Veteran's Vocational Rehabilitation Program

Vocational Rehabilitation and Veterans - Building A New Future

Veterans of all ages have placed their lives on the line for their country. For those veterans with service-related injuries that hinder their efforts to locate and hold jobs that pay well, the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) offers a vocational rehabilitation program known as Chapter 31.

• Rehabilitation evaluation to assess a person’s skills
• Counseling and rehabilitation planning
• Job finding skills such as resume help and interviewing
• Help finding and keeping a job, including the use of special employer incentives
• On-the-Job Training (OJT) and apprenticeships
• Post-secondary training at a college, vocational, technical or business school
• Case management, counseling and referral services

To take advantage of this Veteran's Disabled Benefits, the veteran must have:

• An honorable discharge
• A service-connected disability rating of at least 10%
• Completed an application for the program

The DVA then sets up appointments with vocational rehabilitation counselors to interview the veteran and determine whether they can receive services. The veteran’s disabilities will be looked at and assessed as to how they will impact the person’s skill-set.

Once the DVA understands the veteran’s situation, it will set up a rehabilitation plan that lays out a strategy for retraining the individual, if necessary, and prepare them to secure a new position.

For veterans who need career retraining, an online vocational school is one consideration that veterans and counselors can make. A veteran can enroll in an online program and train for a new career in a variety of occupations, such as real estate agent, medical biller or a pharmacy technician. Such a program makes learning easier for the veteran because it is 100% online and available 24/7.

A distance education solution such as this resolves problems that veterans might encounter, such as commuting to a campus, finding reliable transportation or securing a good babysitter for the children. With career training that is conducted 100% online, the veteran can retrain and prepare themselves for a new career at their convenience from anywhere in the world.

An online school, such as Allied, usually has student support representatives available for veterans who call with questions about their course, or who are experiencing any technical difficulties.

When selecting an online vocational rehabilitation school, veterans and counselors should ensure that the school is nationally accredited by an accrediting body such as the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). How long the school has been in business, and whether they accept state or federal vocational rehabilitation vouchers should also be noted. The school’s reputation with other veterans is also an important factor to consider.

Having an online school available that offers vocational rehabilitation courses, such as Allied, can help disabled veterans get back into the market with the tools they need for a new career.