As students head back to class, Benjamin Krause outlines how Veteran Readiness and Employment covers retraining, apprenticeships, tools and job placement.
WOODBURY, Minn., July 30th, 2026 — As fall terms begin, veterans law attorney Benjamin Krause is urging veterans with service-connected disabilities to reconsider Veteran Readiness and Employment, a Department of Veterans Affairs retraining program many mistake for a version of the GI Bill. Known as Chapter 31, VR&E covers tuition and fees, pays a monthly subsistence allowance, and funds apprenticeships, certifications, tools, assistive technology and job placement. Eligible veterans may receive up to 48 months of services, compared with 36 under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Certain veterans with Serious Employment Handicap may receive additional training beyond 48 months in select circumstances. “Veterans hear ‘education benefit’ and picture a classroom, so they never ask what else the program covers,” said Benjamin Krause, a VA-accredited attorney who used VR&E to fund his degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Minnesota Law School. “It can just as easily pay for a certification, an apprenticeship or equipment to start a business.” Krause’s reporting addresses misconceptions that keep veterans from applying:- Veterans rated 20% or higher may qualify with an employment handicap; those rated 10% need a serious employment handicap.
- Discharges on or after Jan. 1, 2013, carry no deadline. Earlier discharges may qualify for an extension of the 12-year window.
- Five service tracks cover reemployment, rapid job placement, self-employment, long-term training and independent living.
- A veteran denied services, or declared rehabilitated prematurely, may appeal.