Washington, D.C. - Congressman Charles B. Rangel commended the endeavors of the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in their partnership to structure a new federal program to re-train veterans for high-demand jobs in the economy. The Veterans Retraining Assistance Program aims to cover education costs for 99,000 veterans seeking career training.

"Career transition assistance for our nation's defenders is a welcome relief at a time of high unemployment," said Rangel. "This program is an important development in making sure those who have served our nation are able to successfully transition into meaningful civilian employment. As a veteran, I can say that the unmatched discipline produced by our military will surely bring businesses to new levels of success."

Qualifying veterans can receive up to 12 months of assistance equal to the full-time GI Bill active rate ($1,473 a month). After completion of the job training portion of the program, the Department of Labor will contact participating veterans within 30 days to help in an active search for jobs.

"I applaud the joint efforts of VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki and Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis in giving back to those who have already made so many sacrifices to serve our country," added Rangel. "This beacon of interagency cooperation is exactly the type of effective governance our country needs at this crucial juncture. This program is a symbol of Americans' ability to work together to provide compensation to the soldiers who have truly earned it."

Applications for the program are open to qualifying veterans as of May 15, 2012. Information about eligibility requirements and the application procedure can be found at www.benefits.va.gov/VOW.

Additionally, New Yorkers are encouraged to make use of our state's historically successful career transition assistance programs, which recently received an extra $10.3 million in federal funding. More information about New York State job training services can be found at www.jobs.ny.gov.