Veterans Stop Procrastinating: File Your Claim For Vocational Rehabilitation With The VA

OK so you're out of the service, back home and everything is right with the world. Or is it? After a month or so, you're sitting around at home and you realize - you really need to get back to work and make some money- duh. Your significant others are kind enough to remind you of this and your disability severance pay is already running through your budget like water. Now what? Where are all the jobs that were supposed to be there? Where do you start?

One place to begin is the local employment service office. But the jobs there are often low paying and demeaning with a high turnover. Who wants to be an unskilled laborer 40+ hours a week, with no benefits - and work for someone who's never been anywhere or done anything and treats you like a moron? And, forget about medical services for your children or a visit to the dentist. After the work week is done you spend the weekend in pain, nursing your painful back and tend to drink too much as a result.

Alright , so maybe the answer is to find another career - like you were trying to build in the military, until you hurt your back and they forced you out.

A career is much better than a job, since you will obtain job skills that are in demand in the civilian job market, you will generally earn much better income and will very often receive some RESPECT along the way! Another important difference is that you will be using some of your unique strengths and talents again and going to work Monday morning will not be such a dismal experience.

You begin to realize that the ideas and plans you made in the service are not realistic and the job market is nowhere as good as you had hoped. You also begin to understand the handicapping affects of your service-connected disability. Many civilian employers are not enthusiastic about hiring you for any type of physically demanding job, as soon as they see that you were separated from the military, because of fitness for duty standards.

This may be an excellent time to apply for vocational rehabilitation benefits through the VA. You will generally need to have a service-connected disability rating of 20%, or higher from the VA, to qualify for an assessment and determination of eligibility. You can also apply while on active duty, awaiting a separation for disability, or shortly after discharge, by providing medical documentation from the military and requesting a "Memorandum Rating". In this case the VA Rating Specialist does a quick review of your Service Medical Record and makes an unofficial determination that you probably qualify for a 20% or higher rating. This decision in turn, allows the Vocational Rehabilitation Division to work with you, as if you already had your permanent rating. You need to file an application online, or by filling out and submitting VA Form 28-1900. Call toll free 1-800-827-1000, or download online from www.va.gov/vaforms/.

The VA Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor will make a determination that your service-connected disability creates an "employment handicap" for you (or not -you can always appeal, if necessary). This in turn basically means you are prevented from "obtaining or maintaining" suitable employment because of your service-connected disability. What is suitable employment for you? Good question! Basically, it is substantial (skilled) employment which is consistent with your "demonstrated" interests, aptitudes and abilities and for which there is a job market. The VA will evaluate interests, aptitudes and abilities through your military training and employment; through your civilian education and employment history; and through standardized testing.

It may be that you have done a great deal of soul searching and know exactly what you'd like to go into, or get training for. Or it may be that you haven't got a clue - either way, you can get assistance towards defining a new career goal, as well as possible funding for further education, or career training. The VA is also able to provide direct employment assistance if it is felt you already have marketable job skills, but you have a need for some direct assistance ( ie. resume, etc).

Finally, you need to be realistic with yourself, as well as the VA and employers! Don't ask for training to be a carpenter, for example, if you have a back disability. Whatever career goal you establish, has to be reasonable in terms of your health challenges, your capabilities and the civilian job market. Remember, you really only want to be going through vocational rehabilitation once - then it's on to bigger and better things!

Gregory Marlett g_marlett@hotmail.com I welcome emails related to this article. For more information, visit http://vetadvo.blogspot.com

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