WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs has approved applications for all 45,000 slots available in fiscal year 2012 for Veterans Retraining Assistance Program and is in the process of approving applications.

VRAP is a new training and education program for unemployed veterans who want to upgrade their skills for highdemand jobs. The goal of VRAP is to train a total of 99,000 veterans over the next two years in more than 200 job skills that the Department of Labor has determined are the most sought-after by employers.

The joint VA/DOL program is a provision of the Veterans Opportunity to Work to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, which Congress passed and President Obama signed into law in November 2011. The program allows qualifying veterans to receive up to 12 months of education assistance equal to the current full-time Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty rate of $1,473 per month.

Veterans approved for VRAP are encouraged to enroll as soon as possible and begin training full-time in a VA-approved program of study at their local community college or technical school. The program of study must lead to an associate degree, a non-college degree, or a certificate for a high-demand occupation as defined by DOL.

Potential applicants can visit www.benefits.va.gov/ VOW, or call VA toll-free at 1- 800-827-1000.