Home  »  Paying For School   »   VR&E May Be an Option for VA Education Benefits

VR&E May Be an Option for VA Education Benefits

If you are a veteran with a 10% VA disability rating who cannot access the Post 9/11 GI Bill and want to attend college without thousands of dollars of debt, keep reading. There is a VA program called Veteran Readiness and Employment that may be able to help. For some veterans (those who retired or separated before January 2013), time is running out on this help, as we’ll explore below.

A veteran may not have access to the Post-9/11 GI Bill for multiple reasons. One is that the applicant’s military discharge wasn’t listed as honorable, or the applicant’s military service dates didn’t qualify for it.

If you served for 90 continuous days starting September 11, 2001, you may be eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. However, those who served before that date may not qualify, hence the need for an alternative. VR&E can help, in some cases, for those who meet the criteria.

Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E)

You may be eligible for Veteran Readiness and Employment or VR&E. This program has been offered in various forms since the Soldier’s Act of 1918 signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson. This program’s earliest versions were quite different from what’s offered today. Under VR&E today, you will find benefits including:

• Employment and self-employment training
• Independent living resources and education
• Long-term disability services

According to VA.gov, “The act predates the modern Department of Veterans Affairs and states that the then-U.S. Federal Board for Vocational Education would ‘prescribe and provide’ disabled Veterans with “suitable courses of vocational rehabilitation” and a “compulsory allotment and family allowance” to ensure their rehabilitation and “placement of rehabilitated persons in suitable or gainful occupations.”

VR&E Facts

• You might recognize this benefit by one of its former titles, VOCREHAB or VA  Vocational Rehabilitation.
• Today’s version of VA vocational rehab, now known as VR&E, is a program that includes help with employment, training, and employment-related education.
• Vr&E is focused on helping military members transition into civilian careers in spite of disabilities or other medical issues. This program is not aimed at all veterans, but those with qualifying disabilities.

VA.gov notes that in 2020, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment was renamed Veteran Readiness & Employment. “The new name highlights the career and employment mission and helps to differentiate it from VA’s education benefits,” but the name change did not bring with it a wave of new programs; it was a rebranding of the existing program.

Applying for VR&E Education Benefits

If you need VR&E specifially for education benefits, know that this program offers GI Bill-like tuition benefits and more for qualifying applicants, but these options are offered for the purpose of entering the civilian job market and your academic choices may or may not be as broad as those under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

To apply for VR&E, go to the VA’s website to learn how you can apply online, in-person, by U.S. mail, or with the help of a trained professional. Once you are approved, head to College Recon to make your college selection process seamless.

VR&E Education Benefits

Those looking for VA education benefits under VR&E should know that this program is dedicated to “long-term training” to help veterans qualify for and find post-military employment.

• Applying for this benefit isn’t the same as applying for the GI Bill. Your circumstances, disability rating, and career needs may dictate what services are offered.
• VA.gov says, “After you apply, we’ll schedule a meeting for you with a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) to find out if you have an employment handicap and if you’re eligible for VR&E benefits and services.”
• VR&E may be right for you if you “have an employment handicap if your service-connected disability limits your ability to prepare for, obtain, and maintain suitable employment (a job that doesn’t make your disability worse, is stable, and matches your abilities, aptitudes, and interests).”
• After the VA makes” an entitlement decision,” applicants typically work with a counselor to create a plan for “rehabilitation and other services that VR&E will provide.”

Who Qualifies for VR&E Education Benefits

VA.gov states, “Currently, all Veterans with a 10% service-connected disability are eligible for VR&E services, provided they did not receive a dishonorable discharge.” However, the VA requires an evaluation from all applicants to determine whether their 10% or greater disability qualifies them for specific VR&E programs such as education benefits.

What to Know

• Your basic qualification for VR&E does not necessarily guarantee education benefits as part of that program.
• Discuss your needs with a VA representative to learn more about specific VR&E track options.
• VA.gov notes, “VR&E is an employment program that’s different from the GI Bill and may be used to pay for education needed to train you for suitable employment.”
• When you submit your VR&E application, “we’ll schedule your initial evaluation with a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC). The VRC will determine if you’re entitled to receive VR&E benefits and services.”

VR&E Eligibility for Veterans discharged from active duty on or after January 1, 2013

• The 12-year basic period of eligibility doesn’t apply to you.
• There’s no time limit on your eligibility.

VR&E For Active Duty

Those on active duty may also qualify for VR&E under the right conditions. VA.gov says you may apply for VR&E benefits and services if:

• You have a 20% or higher pre-discharge disability rating known as a “memorandum rating,” and will soon leave the military, or
• You’re waiting to be discharged because of a severe illness or injury that occurred while you were on active duty

Some veterans should consider a claim for disability benefits through the VA Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD program ) 180 to 90 days before you leave active duty. VAgov says, “This may help speed up the claim decision process so you can get your benefits sooner.” However, using BDD does not affect how the VA treats your VR&E application.

VR&E Eligibility for Veterans discharged from active duty before January 1, 2013

VA.gov says the basic period of eligibility in these cases ends 12 years “from one of these dates, whichever comes later:”

• The date you received notice of your date of separation from active duty, or
• The date you received your first VA service-connected disability rating

The basic period of eligibility may be extended if  there is a serious employment handicap (SEH), which means your service-connected disability “significantly limits your ability to prepare for, obtain, and maintain suitable employment (a job that doesn’t make your disability worse; is stable; and matches your abilities, aptitudes, and interests).”

Time is Running Out

• For those who left military service after January 2013, you have no time limit to apply. However, the clock is ticking for those who left military service before January 2013.
• 2025 is rapidly approaching, and if you’ve done the quick math  (2012 plus 12 years= 2024) you’ve concluded the window of opportunity to claim VR&E benefits is quickly closing.
• To apply for VR&E, go to the VA’s website to learn how you can apply online, in-person, by U.S. mail, or with the help of a trained professional.