteran described in clause (12) of section 04(a) of this title who has trained under a State rehabilitation ogram with the objective of self-employment in a small business terprise, the Secretary may, subject to the limitations and criia provided for in such clause, provide such veteran with such pplementary equipment and initial stocks and supplies as are demined to be needed by such veteran if such supplementary uipment and initial stocks and supplies, or assistance in acquir; them, are not available through the State program or other

urces.

dded P.L. 96-466, § 101(a), Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2183, § 1517; ended P.L. 97-72, §303(k), Nov. 3, 1981, 95 Stat. 1060; P.L. 0-689, § 202(a), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4175; P.L. 101-237, 23(b)(1)(A), Dec. 18, 1989, 103 Stat. 2092; P.L. 102-54, § 14(c)(4), ne 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 285; renumbered §3117 and amended P.L. 2-83, §5(a), (c)(1), Aug. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 406; P.L. 104-275, .01(h), Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3325.)

$118. Personnel training, development, and qualifications (a) The Secretary shall provide a program of ongoing professional aining and development for Department of Veterans Affairs counling and rehabilitation personnel engaged in providing rehabilitaon services under this chapter. The objective of such training all be to insure that rehabilitation services for disabled veterans

are provided in accordance with the most advanced knowledge, methods, and techniques available for the rehabilitation of handicapped persons. For this purpose, the Secretary may employ the services of consultants and may make grants to and contract with public or private agencies (including institutions of higher learning to conduct such training and development.

(b) The Secretary shall coordinate with the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration in the Department of Education and the Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment in the Department of Labor in planning and carrying out personne training in areas of mutual programmatic concern.

(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall establish such qualifications for personnel providing evalustion and rehabilitation services to veterans under this chapter and for employees performing the functions described in section 31060 of this title as the Secretary determines are necessary and appro priate to insure the quality of rehabilitation programs under this chapter. In establishing such qualifications, the Secretary shal take into account the qualifications established for comparable per sonnel under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. ch. 16). (Added P.L. 96-466, § 101(a), Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2184, § 1518 amended P.L. 101-237, §423(b)(1), Dec. 18, 1989, 103 Stat. 2092 renumbered §3118 and amended P.L. 102-83, § 5(a), (c)(1), Aug. 6. 1991, 105 Stat. 406; P.L. 104-275, § 101(f)(2)(C), Oct. 9, 1996, 113 Stat. 3325.)

§ 3119. Rehabilitation research and special projects

(a) The Secretary shall carry out an ongoing program of activities for the purpose of advancing the knowledge, methods, techniques and resources available for use in rehabilitation programs for ve erans. For this purpose, the Secretary shall conduct and provide support for the development or conduct, or both the development and conduct, of

(1) studies and research concerning the psychological, edu cational, employment, social, vocational, industrial, and eco nomic aspects of the rehabilitation of disabled veterans, includ ing new methods of rehabilitation; and

(2) projects which are designed to increase the resources and potential for accomplishing the rehabilitation of disabled veter

ans.

(b) For the purpose specified in subsection (a) of this section, Secretary is authorized to make grants to or contract with publi or nonprofit agencies, including institutions of higher learning.

(c) The Secretary shall cooperate with the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration and the Director of the In stitute of Handicapped Research in the Department of Education the Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment in the Depart ment of Labor, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding rehabilitation studies, research, and special projects of mutual programmatic concern.

(Added P.L. 96–466, § 101(a), Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2184, § 1519; amended P.L. 101-237, §423(b)(1)(A), Dec. 18, 1989, 103 Stat.

92; renumbered §3119, P.L. 102-83, § 5(a), Aug. 6, 1991, 105 at. 406.)

120. Program of independent living services and assist

ance

(a) The Secretary may, under contracts with entities described in bsection (f) of this section, or through facilities of the Veterans alth Administration, which possess a demonstrated capability to duct programs of independent living services for severely handioped persons, provide, under regulations which the Secretary all prescribe, programs of independent living services and assistce under this chapter, in various geographic regions of the UnitStates, to veterans described in subsection (b) of this section. b) A program of independent living services and assistance may made available under this section only to a veteran who has a ious employment handicap resulting in substantial part from a vice-connected disability described in section 3102(1)(A)(i) of this e and with respect to whom it is determined under section 06(d) or (e) of this title that the achievement of a vocational goal rently is not reasonably feasible.

c) The Secretary shall, to the maximum extent feasible, include ong those veterans who are provided with programs of indeident living services and assistance under this section substanI numbers of veterans described in subsection (b) of this section o are receiving long-term care in Department of Veterans Affairs pitals and nursing homes and in nursing homes with which the retary contracts for the provision of care to veterans. d) A program of independent living services and assistance for eteran shall consist of such services described in section 3104(a) this title as the Secretary determines necessary to enable such eran to achieve maximum independence in daily living. Such eran shall have the same rights with respect to an individuald written plan of services and assistance as are afforded veter; under section 3107 of this title.

e) Programs of independent living services and assistance shall initiated for no more than five hundred veterans in each fiscal r, and the first priority in the provision of such programs shall afforded to veterans for whom the reasonable feasibility of ieving a vocational goal is precluded solely as a result of a serv-connected disability.

f) Entities described in this subsection are (1) public or nonprofit encies or organizations, and (2) for-profit entities in cases in ich the Secretary determines that services comparable in effeceness to services available from such an entity are not available, cannot be obtained cost-effectively from, public or nonprofit ncies or through facilities of the Veterans Health Administra

1.

ided P.L. 96-466, § 101(a), Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2185, § 1520; ended P.L. 99-576, § 333(a), (b)(6), (c), Oct. 28, 1986, 100 Stat. 79; P.L. 100–689, § 202(b), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4176; P.L. 1-237, §§ 404, 423(b)(1), Dec. 18, 1989, 103 Stat. 2080, 2092; rembered §3120 and amended P.L. 102-83, § 5(a), (c)(1), Aug. 6, 91, 105 Stat. 406; P.L. 103-446, §1201(b)(1), (d)(11), Nov. 2,

1994, 108 Stat. 4682, 4684; P.L. 104-275, § 101(f)(2)(D), (i), Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3325.)

§ 3121. Veterans' Advisory Committee on Rehabilitation (a)(1) The Secretary shall appoint an advisory committee to be known as the Veterans' Advisory Committee on Rehabilitation (hereinafter in this section referred to as the "Committee”).

(2) The members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Sec retary from the general public and shall serve for terms to be de termined by the Secretary not to exceed three years. Veterans with service-connected disabilities shall be appropriately represented in the membership of the Committee, and the Committee shall also include persons who have distinguished themselves in the public and private sectors in the fields of rehabilitation medicine, voce tional guidance, vocational rehabilitation, and employment and training programs. The Secretary may designate one of the mem bers of the Committee appointed under this paragraph to chair the Committee.

Committee shall also include as ex officio members the following (A) one representative from the Veterans Health Administration and one from the Veterans Benefits Administration, (B) one reresentative from the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the Department of Education and one from the National Institute for Handicapped Research of the Department of Education, and (C one representative of the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans Employment and Training of the Department of Labor.

(b) The Secretary shall, on a regular basis, consult with and seek the advice of the Committee with respect to the administration of veterans' rehabilitation programs under this title.

(c) The Committee shall submit to the Secretary an annual re port on the rehabilitation programs and activities of the Depart ment of Veterans Affairs and shall submit such other reports and recommendations to the Secretary as the Committee determines appropriate. The annual report shall include an assessment of the rehabilitation needs of veterans and a review of the programs and activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs designed to meet such needs. The Secretary shall submit with each annual report submitted to the Congress pursuant to section 529 of this title a copy of all reports and recommendations of the Committee submit ted to the Secretary since the previous annual report of the See retary was submitted to the Congress pursuant to such section. (Added P.L. 96-466, § 101(a), Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2186, § 1521 amended P.L. 101-237, §423(b)(1), Dec. 18, 1989, 103 Stat. 209 P.L. 102-54, § 14(c)(5), June 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 285; renumbered § 3121 and amended P.L. 102-83, §§ 2(c)(3), 5(a), Aug. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 402, 406; P.L. 103-446, § 1201(b)(1), (i)(5), Nov. 2, 1994, 10 Stat. 4682, 4688.)

CHAPTER 32-POST-VIETNAM ERA VETERANS'
EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE

SUBCHAPTER I-PURPOSE; DEFINITIONS

22

1.

12.

Purpose.

Definitions.

SUBCHAPTER II—ELIGIBILITY; CONTRIBUTIONS; AND MATCHING FUND

Death of participant.

Discharge or release under conditions which would bar the use of benefits.

SUBCHAPTER III-ENTITLEMENT; DURATION

Entitlement; loan eligibility.

Duration; limitations.

Apprenticeship or other on-job training.

Tutorial assistance.

Requirements.

[REPEALED.]

Deposits; reports.

SUBCHAPTER IV-ADMINISTRATION

SUBCHAPTER I-PURPOSE; DEFINITIONS

201. Purpose

It is the purpose of this chapter (1) to provide educational assistice to those men and women who enter the Armed Forces after ecember 31, 1976, and before July 1, 1985, (2) to assist young en and women in obtaining an education they might not otherise be able to afford, and (3) to promote and assist the all voluner military program of the United States by attracting qualified en and women to serve in the Armed Forces.

dded P.L. 94-502, §404, Oct. 15, 1976, 90 Stat. 2393, § 1601; nended P.L. 99–576, § 309(a)(1), Oct. 28, 1986, 100 Stat. 3270; reimbered § 3201, P.L. 102-83, §5(a), Aug. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 406.) 3202. Definitions

For the purposes of this chapter—

(1)(A) The term "eligible veteran" means any veteran who is not igible for educational assistance under chapter 34 of this title and ho (i) entered military service on or after January 1, 1977, and efore July 1, 1985, served on active duty for a period of more than 80 days commencing on or after January 1, 1977, and was disharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonrable, or (ii) entered military service on or after January 1, 1977, nd before July 1, 1985, and was discharged or released from acve duty after January 1, 1977, for a service-connected disability.