As ordered reported by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on May 14, 2026
By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars | 2026 | 2026-2031 | 2026-2036 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Direct Spending (Outlays) | * | * | * | ||||||||
Revenues | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
Increase or Decrease (-) in the Deficit | * | * | * | ||||||||
Spending Subject to Appropriation (Outlays) | * | * | * | ||||||||
Increases net direct spending in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2037? | No | Statutory pay-as-you-go procedures apply? | Yes | ||||||||
Mandate Effects | |||||||||||
Increases on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2037? | No | Contains intergovernmental mandate? | No | ||||||||
Contains private-sector mandate? | No | ||||||||||
* = between-$500,000 to $500,000. | |||||||||||
On This Page
H.R. 7103 would expand the criteria for approving training providers under the Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET TEC) program to include expertise in emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence semiconductor manufacturing. VET TEC is administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide educational benefits to eligible veterans, the costs of which are paid from mandatory appropriations. The authority to approve veterans for participation in the program expires after September 30, 2027.
Under current law, VA pays tuition and housing stipends for eligible veterans who are enrolled in approved training courses related to computer programming, computer software, data processing, information sciences, and medical applications. A maximum of 4,000 veterans may participate in VET TEC each year through 2027, and, based on applications for participation in a similar program in recent years, CBO expects that all available slots will be filled.
The bill would expand the types of training that participants could pursue, but would not change the number of participants in the VET TEC program or modify the benefits available to them. CBO estimates that the effect on direct spending from any changes in coursework by program participants would be less than $500,000 over the 2026-2036 period.
The bill also would require VA to consult with the Department of Labor and partner with stakeholders in the private sector to identify occupations that are expected to be in high demand as a result of emerging technologies and the appropriate training to become employed in those occupations. VA currently engages in similar consultations and partnerships under VET TEC and other educational benefit programs; thus, CBO expects that satisfying the requirement would not significantly increase the department’s workload and would increase operating expenses by less than $500,000 over the 2026-2036 period. Such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Paul B.A. Holland. The estimate was reviewed by Christina Hawley Anthony, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel
Director, Congressional Budget Office