Veteran Readiness and Employment, once called vocational rehabilitation, helps veterans and service members whose service-connected disability makes finding or keeping work harder. This explains how the program can pay for college, how the counselor's plan works, and what to ask before choosing it over the GI Bill.
Who the program serves
The VA looks at two things when you apply. The first is a service-connected disability rating, or for some people still serving, a rating expected at discharge. The second is an employment barrier, meaning your disability gets in the way of preparing for, finding or keeping a suitable job. The VA decides both, and a time limit applies in many cases.
Apply on va.gov. After the application, the VA schedules an orientation and then a meeting with a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, who reviews your interests, abilities, service history and the limits your condition places on work.
The plan you build with a counselor
Chapter 31 runs on a written plan rather than a list of payments. Together with the counselor you choose a goal, such as returning to a past field, starting a business or earning a degree that leads to a specific kind of work, and the plan names the training and support needed to reach it.
When college is part of the plan, the program can pay tuition, fees, books, required supplies and equipment the plan calls for, such as a computer or adaptive devices. A monthly subsistence allowance is paid to the student during training, at rates the VA sets. Some students who also hold Post-9/11 GI Bill months can receive that allowance at the GI Bill housing rate, and the counselor can say which rate applies.
Changing your major, school or goal means going back to the counselor to amend the plan. Costs outside the plan are generally not covered, so ask before you register for an extra class or buy equipment.
Chapter 31 runs on a written plan rather than a list of payments.
Weighing it against the GI Bill
Students who have both Chapter 31 and the GI Bill often ask which to use first. The answer depends on your goal, how many GI Bill months you have, and whether the training you want fits an employment goal the counselor can approve. Ask the counselor and the VA how using one program would affect your months in the other before deciding.
The disability services office on campus works separately from Chapter 31. Register there for accommodations in your classes, and tell your counselor about any support the plan should cover. A VetSuccess on Campus counselor, where the school has one, can help with both conversations.
Steps to take
- Apply for Veteran Readiness and Employment on va.gov
- Gather your rating letter and service records
- Write down the kind of work you want to do
- Ask the counselor how the plan affects your GI Bill months
Who decides
A VA Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor
Veteran Readiness and Employment pays for training that serves a work goal in your plan, so build the plan with the counselor before you register.