VA VocRehab Interview tomorrow

Malinois1983

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Not sure if that's what you call it but I basically had my request for Chapt 31 Voc Rehab put in and they gave me the counselor to call and I will meet her Tuesday. How do you go into it being set on what you have for a plan while doing all their tests and all. I know what I want to do, I want to train service dogs and there are plenty that offer it that are certified or whatever by the VA. I visited a few schools since I had prior canine experience in the military. Also I talked with a few students who are going through the schools for using Voc Rehab and they say that it paid for some much more like all of the supplies that they needed I.E Dogs(expensive as hell), leashes, crates, collars, food, vet bills, etc. Just looking for some advice. Thank you guys
 
Not sure if that's what you call it but I basically had my request for Chapt 31 Voc Rehab put in and they gave me the counselor to call and I will meet her Tuesday. How do you go into it being set on what you have for a plan while doing all their tests and all. I know what I want to do, I want to train service dogs and there are plenty that offer it that are certified or whatever by the VA. I visited a few schools since I had prior canine experience in the military. Also I talked with a few students who are going through the schools for using Voc Rehab and they say that it paid for some much more like all of the supplies that they needed I.E Dogs(expensive as hell), leashes, crates, collars, food, vet bills, etc. Just looking for some advice. Thank you guys
When it comes to VOC Rehab, if the certification or degree will put you in the position to be gainfully employed then 9 times out of 10 voc rehab will support it
 
Malinois: good luck with your Voc Rehab interview! It sounds like you've done some soul searching and know what you want. But...be prepared. The counselor will have you do some interest surveys first to help you narrowing down the field you are interested in. Also...be prepared to justify WHY you can't work in the same career field you had before your service or during your service---how does your disability impact that? Only once you can justify why your disability doesn't allow you to do what the service trained you to do, or possibly why your military-specific skills don't translate to the civilian world, will the VA green light you for voc rehab.

My case was easy to explain to the Voc Rehab folks: my foot injuries don't allow prolonged standing, walking, etc., so working in a warehouse or out on the flightline again was a no-go. And, my other skill as a contingency war planner just didn't have a market in the civilian world. I'd already done my gut check and research on my own as to new career and specific school, but had to do the many career surveys and provide info on possible training venues to help justify why the VA should spend the dollars on sending me back to college for a new career. From start to getting final approval to enroll in school it took 3 months.

And yes, Voc Rehab does pay for books, supplies (printer paper, cartridges, etc), and other training specific items. If you need to take tests to get a license, it pays for that too. You also getting a stipend every month for subsistence/housing.

Good luck!!
 
Malinois: good luck with your Voc Rehab interview! It sounds like you've done some soul searching and know what you want. But...be prepared. The counselor will have you do some interest surveys first to help you narrowing down the field you are interested in. Also...be prepared to justify WHY you can't work in the same career field you had before your service or during your service---how does your disability impact that? Only once you can justify why your disability doesn't allow you to do what the service trained you to do, or possibly why your military-specific skills don't translate to the civilian world, will the VA green light you for voc rehab.

My case was easy to explain to the Voc Rehab folks: my foot injuries don't allow prolonged standing, walking, etc., so working in a warehouse or out on the flightline again was a no-go. And, my other skill as a contingency war planner just didn't have a market in the civilian world. I'd already done my gut check and research on my own as to new career and specific school, but had to do the many career surveys and provide info on possible training venues to help justify why the VA should spend the dollars on sending me back to college for a new career. From start to getting final approval to enroll in school it took 3 months.

And yes, Voc Rehab does pay for books, supplies (printer paper, cartridges, etc), and other training specific items. If you need to take tests to get a license, it pays for that too. You also getting a stipend every month for subsistence/housing.

Good luck!!

All great, and very true comments. Another big difference is for you to be approved for a "track" (that's what they call the career field), you have to choose a field with neutral, or positive growth. You will be expected to work out three tracks with the counselor and provide the labor statistics to back the track.

In my opinion, it is a very good approach. With the GI Bill, many use it to go to a school and attain the creditentials to do what they have always dreamed of, only to find out there are no jobs, or their disability will not allow them to do it full time. It's a shame, because at the point you finish school, all those dollars are gone, and you can never get them back. It dead ends a lot of people.
 
Thank you all. Of course it was cancelled and rescheduled for Tuesday. I will be prepared. Actually when I was in the military I was an MP, graduated also with a bachelors in Criminal Justice last summer. Obviously I wont be able to be a cop and really dont want to do anything with criminal justice anyway. In the military I trained and worked with military dogs. I obviously wont be able to do those types of dogs but pets and service dogs I will be fine with. The school that I am trying to go to has all the data for labor statics and the pet world in general. In the pet world it is a multi billion dollar industry. She's done it for the current Vets that are in the school using chapter 35. Additionally while I was going through rehab I really enjoyed the assistance dog stuff and that as well is growing fast. We shall see though and I appreciate all your help!


When it comes to VOC Rehab, if the certification or degree will put you in the position to be gainfully employed then 9 times out of 10 voc rehab will support it
All great, and very true comments. Another big difference is for you to be approved for a "track" (that's what they call the career field), you have to choose a field with neutral, or positive growth. You will be expected to work out three tracks with the counselor and provide the labor statistics to back the track.

In my opinion, it is a very good approach. With the GI Bill, many use it to go to a school and attain the creditentials to do what they have always dreamed of, only to find out there are no jobs, or their disability will not allow them to do it full time.
Malinois: good luck with your Voc Rehab interview! It sounds like you've done some soul searching and know what you want. But...be prepared. The counselor will have you do some interest surveys first to help you narrowing down the field you are interested in. Also...be prepared to justify WHY you can't work in the same career field you had before your service or during your service---how does your disability impact that? Only once you can justify why your disability doesn't allow you to do what the service trained you to do, or possibly why your military-specific skills don't translate to the civilian world, will the VA green light you for voc rehab.

My case was easy to explain to the Voc Rehab folks: my foot injuries don't allow prolonged standing, walking, etc., so working in a warehouse or out on the flightline again was a no-go. And, my other skill as a contingency war planner just didn't have a market in the civilian world. I'd already done my gut check and research on my own as to new career and specific school, but had to do the many career surveys and provide info on possible training venues to help justify why the VA should spend the dollars on sending me back to college for a new career. From start to getting final approval to enroll in school it took 3 months.

And yes, Voc Rehab does pay for books, supplies (printer paper, cartridges, etc), and other training specific items. If you need to take tests to get a license, it pays for that too. You also getting a stipend every month for subsistence/housing.

Good luck!!

It's a shame, because at the point you finish school, all those dollars are gone, and you can never get them back. It dead ends a lot of people.
 
Well I have turned in all the required documents they asked for on that checklist they gave me. All thats left is the testing which I have to do tomorrow. Sounds like they are going to let me do what I want but this is I guess mandatory....
 
Well I have turned in all the required documents they asked for on that checklist they gave me. All thats left is the testing which I have to do tomorrow. Sounds like they are going to let me do what I want but this is I guess mandatory....

Hmm, what was your final outcome?

Thus, I quite often comment that "possessing well-informed knowledge is truly a powerful equalizer."

Best Wishes!
 
Hmm, what was your final outcome?

Thus, I quite often comment that "possessing well-informed knowledge is truly a powerful equalizer."

Best Wishes!

Well I went and did the testing, and they are trying to transfer my case to st louis where the school is. However St. Louis is hesitant to accept because the School has had a high failure rate of Voc Rehab Vets but their Post 9/11 vets have had a really good success rate. Basically they are dragging their feet. I have my Post 9/11 eligibility document in hand in case I have to use it if they dont get it dont by the time my school starts JAN 8th. This is quite pathetic if you ask me. There is another student that is at the school now who passed using post 9/11 and was eligible for Voc Rehab but they denied his school choice. He is now trying to sue the VA because the Post 9/11 didnt cover things that voc rehab did.
 
Well I went and did the testing, and they are trying to transfer my case to st louis where the school is. However St. Louis is hesitant to accept because the School has had a high failure rate of Voc Rehab Vets but their Post 9/11 vets have had a really good success rate. Basically they are dragging their feet. I have my Post 9/11 eligibility document in hand in case I have to use it if they dont get it dont by the time my school starts JAN 8th. This is quite pathetic if you ask me. There is another student that is at the school now who passed using post 9/11 and was eligible for Voc Rehab but they denied his school choice. He is now trying to sue the VA because the Post 9/11 didnt cover things that voc rehab did.

Wow! Indeed, what more can I say at this point? Other than, appreciate the update! :confused:

Thus, I quite often comment that "possessing well-informed knowledge is truly a powerful equalizer."

Best Wishes!
 
I have my Voc Rehab interview tomorrow. Not sure what to expect since I'm not interested in going to school. I think I would do fine just working from home, but doing what is the BIG question.

How does the VA look at possible self employment? Starting a business from home? Just curious...I have a few ideas in my head but just not sure how to approach those ideas.
 
It may be possible. You can go over your plan with the counselor. There are SBA loans for disabled veterans to help launch home based businesses.
 
Voc Rehab did not take the hook. I need some type of business plan before they will talk to me about it.

Going to explore other options.
 
Voc Rehab did not take the hook. I need some type of business plan before they will talk to me about it.

Going to explore other options.

Correct, only way they can take you serious about being self-employed, SBA won't even consider without showing business plan

If you serious about being self-employed and want VOC rehab to assist then I think you should get a business plan together
 
Voc Rehab did not take the hook. I need some type of business plan before they will talk to me about it.

Going to explore other options.

Step 1- Go to Best Buy and pick up a plan of Business Plan Creator.
Step 2- Use the step by step process it has, and create a rough draft of the plan (your vision)
Step 3- Share the draft with family, friends, and anybody who will take a look.
Step 4- Incorporate changes to your draft based on feedback you received that you thought was viable.
Step 5- Make another appointment with Voc Rehab, and pitch your plan.

The best part about Voc Rehab in my opinion is the fact that they make the veteran a big part of the planning process. They make you walk the dog, whether it's education, employment, or self employment. They are going to support you 100%, but are going to make sure you are going to do something that is going to be viable for income into the future. No other program that I know of does this.

It's great if somebody always wanted to be a professional "game tester" or "bird watcher", and there are many educational institutes that will let you pursue that, including GI Bill. The question is, will you ever find a job doing that? Will it ever be enough to feed your family? Almost always, no. Those other programs will let you through away your benefit for nothing. Voc Rehab does not do that.

For example, I love working with metal, and fabricating things. I also love the off road industry. They have schools available that will teach all the ins and outs of both. I would love to go to school to do that, but would it ever really work when it comes down to it? Will it be more than a hobby? Will it feed me and my family? No! I have a very bad back. Can I really do a job that involves moving, manipulating, and welding heavy steel? No! The GI bill will let me follow that path as a hobby, but Voc Rehab is not going to put me into that because their program is about future, long term employment.

Think about all of this as you go forward. You need to ensure the choices you make are going to be choices that make sense.

Joe
 
Voc Rehab did not take the hook. I need some type of business plan before they will talk to me about it.

Going to explore other options.
Hey, there is a program than can help you out. It is called Boots to Business and it is sponsored by Syracuse University Institute for Veterans and Military Families.

http://boots2business.org

This program has an intensive two day introductory to Entrpenuership and then the possibility to be enrolled in an eight week online course.

I went through the program and it was entirely free of charge. There is a scholarship sponsorship for it.

It will not be considered as part of the Vocational Rehabilitation process, but you could most certainly do this concurrently with traditional schooling to get you feet in the door with voc rehab.

It is no secret that Voc Rehab has some great benefits to assist a servicemember or veteran financially and educationally.


If you ever need advice I can certainly help you put together a plan to maximize benefits.
 
I appreciate everyone's feedback. I will keep you posted as I move forward.

Thanks!
 
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