VA careers and employment assistance continued

By Larry Dandridge

This is the final article in a three-article series on “VA Careers and Employment Assistance.” In the first two articles, Veterans, Military Members, and their dependents learned to use the following publications and their local Veterans Service Officer (VSO), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Regional Office, or local Base Education Officer to help them understand their VA Employment/Career Benefits and how to apply for those benefits:

•  VA’s “Careers and Employment” webpage – https://bit.ly/43YEa5K.
•  VA “VR&E Support and Service Tracks “webpage – https://bit.ly/43PoOAa.
•  The Island News article dated October 6, 2021, titled, “What are Veterans and Military Service Member’s VR&E Benefits?” – https://bit.ly/43r9wAJ.
•  The “VA Benefits and Services Participant Guide” – https://bit.ly/3UgKBxz.
•  The US Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service “Find a Job” webpage – https://bit.ly/3xzCYcJ.
•  The USAJOBS “Find your federal government job” webpage – https://www.usajobs.gov.
•  The VA’s “Employment Resources for Veterans” webpage – https://bit.ly/3UtlZSj.
•  Find one of the nearly 2,400 American Job Centers to help search for jobs, find training, and answer employment-related questions – https://bit.ly/4aP0zVP.
•  Search for a job right now by job description and location with CareerOneStop’s Job Finder – https://bit.ly/3VU7AzS.
•  The SC WORKS website – https://scworks.org. There is an SC Works Center and Connection Point in all 46 SC counties. SC Works Centers across the state have staff, many of whom are veterans or service members themselves, who are specifically trained to assist military job seekers find civilian employment.
•  The Gateway to VA Careers VA for VETS webpage – https://www.vaforvets.va.gov.
•  The “VA Careers” webpage and career finder – https://vacareers.va.gov.
•  And 32 other VA, DOL, and other websites mentioned in the past two articles on VA Careers and Employment.

Veterans, military members, and their dependents should also download a copy of the VA’Benefits and Services PARTICIPANT GUIDE (Active Duty), version 6.0, dated January 2024, found at https://bit.ly/3UgKBxz and read MODULE 4, “Getting Career Ready.” This module begins on Page 92 and it covers:

•  Education and Training Resources, GI Bill, Post 9/11 Bill, Montogomery GI Bill Active Duty and Selected Reserve, On-Campus Support, and Additional VA Programs.
•  VR&E (Chapter 31), Career and Employment Resources, VA Career Opportunities, and much more.

Compare VA Education Benefits

Go to the “Compare VA Education Benefits” webpage – https://bit.ly/4dkGIiS – and compare VA education benefits for veterans, service members, and members of the National Guard and Reserve. Veterans, service members, and members of the National Guard and Reserve can check the eligibility requirements for each education program and find out how many months of benefits you can get and how much time you have to use those benefits.

The “Compare VA Education Benefits” webpage explains how the character of discharge affects eligibility, how to apply for a discharge upgrade, service requirements, how many months of benefits you can get, how much time you have to use benefits, how to obtain payment rates by school, how to contact the VA if you have questions and much more.

VetSuccess on Campus (VSOC)

VetSuccess on Campus (VSOC) supports veterans and service members who are transitioning from military to college life, and certain qualified dependents. The VA has vocational rehabilitation counselors, called VSOC counselors, at 104 college campuses across the country. Unfortunately, according to the VA “VR&E VetSuccess on Campus” webpage, found –  https://bit.ly/447MKPH – only the Midlands Technical College in Columbia has a VA Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and her name is Catina Booker (Catina.Booker@va.gov). The only Counselor in Georgia is located at Kennesaw State University north of Atlanta.

Download VA benefit letters

To receive some benefits, veterans need a letter proving their status. Access and download your VA Benefits Summary Letter (sometimes called a VA award letter) and other benefit letters online by following the instructions at https://bit.ly/44a5uhk. To download a letter, you need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. It’s free to download at https://get.adobe.com/reader/.

Right now, you can only download the VA letters you see listed when you sign in at  https://bit.ly/44a5uhk. Veterans should use the following links to get access to other common VA documents you may be eligible for:

•  Download your VA education letters at https://bit.ly/49QIuoW.
•  Read and print your Post-9/11 GI Bill statement of benefits at https://bit.ly/49OiVEP.
•  Request a Certificate of Eligibility for home loan benefits from the National Archives at https://bit.ly/3CkPxbr.
•  Request a copy of your discharge or separation papers (DD214) at https://bit.ly/41ydmaU and https://bit.ly/4b3r5KD.

Get free classes for a year from LinkedIn

Get one year of free access to LinkedIn Premium and LinkedIn Learning by following the instructions on the LinkedIn “Military and Veterans” webpage at https://bit.ly/4b1Ha3i. At this site, veterans get the tools to build their professional brand, manage their professional network, and gain the skills they will need to be successful in every stage of their careers. At this site, military spouses can discover ways to identify career opportunities and join a community of like-minded military spouse professionals. Employers can find the most qualified veteran candidates for their open jobs.

Resources for military and veteran family members

If you’re a military spouse or surviving spouse, find out if you’re eligible and how to apply for the Department of Defense’s Spouse Education Career Opportunities (SECO) program, and learn about other resources to help build your career or start a small business at the VA’s “Resources for Military and Veteran Family Members” webpage – https://bit.ly/3xInza2.

On this web page family members will find information on the Military Spouse eMentor Program, the Military Spouse Fellowship Program, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, the DOL Employment Workshops (DOLEW) Program, the Entrepreneurship Boot Camp Program, and Starting a Business on the SCORE website and the SBA website.

The bottom line

The VA can help you: Obtain the education, skills, and credentials you need to accomplish your goals. Build a career that fits your goals. Find the right job or career opportunity for you. Develop professional and community connections. Use the VA, your base Education Officer, and a Veterans Service Officer (VSO) to help you. This ends the series of three articles on VA Careers and Employment Assistance.

Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, ex-Warrant Officer Pilot, and retired Lt. Colonel. He is a past Veterans Service Officer, a Patient Adviser at the RHJ VA Hospital, the Fisher House Charleston Good Will Ambassador, and the VP for Veteran Affairs for the local Army Association Chapter. Larry is the author of the award-winning book Blades of Thunder and a contributing free-lance writer with the Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164.