The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Vet Success Program is authorized by Congress under Title 38, Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 31. It is often referred to as the Chapter 31 or Voc Rehab program. The Voc Rehab program assists veterans with service-connected disabilities to prepare for, find and keep suitable jobs. For veterans with service-connected disabilities so severe that they cannot immediately consider work, Voc Rehab offers services to improve their ability to live as independently as possible.

Services that may be provided by the Voc Rehab Program include:

– Comprehensive rehabilitation evaluation to determine abilities, skills and interests for employment,

– Vocational counseling and rehabilitation planning for employment services,

– Employment services such as job-training, job-seeking skills, resume development and other work readiness assistance,

– Assistance finding and keeping a job, including the use of special employer incentives and job accommodations,

– On the Job Training (OJT), apprenticeships and non-paid work experiences,

– Post-secondary training at a college, vocational, technical or business school,

– Supportive rehabilitation services including case management, counseling and medical referrals,

– Independent living services for veterans unable to work due to the severity of their disabilities.

Veterans are eligible if they have received, or will receive, a discharge from the military that is other than dishonorable and they have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10 percent, or a memorandum rating of 20 percent or more from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA).

The basic period of eligibility in which VR&E Vet Success services may be used is 12 years from the date of separation from active military service or date the veteran was first notified by the VA of a service-connected disability rating, whichever is later.

For more information on this or other veterans’ or survivors’ benefits, contact the Oneida County Veterans’ Service Office.

Tammy Walters is available at (715) 369-6127, or via email at twalters@co.oneida.wi.us.