Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Chapter 31)

You may qualify for these benefits if you:

• served after September 16, 1940.
• have a service-connected disability rated at least 20 percent disabling by the USDVA.
• need vocational rehabilitation to overcome an employment handicap.

Benefit guidelines

Benefits cover tuition, mandatory fees, books, supplies for a period of time determined by a VA counselor in the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program. If the authorized enrollment period is extended, the VA counselor will notify BCC. Payments are made directly into your BCC student account. You may also receive a monthly stipend.
Your benefit amount total will be added to your financial aid awards package as need-based aid. Chapter 31 benefits do not affect your eligibility for Federal Pell or New York State grants.

Application requirements

You must meet with a VA counselor to apply for Chapter 31 benefits (not the veterans services coordinator at BCC). Once the VA counselor determines your eligibility, he or she will send a payment authorization to the Veterans Services Office. Within two business days veterans Servies will set up billing information with the Student Accounts Office and the BCC Bookstore