Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) is designed to help veterans with a service-connected disability that creates an employment handicap find a suitable, sustainable career path, not just any job. When you are rated 100% and have significant functional limitations, the goal of the program shifts toward finding work that fits within those limitations rather than working around them.
During your next meeting, your counselor will use vocational testing (interest inventories, aptitude testing, sometimes a functional capacity evaluation) to help identify fields that match both your skills and your physical or cognitive restrictions. This process feeds into an Individualized Written Rehabilitation Plan (IWRP), which is the formal document laying out your chosen goal, the school or training program, and the services VA will fund.
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 →VR&E is not limited to a four-year degree. Depending on your evaluation, you may pursue a certificate program, an associate degree, on-the-job training, apprenticeship, self-employment track, or even independent living services if competitive employment isn't currently feasible. The five basic tracks are: reemployment with a previous employer, rapid access to employment, self-employment, employment through long-term services (degree or training program), and independent living services for veterans not yet ready for employment goals.
When choosing a direction, it helps to think about the physical and cognitive demands of the work realistically. Fields like data analysis, accounting, counseling, technical writing, IT/cybersecurity, project management, or various remote-capable roles are commonly chosen by veterans with significant physical restrictions, but the right fit depends entirely on your specific limitations and interests, not on what worked for someone else. What worked for another veteran with a different disability profile may not translate directly to your situation.
Be candid with your counselor about which activities cause flare-ups, fatigue, or pain, and about any cognitive or mental health symptoms that affect concentration or stress tolerance. That information directly shapes what the counselor recommends and protects you from being steered into a program you can't sustain. If your first choice doesn't work out once training starts, VR&E plans can be amended, so the initial decision does not have to be permanent.
Before your next appointment, request or review your vocational assessment results and make a short list of fields that interest you along with any activities you know you cannot tolerate, so the conversation with your counselor is focused and productive.
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