PARKERSBURG - Unemployed veterans will benefit from a new federal program known as the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program, or VRAP.
National College will hold an information session on the program at the Parkersburg Campus at 10:30 a.m. June 19.
Eligible veterans can receive up to $17,676-$1,473 a month for 12 months of training in more than 200 high-demand career fields.
When combined with the college's Blue Ribbon Grant, veterans could have little to no costs to earn a degree or diploma at National College. The Blue Ribbon Grant will award up to $10,000 in additional financial support to qualified current and former military, Guard/Reserve, and related individuals (spouses and children) interested in pursuing a higher education. This grant may be used with existing military education benefits.
To qualify, applicants must be unemployed veterans between the ages of 35 and 60 and must be enrolled after July 1, 2012, in a higher education program approved for VA benefits that will lead to an associate degree, diploma, or certificate.
The VRAP is limited to 45,000 participants nationwide from July 1, 2012, through Sept. 30, 2012, and to 54,000 participants from Oct. 1, 2012, through March 31, 2013. According to the VA, outreach for the VRAP has garnered over 12,000 applicants since May 1.
