Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E)
What is VR&E?
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment is a government funded program that gives veterans with a 10% or higher disability rating the opportunity to go to college for free- with 48 months of tuition assistance.
What does it cover?
Unlike the GI Bill, there is no tuition cap. VR&E can be approved to cover any amount of tuition, in addition to any other school-related costs such as books, class supplies, and parking passes. However, unlike the GI Bill, you will not receive BAH but rather a flat monthly stipend. For those without dependents, the stipend rate is currently $653/month. VR&E can also cover moving costs if you are traveling from out of state to go to school, as was the case with me. You can also get approved for a free laptop, monitor, printer, wireless mouse and backpack. Ask for it-it’s yours to keep!
VR&E Basic Requirements
Before diving into the application process and timeline, let me talk about the basic requirements. First, to be eligible for VR&E tuition assistance, you must have at least 10% rated disability or higher from the VA. So, if you are planning on starting school in the fall but you ETS in the summer, just understand that you will not be awarded VR&E benefits until the VA completes their findings and has officially awarded you a disability rating of 10% or more. The next requirement for obtaining VR&E benefits is that your disability is a major reason as to why you are having difficulties finding employment. The next part, and I cannot stress this enough, is that each counselor is different! While every veteran needs a 10% disability rating or higher, not every counselor cares whether the disability has made it difficult for you to find work. My counselor, for example, is awesome and approved me immediately once she saw that I met the 10% rating requirement and that I had already been accepted into law school. Having an acceptance letter at the ready is a major plus in the eyes of a VR&E counselor. So, in summary, you must have at least 10% disability, and depending on your counselor you may be asked to articulate how your rated disability has affected your ability to find employment.
For Those Who Have Both the GI Bill and VR&E
I get this question a fair amount, so let me give you my best answer. The GI Bill includes 36 months of tuition assistance, while VR&E gives you 48 months. For every month you use of the GI Bill, one month is deducted from your 48 month VR&E. However, for every month used of VR&E, the VA does not subtract from your GI Bill total. This means it is to your advantage to start with VR&E first, as you will retain the ability to use your GI Bill later down the road, if needed.
Step-by-Step Timeline
For reference, my entire timeline from the time I applied for benefits until the day I was verbally approved was surprisingly only a few days. This is because I already had my acceptance letters on hand when I applied, making it easy for my counselor to verbally approve me during the first phone interview.
Step 1: Wait for the VA to return an official disability rating of 10% or more. When you are within 180 days of your ETS date (not terminal leave) reach out to your post’s VFW representative, and they will provide clear instructions on how to start the claim process. Generally, you will ask the hospital on post for your medical records on a disc and give that disc to your VFW rep. He will file the claim and do the rest of the work for you.
Step 2: Apply to your program of choice. As I said earlier-it is more beneficial to you, and looks better in the eyes of your counselor, if you have already been accepted to your program when they reach out to you. This means getting a head start on your applications long before the projected start date. Your counselor will be more willing to give you a verbal approval if he or she knows that you have been admitted somewhere.
Step 3: Apply to VR&E using this link:
https://www.va.gov/careers-employment/vocational-rehabilitation/how-to-apply/
Step 4: Wait for your counselor to reach out to you via email. They will schedule you an interview (mine was about 15 minutes over the phone. She reached out to me within a few days but I have some friends who waited 1-2 weeks.)
Step 5: Prepare for the interview. This is very important because this is your first impression on the individual who has your financial freedom in the palm of their hands. Because of how different each counselor is, it’s tough to give advice on how to plan for it. However, based on my experience, here are four things I would recommend touching on during that phone/zoom call:
What degree program you are applying for
Why you need this degree for the career you are pursuing
Why you want to practice in this field
The benefits of entering your career debt-free upon graduation
Step 6: If approved by your counselor for VR&E benefits for a school out of your current state, you will have to either request to keep your counselor (if they let you) or get your file transferred to a VR&E counselor within your program’s jurisdiction. Due to covid, I was able to keep my New Mexico counselor even though I currently attend the University of Kansas. However, I cannot promise that this will be the case for you. Either way, once you get approved for benefits, switching counselors will not affect your status.
Step 7: Send your counselor your acceptance email. After this he or she will send you some paperwork to fill out and return back via email. Note: if at the time of approval for benefits you have not decided on a school yet, that is ok. You will still be verbally approved, and you can send the acceptance email to your counselor whenever you decide on the school you are attending.
Step 8: Get into contact with your university’s VA Certifying Official and Student Military services. These organizations will send you the proper links so you can fill out your requests foe benefits every semester. They are also there to answer any and all questions you may have about the whole process once approved. Always stay in contact with your counselor, military student services, and the certifying official. These people are here to help you and make the process as easy as possible on you, so you can focus on your studies.