Using Voc Rehab for School (The Basics) – The Veteran Professional

Your GI Bill is not the only way you can pay for higher education. If you have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10% (10% with a “serious “ employment handicap, or 20% or more with an employment handicap) and do not have a dishonorable discharge, you may be eligible for receiving Chapter 31 (aka Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment or VR & E) benefits to pay for your education.

Like a lot of things at the VA, this process can be shrouded in mystery. But I can assure (based on my own experience) that it was quite painless. 

What is the purpose? 

Life in the military can beat you up, both mentally and physically. You may leave the service with physical or mental issues that prevent you from seeking all the employment opportunities out there. 

Voc rehab is designed to help get you back into the workforce. This could include job training, special employment accommodations, resume help, and job-seeking skills coaching. Beyond just education and job skills, this program can also help with starting your own business or assisting with independent living services for those who are severely disabled and cannot work a regular job.

How do you apply for benefits? 

First, go to Ebenefits and submit that you want the VA to evaluate your eligibility. This was super easy- it took only a couple of minutes. 

The VA will then contact you to let you know if you are eligible or not. If you are, then you will be contacted by a counselor to create a time for you to meet and make the final decision on your benefits. 

It’s important here to say that, unlike with most benefits you apply for online through the VA, your determination of eligibility will not be automatic. A counselor still needs to talk to you and review your profile. 

What will the VA look at to determine eligibility? 

After you submit the online application, the VA will then notify you if you are eligible to meet with a counselor. As part of this process, you will have to prepare a number of forms detailing your work history and military experience, complete a career assessment (approximately 1 hour), and provide your counselor with a resume and/or college transcripts so they can get a better picture of your abilities. 

The counselor will look at a number of factors. They will look at your work history and educational experience to evaluate what relevant job skills you can transport into the civilian workforce-including ones gained while in the military. If you entered the military straight from school and had a military job that doesn’t translate exactly to the civilian world (ex: infantry, armor, artillery, etc), then this will likely be a positive factor toward you receiving benefits. 

They will also look at your specific disabilities to determine how that might constrain you from entering the civilian workforce. If you have any physical issues, for example, they may say that some type of manual labor is out of the question for you. 

Additionally, the counselor will look at what you did do in the military to determine if there is any room for overlap with civilian jobs. Even if you don’t have hard skills, they may see soft skills like leadership or problem-solving and factor that into your plan. 

During this conversation, the counselor will likely talk to you about your disabilities and how they affect you. Just be honest with them and tell them how you are feeling.  

What exactly can you get?

This is muddled. Unlike the GI Bill, which is a set number, voc rehab benefits are a lot more nuanced. 

After you meet with your counselor, assuming they determine you are eligible, you will then work with them on a plan. Let them know what you are thinking of doing and how you want to get there. 

In putting this all together, the counselor will then work with you on putting this plan into action and figuring out how to pay for it. So there’s not an exact figure to provide on how much voc rehab can cover. But for the purposes of this, know that it can surely be used to cover programs like an MBA or law degree. 

Should you use your GI Bill (Chapter 33) or voc rehab benefits to pay for school? 

This isn’t as straightforward as you might think. 

The GI Bill is much more transportable than Chapter 31 benefits. If it is a qualified institution of higher education, and you have your certificate of eligibility (COE) than it’s almost (sorry I have to caveat a lot in this article) guaranteed that your GI Bill will cover the costs, up to your level of eligible benefits. 

Voc rehab is a little more constrained, for sensible reasons. 

The GI Bill is an entitlement that you earned for your service. It’s meant to be “yours” that you can use to get the education you want for whatever it is you want to do in the next chapter of your life. 

Voc rehab, on the other hand, is a program that recognizes that you may have gotten a bit broken or beaten up, mentally and/or physically, while in the military and because of that your career options are constrained. As opposed to the GI Bill, which is bestowed on you, voc rehab is an assistance program, and so has different constraints. 

Your desired school may not be eligible for the desired benefits. Or the level of benefits provided will not be equivalent to your GI Bill. The VA’s website even says that in most cases, the subsistence rate for the GI Bill is higher.

And before you ask, you cannot use your GI Bill and voc rehab benefits at the same time. You can, however, use both for the same degree. For example, if you are pursuing a two-year MBA, you may decide to use Chapter 31 Benefits for your first year, and then Chapter 33 (GI BIll) benefits for your second year. 

The best advice I can give you is (if you are eligible) to first apply for Chapter 31 benefits. It is better to have those benefits and your GI Bill to decide which is best, than just one of the two options. You may want to pursue a second graduate degree or some other form of education and so having both options could work well in your favor. Assuming you receive the benefit, talk to the VA and your school to determine what your best option is for employing these resources. 

If you think you are eligible for voc rehab, just go ahead and apply for it. Go through the process and give yourself the option of using this resource before deciding against it. You may go through and find out that using the GI Bill is still better for you, but better to have the option than to take yourself out for no reason. 

Disclaimer: I am not a VA official or counselor, and other than being a veteran enrolled in VA programs, have no affiliation with them. This is not meant to be an official guide to any programs at the VA. For definitive information- please refer to their website.