Vets Line Up for Retraining Assistance

Veteran unemployment has been a focus of our efforts lately. We held a job fair in Detroit that saw 1,300 (and counting) job offers go out to Veterans and we have with more fairs in the works. And two months ago, we introduced the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) to help Vets retrain in high demand fields.

In less than seven weeks, 27,080 unemployed Veterans have applied to VRAP. You qualify for the program if you are:

• At least 35 but no more than 60 years old
• Currently unemployed
• Have an other than dishonorable discharge
• Not eligible for any other VA education benefit program
• Not receiving VA compensation due to unemployability
• Not enrolled in a federal or state job-training program

The program is limited to 45,000 participants from July 1, 2012, through September 30, 2012, and 54,000 participants from October 1, 2012, through March 31, 2014. Participants may receive up to 12 months of assistance equal to the monthly full-time payment rate under the Montgomery GI Bill–Active Duty program (currently $1,473 per month). The Department of Labor will offer employment assistance to every Veteran who participates upon completion of the program.

If you meet the criteria above, apply soon.

Retraining for a high demand job can be a lifesaver for some. From the AP:

Dixon lost his job in 2007 and said things have been tough. Despite spotty part-time work in warehousing, finances have been strained and his wife has had to carry the burden of supporting them. A few weeks ago, she retired after 42 years in teaching.

A full-time job would make all the difference, he said.

“It will take some pressure off my wife,” Dixon added. “Right now I’m doing the minimum and I would like to do more.”

Check out more on VRAP here.

Where this page came from

This page was imported from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Published by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and, as a work of the United States government, in the public domain; material credited to others is left out.

Nobody has written it yet — it is the source material at a new address, which is why search engines are asked to skip it and why no one earns from it. It is up for grabs: take it on, and it is yours to rewrite and to earn from.