The Secretary shall provide a program of ongoing professional training and development for Department of Veterans Affairs counseling and rehabilitation personnel engaged in providing rehabilitation services under this chapter. The objective of such training shall 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.

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 personnel training in areas of mutual programmatic concern.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall establish such qualifications for personnel providing evaluation and rehabilitation services to veterans under this chapter and for employees performing the functions described in section 3106(f) of this title as the Secretary determines are necessary and appropriate to insure the quality of rehabilitation programs under this chapter. In establishing such qualifications, the Secretary shall take into account the qualifications established for comparable personnel under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. ch. 16).

(Added Pub. L. 96–466, title I, § 101(a), Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2184, § 1518; amended Pub. L. 101–237, title IV, § 423(b)(1), Dec. 18, 1989, 103 Stat. 2092; renumbered § 3118 and amended Pub. L. 102–83, § 5(a), (c)(1), Aug. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 406; Pub. L. 104–275, title I, § 101(f)(2)(C), Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3325.)