VET TEC 2.0
The Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, signed into law in 2025, restored the VA program VET TEC. The act is considered a “formal reauthorization” and expansion of the Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses program, which ended in April of 2024. However, VET TEC is not yet open for applications, as discussed below.
VET TEC 2.0: A New Era for the Restored Program
The new VET TEC program is designed to provide veterans and transitioning service members with access to high-tech training in fields such as software development, data science, and cybersecurity.
Unlike traditional degree programs, VET TEC focuses on short-term, intensive courses that typically last between 6 and 28 weeks.
When the program closed in 2024, there was uncertainty about whether it would be reauthorized. Now that the reauthorization has happened, it’s a waiting game before VET TEC 2.0 (as some have dubbed it) begins accepting new applications.
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VET TEC Relaunch Phase
As of early 2026, the VET TEC program is in relaunch. While the Dole Act has legally authorized the program, it is not yet fully open for new student enrollments.
Why? Because the VA must finalize VET TEC 2.0 infrastructure, including vetting new training providers and deploying updated IT systems to track the annual participation limit of 4,000 students. This cap is a new feature meant to manage the budget more effectively than the previous flat-dollar limit.
Current notices indicate that the formal application window for the new High-Technology Veterans Education, Training, and Skills Program is expected to open after the conclusion of the public comment period on the administrative rules. This period ends March 13, 2026. Until then, no applications are accepted.
The Original VET TEC
The initial VET TEC program operated as a five-year pilot, beginning in 2019. Despite its success, the pilot faced challenges around funding caps and related issues. The VA allocated approximately $45 million annually to the pilot, but high demand for tech careers depleted the funding early.
By 2023, the program had exhausted its annual budget by mid-November, and the program’s legal authority officially expired on April 1, 2024.
The new iteration of VET TEC formalizes the program, with updated rules and oversight. But there is no unlimited opportunity to use the program at press time. It has an expiration date. Current federal law authorizes the program through September 30, 2027.
Eligibility for the revamped program requires that veterans be under age 62 and have served at least 36 months of active-duty service. Transitioning service members can apply if they are within 180 days of discharge.
The VA is developing a new application form, VA Form 22-10297, to track participation in real-time and prevent the sudden funding shutdowns that plagued the original pilot program. This is an ongoing story.
>> For scholarships for military, veterans, spouses, and dependents, please try the CollegeRecon Scholarship Finder.
About the author
Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
