Media Advisories

Today, Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, issued the following statement on the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program:

“Starting today, unemployed veterans can apply to learn a new skill or trade through the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP).  VRAP was the cornerstone of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011.

“Veterans over the age of 35 comprise more than two-thirds of all unemployed veterans. Too many unemployed veterans, who did not expect to have to begin a second career at this stage of their life, are now faced with the need for new skills to compete in this struggling economy. VRAP will provide nearly 100,000 unemployed veterans the ability to use the Montgomery GI Bill for one-year to train for a new career in industries such as technology and manufacturing. I encourage all unemployed veterans, ages 35-60, to apply today.

“I also hope that every outlet will help get the word out to unemployed veterans about VRAP, including the White House. This is a bipartisan effort, and if the President is serious about reducing veteran unemployment, I hope he will use his bully pulpit to tout this opportunity as a long-term solution to help America’s veterans find meaningful employment and financial stability.”

To apply for VRAP and learn more about eligibility, please click here.

Secretary Shinseki (Department of Veterans Affairs) and Secretary Solis (Department of Labor) are expected to testify before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on the implementation of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act on May 31 at 10:15 a.m. in Room 334 of the Cannon House Office Building.