VRAP Can Continue Education After Program Funding Ends

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Some Veteran Retraining Assistance Program Enrollees Can Continue their Education after Program Funding Ends

Veterans enrolled in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) Veteran Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) when the department’s statutory authority to pay ends March 31, 2014, will be able to complete their current term of instruction between now and June 30, 2014. To ensure the education of veterans still enrolled in the program in March 2014 continues uninterrupted, USDVA will compute and distribute lump sum benefits payments.

The USDVA has already begun to compute those lump sum payments. For example, if a veteran is currently enrolled with a term/enrollment completion of May 10, 2014, that individual would receive a lump sum payment for the month of April, plus 10 days in May. If a veteran’s term ends on July 15, 2014, that individual would get a lump sum payment for April, May and June, but not for the 15 days in July. Lump sum payments will not be made for enrollment periods that begin after March 31 and do not provide anyone more than the original program’s 12 months of benefits.

The VRAP was established by the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 and began July 1, 2012. So far, the program has provided more than $740 million in retraining assistance for more than 75,000 unemployed veterans between the ages of 35 and 60 years.

School Certifying Officials must submit all VRAP enrollment certifications to USDVA on or before March 17, 2014, and must continue to review enrollments and report changes to USDVA for training pursued after March 31, 2014 through the end of the current enrollment period.

VRAP participants must verify attendance on or after March 31, 2014, for training pursued in March to receive payment. Attendance may be verified via USDVA’s Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) at https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/index.do or via the toll free Interactive Voice Response telephone line at
877-823-2378. Participants should report any changes in enrollment that occur on or after April 1, 2014, to their school certifying official and to USDVA at 1-888-GI Bill-1 (1-888-442-4551). A reduction in training or withdrawal may result in an overpayment.

New information about VRAP will be posted online at: www.benefits.va.gov/VOW/education.asp