More on the VA's work/study program

Colleagues and Fellow Veterans:

We have received many responses to last week’s note regarding VA’s Work Study Program, many centered around two questions, so we are providing the response below for all listserv subscribers.

·         Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) participants are not eligible to use VA’s Work Study program.  The VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, the law that created VRAP, did not provide a provision for Work Study.

·         To apply for Work Study, complete the VA Form 22-8691, and mail it to the VA Regional Processing Office that handles your education claim.  You can find the mailing address athttp://gibill.va.gov/contact/regional_offices/index.html.

In addition, as with every first Friday of the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has released its unemployment data.  As you can see from the table below….the National unemployment rate remained about the same, 7.6% and the overall Veteran unemployment went up slightly to 6.6%.  Attached is our 'cheat sheet' that provides most of the data at a glance on a page.

Cohort (% of total)	Rate	Change
National	7.6%	+0.1%
>27 Weeks
All Veterans (100%)	6.6%	0.4%
Male	6.7%	0.3%
Female	6.0%	1.3%
Post-9/11 Veterans (22%)	7.3%	-0.2%
Male	7.8%	0.2%
Female	4.9%	-2.3%
18-24 Veterans* (4%)	17.0%	-0.9%
Male	22.3%	-1.4%
Female**	-	-
25-34 Veterans (13%)	6.8%	-0.9%
Male	7.5%	-0.1%
Female	2.6%	-5.6%
35-44 Veterans (18%)	6.3%	0.2%
Male	4.9%	-1.5%
Female	11.7%	6.9%
45-54 Veterans (24%)	6.4%	1.3%
Male	6.9%	1.2%
Female	3.4%	2.4%
55+ Veterans (41%)	6.6%	0.5%

Note:  We apologize in advance if we are unable to respond directly to your questions.

Please Remember:

·         If you would like to review prior messages sent through this listserv, clickhttp://benefits.va.gov/vow/economic_opportunity.htm.

·         If you would like to research, find, access, and, in time, manage your VA benefits and personal information please visit and/or register at https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal.

·         If you are seeking employment in the federal government, particularly the VA, our VA for Vets high-tech tools, resources, and professional coaching services can help.  Visit online athttp://vaforvets.va.gov/Pages/default.aspx or contact a coach at 1-855-824-8387. 

V/R

Curtis L. Coy
Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity
Veterans Benefits Administration
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington, DC 20420