Miller: "I Encourage All Unemployed Veterans to Apply"
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, issued the following statement on the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program:
"Starting today, unemployed veterans can apply to learn a new skill or trade through the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP). VRAP was the cornerstone of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011.
"Veterans over the age of 35 comprise more than two-thirds of all unemployed veterans. Too many unemployed veterans, who did not expect to have to begin a second career at this stage of their life, are now faced with the need for new skills to compete in this struggling economy. VRAP will provide nearly 100,000 unemployed veterans the ability to use the Montgomery GI Bill for one-year to train for a new career in industries such as technology and manufacturing. I encourage all unemployed veterans, ages 35-60, to apply today.
"I also hope that every outlet will help get the word out to unemployed veterans about VRAP, including the White House. This is a bipartisan effort, and if the President is serious about reducing veteran unemployment, I hope he will use his bully pulpit to tout this opportunity as a long-term solution to help America's veterans find meaningful employment and financial stability."
To apply for VRAP and learn more about eligibility, please click here.
Secretary Shinseki (Department of Veterans Affairs) and Secretary Solis (Department of Labor) are expected to testify before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on the implementation of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act on May 31 at 10:15 a.m. in Room 334 of the Cannon House Office Building.
Here are the basic eligibility requirements for the VRAP program from: http://benefits.va.gov/vow/education.htm
Congress passed, and the President has signed into law, the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011. Included in this new law is the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP). VRAP offers up to 12 months of training assistance to unemployed Veterans. The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and the Department of Labor (DOL) are working together to roll out this new program on July 1, 2012.
The VRAP offers 12 months of training assistance to Veterans who:
- Are at least 35 but no more than 60 years old
- Are unemployed
- Received an other than dishonorable discharge
- Are not be eligible for any other VA education benefit program (e.g.: the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Assistance)
- Are not in receipt of VA compensation due to unemployability
- Are not enrolled in a federal or state job training program
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Sean P Eagan
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Former Chairman American Cold War Veterans
What a piece of crap this program is. They throw scraps like they are trying to help long term unemployed veterans. the fact of the matter is this bill is being run by a bunch of pencil pushers that have no intention of anyone even using the benefits. And they have veterans fighting each other as if this bill is a real benefit. You do not believe me? Consider these contradictions in the bill. I have less less then one year in schooling left to obtain a BS to either teach or Nursing. I could use those benefits to finish school yet it will not pay out and I do not qualify. Yet if I go take acting or singing classes the VRAP pays out. I have been given advanced standing at a Paramedic school but they told me to enter I must get my EMT and that way I can skip their 1 year EMT program which is worthless to get a job. But if I get my EMT certification I am allowed into their one year certified Paramedic program which would be easy to find employment with this certification. But DOL says if I use the program to do a 3 week online certification they will not pay any more and will not allow me to use the other 11 months I have left to get the Paramedic certification. What a bunch of jokers these DOL pencil pushers are. And what a piece of crap legislation Obama put his name on. You know I have called in about 35 times, each time on hold and each time a counselor gives me different answers. I always thought they were incompetent, didn't get teh correct information. I now understand why they did not get the info out. The program is so bad there is actually no intention of helping veterans. It is a political program that picks and chooses who they are going to help just like the Equal Opportunity Program that is only equal opportunity for those that are in the right groups. If someone wants to be an actor, a singer or dancer the program pays out but if you have only a few courses to become a certified RN or Teacher of middle school the program doesn't pay out because that is a four year degree, that is a Bachelor degree. So what if your a certified teacher or certified RN, these do not count. But a certified two year RN but not a 4 year RN will qualify. What planet does these goofballs come from? Do the have any reality when they write this legislation? I assure you their intention is not to help veterans but to pat themselves on their own backs on this one.
ReplyDeleteRobert Lindgren---a 52 year old cold war veteran in Minnesota.
Rob if it helps somebody hope they need one year of course work or less. It seems very limited one year in reality is not going to change ones job prospects a great deal especially if the economy and job market they go into is flatlined.
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