Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E), also called Chapter 31, sometimes provides a technology package—laptop, software, or other equipment—when it is determined necessary to support a veteran's rehabilitation or employment plan under 38 CFR 21.160 and related VR&E provisions. The specific equipment, model, and vendor are chosen by VR&E and its contracted suppliers, not by the individual veteran. This is because VR&E is purchasing on your behalf as part of an approved plan, and equipment procurement generally goes through VA-approved vendors and contracts rather than direct veteran purchases.
In practice, this means veterans usually do not have the option to simply buy their own computer and get reimbursed at will. The equipment is tied to a specific rehabilitation or employment goal identified in your Individualized Written Rehabilitation Plan (IWRP), and your VR&E counselor has to justify and approve the purchase based on what is needed to complete your training or find employment—not simply on personal preference for specs or price.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →That said, veterans do have some room to advocate within the process. If the provided equipment does not meet the technical requirements of your specific program of study (for example, a nursing, engineering, or IT program with defined minimum specs), you can document that mismatch and ask your VR&E counselor to formally review or upgrade the request. Any request for a different device, higher specifications, or a different vendor should go through your assigned VR&E counselor, referencing the specific coursework or job requirements it needs to meet, since general dissatisfaction with cost or value alone is unlikely to change the outcome.
Veterans who believe they were provided inadequate or inappropriate equipment, or who were overcharged relative to program needs, do not have a formal disability-claims appeal process for this issue since it is not a disability rating decision. Instead, the appropriate route is to raise it directly with your VR&E counselor or their supervisor, and if unresolved, with the VA Regional Office's VR&E division or the VA's patient advocate/ombudsman-equivalent channels for vocational rehabilitation concerns.
If your equipment does not meet your program's requirements, document the specific deficiency in writing and request a formal review from your VR&E counselor, citing the technical standards your coursework or employment goal requires.
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