Elizabethtown Community and Technical College and the Department of Veteran Affairs are working together to make military veterans aware of new job training benefits available to them.
Last November Congress passed the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, which includes the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) for unemployed veterans age 35-60. Scheduled to start July 1, VRAP offers training assistance in high-demand occupations to 99,000 unemployed veterans over two years—45,000 from July 1-Sept. 30, and 54,000 next year.
Applications are now being accepted. Available slots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. To complete the application, veterans will need to know their bank routing number and account number, the name and location of their chosen school, the program they wish to pursue and the applicable high demand occupation. A list of high demand occupations can be found at the VRAP website listed below. Many programs offered at ECTC will qualify for this benefit.
Eligible participants will receive up to 12 months of training assistance at the full-time payment rate under the Montgomery GI Bill–Active Duty program (currently $1,473 per month). The U.S. Department of Labor will offer employment assistance to all veterans who participate or apply to VRAP.
For more information, contact Ed Harris or Tabitha Kerr in the ECTC Veterans Affairs Office at 270-706-8815. Or go to www.gibill.va.gov/VRAP to learn more and read FAQ about VRAP.