Finding VR&E Regs In The M28C - Episode 44

[@FatherElectric]

Thank you for the empowerment. I have been very intimidated by the VR&E process. I now feel like I am ready to take the necessary steps needed to begin my career goals.

[@letstalkunderthetreepodcas2021]

Great information

[@i.parkinson7822]

Hey- I wanted to thank you for your channel. I fortunately had a wonderful VRE and was able to get entitled and enrolled in school all within about three weeks… my experience was opposite of all the horror stories, but I still went prepared to my interview with all your information. With that said, I also understand my situation is probably a little different than most. I’m retired AF and rated 100% w/ P/T and I was working as a structural welder. Everyday my body was wrecked and deteriorating quickly. My circumstance was easy to convey why my current profession was not suitable employment. It was literally killing me slowly, but nonetheless, I took your videos and information to heart. I showed up prepared and ready to plead my case. I want to thank you for that! Although, I probably had an easier justification than most- I still took this process seriously and came informed. I truly appreciate you and all you have given to us that need to change career paths. I literally was breaking down mentally and physically as a structural welder. I loved my job but my body, mind, and family couldn’t keep up any longer. Again - thank you!

[@iamnicthevet]

Congratulations 😀

[@scotthubbard8132]

You got lucky, Im 100% P/T retired Marine who was Law Enforcement and I was denied and escalating did nothing.

[@i.parkinson7822]

@@scotthubbard8132 That’s crazy. I guess I was lucky. I would think it would have been an easy justification for you as a cop. That job is tough on the body. I had a four year break in service between 2007-2011 and during that time I was a Tucson Police Officer. So I know the physical demands of that job. Your VRE should be reported because that’s BS.

[@scotthubbard9107]

@@i.parkinson7822 unfortunately it’s the LA RO and they could care less, reporting does nothing, they have a protect their own mentality

[@iamnicthevet]

@@scotthubbard8132 there are three variables in this process; the way you present your information, there's the way they respond and then there's the way you defend your entitlement. Communications can break down at any one of those three areas. But simply saying "escalations don't work" is completely subjective and defeatist. You have to do what you feel is best for you but if it were me, I would reapply, get educated and come back better prepared and get your entitlement.

[@biggdangelo6980]

I am currently on TDIU. My used VRE about 7 years ago. I graduated from my school but did not get my license to become a Certified Occupational Therapy assistant. I no longer wish to work in Occupational Therapy. My VRC wants me to pursue my OTA license instead of approving my request to switch to another career field. What can I do to convince my VRC to approve the Airplane Mechanic Engineer program I want to attend

[@iamnicthevet]

The goal of this program is for you to have suitable employment, and the only way they will approve a path different from the path they originally wanted you to pursue, is if you convince them that the path they want you to pursue will exacerbate your service-connected disability’s and the path you want to pursue will not. Only you know those variables, so only you can put that information together to communicate to the VRC.

[@biggdangelo6980]

@@iamnicthevet Thank you

[@angelyquep]

So my VRC is only recommending the rapid employment tract but I hate my current field, how would I go about getting long term services?

[@iamnicthevet]

They could care less whether or not you like your field. A Vet gets approved for long term services when the VRC is convinced that you cannot obtain any......ANY.....A.N.Y. suitable employment with the education and training you currently posses, therefore you require retraining in order to overcome your vocational impairment. I suggest you watch videos #7, #16, #25 and #37 to understand whether or not you meet the requirements.

[@angelyquep]

@@iamnicthevet I probably should have rephrased; my current field exacerbates my SCD, I've worked in different roles, but the field itself seems to be the issue. But I'll go back and rewatch the videos recommended thanks.

[@myyear1312]

Hi, did you ever do a video on self employment or know where to get information on it?

[@iamnicthevet]

click on videos and select #34,

[@shanedrayton9329]

Thanks for the new video Nic! Great content as always. I do have a question that i just cant seem to find the answer to. I want to do the self employment route, and im wondering how to BAH goes for that. Every month do i need to be engaged in some sort of schooling ot training to receive? Or if i have a month gap between this or that, does my BAH also start and stop? Example. I want to attend Dive Master/Instructor school. However i can not get certified as an instructor until there has been 6 months between my exam and first dive and i also need 100 dives. The whole training from start to finish is around 2 months. But i cannot test out for another 4 month plus get my dives in. Do i get paid durning that wait time, or must i have some sort of other training lined up? Thank you so much, Shane

[@iamnicthevet]

To answer your question as directly as possible, you only get paid when you're in class so if you have a two week break then you're not gonna get paid for that timeframe. And sticking in extra trainings during the breaks it's not gonna pan out financially because the way they calculate that type of pay is nuts when you're not just a straight college student. When you're going to trucking school or some type of vocational school that doesn't have semesters or quarters and you have weird brakes, the pay gets very complicated. If you're a straight college student it's easy, if you're full-time then you get the full BAH (if you have at least one day of G.I. Bill left), but if you're full-time and you only go for half a month (because the semester didn't start until August 15 for example), then you'll get the full-time pay but you only get half of it because you only went for half of the month. By the same token, if you are a halftime student in a regular college then you would get half of the BAH and if you only went for 15 days then you get half of the half (or a quarter). Now, if you're taking a class that does not fall under the traditional college structure, then it's harder to figure it out because they have to use a calculation to convert your vocational/trucking/whatever courses into what would be commensurate to college and then the aforementioned would apply. Yes it sounds very complicated, why? Because it's the federal government 🙂 That being said, what I would suggest is that you review the full breakdown in 38CFR 21.260 and then proceed to click on the measurement calculations so you can figure out if the time that you're spending in your class will even pay you subsistence allowance and how much you’ll get. You can also review the subsistence allowance guidelines as it relates to different types of courses/trainings etc at M28C.V.B.7

[@leonmurray156]

Hi Nic, I was entitled but my councilor says I only have 12 months because I used all my GI Bill. Have you heard that one before?

[@iamnicthevet]

Hi, Yes I have but she can give you more time if you have an SEH, check out video #8