Veterans' Benefits: The Veteran Readiness and Employment Program (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised May 10, 2021 |
| Report Number |
RL34627 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Beverley A. Crane and Christine Scott, Domestic Social Policy Division; Carol D. Davis, Knowledge Services Group |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
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Summary:
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment for veterans (VR&
E) is an entitlement program that
provides job
training and other employment
-
related services to veterans with service
-
connected
disabilities. In cases where a disabled veteran is not able to work, the VR&E program provides
independent living (IL) services
to help the veteran achieve the highest possible quality of life.
The VR&E program is administered by the Veterans Benefit
s
Administration (VBA), part of the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
To be entitled to VR&E services, a veteran must have been di
scharged under conditions other
than dishonorable and be found to have either (1)
a
service
-
connected disability
rated at 20% or
more
and an employment handicap, or (2) a
service
-
connected disability
rated at 10%
and a
serious employment handicap. After a veteran is found to be entitled to VR&E, a
vocational
rehabilitation
counselor helps the veteran identify a suitable employment goal and determine what
services will be necessary to achieve that goal. The veteran
is then assigned to one of five
reemployment tracks:
Reemployment
for veterans who wish to return to work they held prior to their
military service;
Rapid Access to Employment
for veterans who already have the skills necessary
to compete in the job market
and only need short
-
term services such as job search
assistance;
Employment through Long
-
Term Services
for veterans who require postsecondary
or vocational training to reach their employment goals;
Self
-
employment
for veterans who have the skills to start
businesses; or
Independent Living
for veterans for whom employment is not a viable goal.
Veterans may change tracks if a disability worsens or if their employment objective changes.
Services may be provided by the VA, though they are more frequently purcha
sed from an outside
provider.
VR&E benefits are typically limited to 48 months, though the benefit period can be extended
under certain circumstances. In most cases, veterans are entitled to a subsistence allowance while
they are enrolled in an education o
r training program.
In FY2016
, app
roximately 29,34
0 veterans developed a new plan of ser
vice with VR&E and
11,531
veterans completed rehabilitation. In FY201
6
, costs for mandatory VR&E benefits were
approximately $
1.3
b
illion. Discretionary support service
s and other administrative costs were
approximately
$218
million
