Message from the Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity on Veteran Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP)

In an effort to reduce Veteran unemployment, the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011  was passed and signed into law last November.  Included in this new law is the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) for unemployed 35 to 60 year old Veterans, which will begin on July 1, 2012 - we will begin accepting applications on May 15, 2012 .  Because of your commitment to our nation's Veterans, we are seeking your assistance in getting the word out to our Veteran population about this new program.

VA has begun a pilot email campaign to raise awareness about the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP). This program is jointly administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Labor (DOL). We would like your cooperation in helping us promote this program for unemployed Veterans.  Please feature a hyperlink on your organization's website and link it to http://gibill.va.gov/benefits/other_programs/vrap_email_signup.html . An individual will be prompted to provide us his or her first name, last name, and email address. Once submitted that person can expect to receive six to seven emails about VRAP, including notification on when applications open. Please forward this to anyone who might wish to help us promote VRAP on their website. Help us make this go viral.

VRAP offers 12 months of training assistance to 99,000 unemployed Veterans who are at least 35 years old but no older than 60. Eligible participants will receive up to 12 months of training assistance at the full-time payment rate under the Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty program (currently $1,473 per month). DOL will offer employment assistance to every Veteran who participates or applies to the VRAP program. You can learn more about VRAP here .

If you have any technical problems with the link or the image please email us at 225D.VBACO@VA.GOV for support.  

Detailed information on VOW and VRAP is also available at www.benefits.va.gov/VOW .

I would like to thank you in advance for helping to get the word out concerning VOW and the ongoing support you provide for our Veterans.

Curtis L. Coy
Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity