Eligibility

Who Can Get VR&E?

To get Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) benefits and services, both of these must be true:

• You did not get an other than honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable discharge, and
• You have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10% from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

If you were discharged with an other than honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable discharge when you left the military, you can try to qualify for VR&E and other VA benefits by asking for a VA Character of Discharge review or applying for a discharge upgrade..

How To Apply

As a Service Member

You can get VR&E services through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) if you are a service member and:

• Are waiting to be discharged because of a severe illness or injury that happened while on active duty, or
• Have a 20% or higher pre-discharge disability rating (called a memorandum rating) from the VA and are leaving the military soon.

Note: Severely injured active-duty service members can automatically get VR&E benefits before getting a VA disability rating.

As a Veteran

You can apply for VR&E benefits and services:

• Online at va.gov (the fastest way to apply), or
• By downloading and completing VA Form 28-1900 and submitting it
  • By mail to:
    Department of Veterans Affairs
    VR&E Intake Center
    P.O. Box 5210
    Janesville, WI
    53547-5210
  • At the VA's Phoenix Regional Office, or
  • With the help of a trained professional called an accredited representative.

If You Are Turned Down for VR&E Benefits

If the VA rejects your application for VR&E and you think they made a mistake, you have three options for requesting a Decision Review:

• File a Supplemental Claim if you have new and relevant evidence to submit. Learn more about supplemental claims.
• Ask For a Higher-Level Review if you want a new review of your case by someone at a higher level within the VA. (You can’t submit new evidence with a Higher-Level Review.) Learn more about Higher-Level Reviews.
• File a Board Appeal to ask the Board of Appeals in Washington, D.C. to have your case reviewed by a judge who is an expert in veterans law. Learn more about Board Appeals.

You can only use one of these options at a time, but if you aren’t happy with the results of the first option you choose, you may be able to try another option. The VA explains how to choose a decision review option.