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Senator
Sherrod Brown
Job
Opportunities for Ohio’s Veterans
Servicemembers
– already armed with the discipline and skills needed to strengthen the
21st
century economy – should not have to struggle to find a job when their
military
service ends. These heroes who fought for our country shouldn’t have to
fight
for work when they come home.
And yet,
unfortunately many do. As citizens, we have a responsibility to do
something
about the thousands of older veterans who are jobless or underemployed.
That’s why
the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) – a joint Department
of
Veterans Affairs and Department of Labor training initiative – is so
important.
Last year,
Congress passed the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, which honors our
government’s
obligation to our veterans. VRAP is a critical component of the law.
VRAP
provides unemployed veterans between the ages of 35 and 60 the
opportunity to
pursue training for new careers in high demand occupations.
While the
entire list of VRAP high-demand occupations can be found on the VA
website,
some include:
Welders,
chemical plant operators, painters
Law
enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical technicians
Construction,
electrical technicians, flight attendants
Paralegals,
legal secretaries, administrative support
Teachers
aides, library technicians, counselors
These
opportunities are wide-ranging. And in fact, as of July 12, more than
31,000
applications nationwide have been received for the VRAP program.
However, the
program is limited to 99,000 participants through March 31, 2014.
Because
applicants will be approved on a first come, first serve basis, we all
must do
everything we can to spread the word to eligible veterans in Ohio. This
is a
great opportunity that Ohio veterans deserve.
According
to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, in order to qualify for the
program, a veteran must:
Be at least
35 but no more than 60 years old
Be
unemployed
Have an
other than dishonorable discharge
Not be
eligible for any other VA education benefit program (e.g.: the
Post-9/11 GI
Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
Assistance)
Not be in
receipt of VA compensation
Not be
enrolled in a Federal or state job training program
And while
participants are required to be enrolled in a VA-approved education
program,
here in Ohio, we’re lucky to have 23 community and technical colleges
that have
already been approved.
Each of
these schools offers programs which lead to an Associate Degree,
Non-College
Degree, or a Certificate, and include training for a high-demand
occupation.
Veterans can enroll at each of these colleges using VRAP assistance.
We need to
spread the word about training programs, like VRAP, that will help
provide our
veterans with the necessary skills to find good paying jobs.
By raising
awareness of veterans’ jobs services and better coordinating the range
of
resources available to them, we can help improve job prospects for
America’s
heroes.
To find out
more about the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, please visit
http://www.benefits.va.gov/VOW/. If you’re ready to apply, VRAP
applications
are available here.
If you have
any other questions regarding veteran services, please contact my
office at
888-896-OHIO (6446) or visit www.brown.senate.gov for additional
information.
Sincerely,
Sherrod
Brown
U.S.
Senator
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