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The Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program helps military service members or veterans with a service-connected disability prepare for, find, and keep suitable employment — a job that doesn’t make their disability worse; is stable; and matches their abilities, aptitudes, and interests. VR&E can also provide support to live as independently as possible. Run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and previously called Vocational Rehabilitation or VA Chapter 31, VR&E services can include vocational counseling and planning, job training, help finding and keeping a job, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, education, counseling, medical referrals, independent living services, and more.

To get Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) benefits and services, both of these must be true:

• You did not get an other than honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable discharge, and
• You have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10% from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

If you are still on active duty but are ill or injured, you can apply for VR&E before you get a VA disability rating by applying through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES).

If you are discharged and received an other than honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable discharge when you left the military, you can try to qualify for VR&E and other VA benefits by applying for either a discharge upgrade or a character of discharge review.

You can apply for Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) benefits and services:

• Online at va.gov (the fastest way to apply), or
• By downloading and completing VA Form 28-1900 and submitting it
  • By mail to:
    Department of Veterans Affairs
    VR&E Intake Center
    P.O. Box 5210
    Janesville, WI
    53547-5210
  • At the oficina regional de Phoenix del VA, or
  • With the help of a trained professional called an accredited representative.

If you are not yet discharged from the military, you can get VR&E services through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) if you are waiting to be discharged because of a severe illness or injury that happened while on active duty, or you have a 20% or higher pre-discharge disability rating (called a memorandum rating) from the VA and are leaving the military soon.

Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) organizes its services into five support-and-services tracks:

• Re-Employment Track: Offers support for returning to the job you had before you deployed. Among other services, VR&E helps your employer meet your needs.
• Rapid Access to Employment Track: Helps you use your existing skills to find a job right away that matches your abilities, aptitudes, and interests.
• Self-Employment Track: VR&E helps you start your own business, guiding you to develop a business plan, analyze your business concept, and get the resources you need. VR&E offers training in small-business operations, marketing, and finances.
• Employment Through Long-Term Services Track: Guides you to vocational counseling and the education or training you need to change career fields and find work that better fits your current abilities and interests. This can include on-the-job training, apprenticeships, internships, work-study, or higher education, as well as a monthly cash subsistence allowance.
• Independent Living Services Track: Provides support and counseling if you need help with daily activities like bathing or dressing and either can’t return to work right away or are trying to find a job that is a goal you and your Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor have created. You can usually get these benefits and services for up to 24 months, but in some cases this limit can be extended.

Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) benefits and services from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can include (but aren’t limited to):

• The cost of job training or education
• A monthly cash benefit called a subsistence allowance
• Medical expenses needed to finish your rehabilitation program, including treatment, care, prosthetics, dental, and eyeglasses
• Travel costs and expenses for rehabilitation and job-seeking
• Disability accommodations like assistive technology and workplace personal assistance
• Support needed to live as independently as possible
• Interview, resume, and job placement help
• Ongoing support after you get a job to help you keep it

It’s possible to get both Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) and Individual Unemployability (IU) benefits at the same time if you qualify for both programs.

• If you are a veteran with a service-connected disability that limits your ability to work or stops you from working at all, VR&E helps you prepare for, find, and keep a job or career, and to live as independently as possible.
• If you get VA Disability Compensation and you are completely unemployable because of your service-connected disability, IU increases your monthly benefit to the maximum amount, even if your disability rating is less than 100%.

The two programs work together to help you overcome the challenges that make you unable to work. Learn more about Veterans Readiness & Employment and Individual Unemployability.

You can get help paying for education and training from both a GI Bill benefit program and Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E), if you qualify for both. However, you need to use your VR&E benefits first and then your GI Bill benefits, or you could lose some of your months of eligibility. GI Bill programs have a 36-month limit on benefits, while VR&E benefits can be available for up to 48 months, and longer in some cases. If you use some of your GI Bill months first, they will be deducted from your VR&E months. These are complex programs, and you should discuss the options with your Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC). Learn more in DB101’s article on VA Education Benefits.