My VR&E counselor won't respond or keeps canceling meetings — what should I do, and how does the PO process for books/supplies actually work?

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Chapter 31) is administered case-by-case by an assigned Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC), and communication problems like missed appointments, cancellations, or slow responses are a common frustration because counselor caseloads vary widely by region and office. If your counselor is unresponsive, you are not stuck waiting indefinitely — you have a few concrete options.

First, contact the VR&E office directly (not just the individual counselor) and ask for the case manager or supervisor over your file. Every regional VR&E office has a supervisor who can reassign your case or step in if a counselor is not responsive. You can also call the VA general benefits line or your VR&E office's front desk and ask for a status update or a new point of contact.

On the Purchase Order (PO) process itself: once you are found eligible and your rehabilitation plan is developed (this is documented on VA Form 28-1905, Authorization and Certification of Entrance or Reentrance into Rehabilitation), the counselor authorizes POs that cover tuition, fees, and required books and supplies for each term. Normally the counselor is supposed to walk you through how this works — including that you may need to request a supply/book stipend or a specific PO for the bookstore, and that timing can vary by school. Since your school already received the tuition PO, the main missing piece is usually a separate authorization for books and supplies, which your counselor or the VR&E office needs to issue before the term starts, or reimburse afterward if you paid out of pocket and submit receipts.

Keep records of every missed appointment, email, and voicemail — this documentation matters if you need to escalate to a supervisor or file a complaint about service. You can also loop in your school's VA certifying official (as you're already doing) since they interact with VR&E regularly and can sometimes get faster responses on the administrative side, though they cannot make eligibility or plan decisions for you.

The concrete next step is to call your VR&E regional office, ask specifically for a supervisor or case manager above your counselor, and request written confirmation of your book/supply authorization before your term begins.