Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Services
You’ve honored your country by serving with distinction. Now, it’s time to let your country help you find job placement and reach your career goals. Military veterans have access to Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Services. Known as the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment VetSuccess Program or Chapter 31, these services were created to help those with service-connected disabilities receive educational and vocational training and prepare for, find and keep suitable jobs.
How Can Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Help You?
Returning veterans are fighting an uphill battle to get into the job market but can find help through Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Services (VR&E). VetSuccess is designed to help veterans gain re-employment (with a former employer), take advantage of job placement services for new employment, explore self-employment, obtain skills through long-term services including on-the-job training and college, or locate independent living services.
Are You Eligible for VR&E Benefits?
Active duty military members and veterans are eligible for this program if they meet certain criteria and apply for VetSuccess services. The services may be used for up to 12 years from the latter of the following dates: separation from active military service, or when a veteran was first notified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs of a service-connected disability rating.
Active duty military members are eligible if they expect to receive an honorable discharge from active duty and obtain a memorandum rating of 20 percent or more from the VA. Veterans are eligible if they do not receive a dishonorable discharge and have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10 percent, or a memorandum rating of 20 percent or more from the VA.
Comprehensive Rehabilitation Evaluation
VetSuccess offers a comprehensive rehabilitation evaluation to determine your employment abilities, skills, and interests. To be eligible for an evaluation you must first apply for services and receive an appointment with a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. The Counselor will work with you to determine if an employment disability exists as a result of a service-connected injury. An employment handicap exists if your service-connected disability impairs your ability to obtain and maintain a job. If you are entitled to services, you will work with the Counselor to develop a rehabilitation plan to address your employment needs. The plan will specify an employment or independent living goal, identify intermediate goals, and outline services and resources that the VA can provide you.
If you are a veteran who is not entitled to services, the Counselor will help you locate other resources to address any rehabilitation and employment needs identified during the evaluation.
Your Rehabilitation Plan
Everyone needs a plan. And together with your Counselor, you’ll develop one. You will explore the labor market and wage information, identify physical demands and other job characteristics, determine a suitable employment goal, select a program track leading to an employment or independent living goal, investigate training requirements and develop an individualized rehabilitation plan.
A rehabilitation plan is an individualized, written outline of the services, resources and criteria used to achieve your goals. The plan is an agreement signed by you and your Counselor and updated as needed to help you achieve your goals. After a plan is developed, a Counselor or case manager will continue to work with you to implement the plan to obtain employment and /or independent living.
How to Apply for VR&E
You will need to meet with a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor through the VA.