My GI Bill benefits are running out before I finish my degree — can I switch to VR&E (Chapter 31) to cover the rest?

The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides a maximum of 36 months of full-time entitlement, and once that is used up, it does not reset or renew, regardless of the reason a semester was difficult or had to be repeated. If you are rated 100 percent permanent and total (P&T), you generally meet the basic disability threshold to be eligible for Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E), also called Chapter 31, under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 31 and 38 CFR Part 21. VR&E is a separate benefit from the GI Bill, so remaining GI Bill months do not need to be exhausted first, and in many cases veterans use VR&E specifically because their GI Bill entitlement is running low or has ended. Eligibility for VR&E depends on the VA determining that you have a service-connected disability that creates an "employment handicap" and that a vocational rehabilitation plan would help you prepare for, obtain, or maintain suitable employment. A P&T rating does not automatically guarantee VR&E eligibility or approval of a specific degree plan — a VR&E counselor evaluates your case individually, including your current education, work history, and vocational goals, and helps design an Individualized Written Rehabilitation Plan (IWRP) that may include tuition, fees, books, supplies, and a subsistence allowance for approved training, including a bachelor's degree if it is found necessary to reach a suitable employment goal. You generally have a 12-year basic period of eligibility for VR&E starting from your date of separation or date of disability rating, though extensions can be granted in certain circumstances. To start the process, you apply using VA Form 28-1900, Disabled Veterans Application for Vocational Rehabilitation, which you can submit online through VA.gov or at a VA regional office, after which you are scheduled for an orientation and evaluation with a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC). It is also worth asking the VRC directly whether any remaining GI Bill months can be used alongside or before a VR&E plan, since coordination between the two benefits varies by case and is something the counselor determines. The concrete next step is to contact your nearest VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment office or apply through VA.gov to begin the Chapter 31 evaluation process before your current semester ends.