CLEVELAND, OH — Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald to announce a new scholarship to help unemployed veterans retrain for new careers by attending Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C). The scholarship will supplement a federal program Brown helped create, the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP), that assists unemployed veterans between the ages of 35 to 60 in training for high-growth industries. The scholarship announced today will supplement the federal program by helping veterans better afford tuition, fees, books, and other expenses they may encounter on the road to earning a degree.

“Returning servicemen and women deserve resources and support to help them transition to civilian life and continue their education,” Brown said. “That is why I applaud Executive FitzGerald’s legislation and Tri-C’s initiative to offer this scholarship for veterans who proudly served their country but want to retrain to find a new career.”

VRAP is a jobs retraining initiative for unemployed veterans and a critical component of the VOW to Hire Heroes Law Brown originally co-sponsored that offers tax credits to employers who hire unemployed veterans. Specifically, VRAP offers up to 12 months of training assistance to unemployed veterans who:

  • Are at least 35 but no more than 60 years old;
  • Are unemployed;
  • Have an other than dishonorable discharge;
  • Are not eligible for any other Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefit program (e.g.: the Post 9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Assistance);
  • Are not enrolled in a federal or state job training program

The scholarship, a first of its kind offered only to Tri-C students, will use surplus money from the Veterans Services Commission (VSC) to help veterans get the training they need for new careers. FitzGerald created legislation that designated a veteran’s fund, where excess money from Cuyahoga County’s budget could be transferred and used specifically to help local veterans, instead of going back into the county’s general fund. 146 scholarships worth $500 each will be awarded to veterans who fit the below criteria:

  • A VRAP participant who is a current student or enrolled for next semester;
  • Must have already completed 12 credit hours at Tri-C;
  • The first 146 participants to apply and verify eligibility will be awarded the scholarships.

“All of us have a responsibility to make sure that our brave men and women in uniform can successfully reenter the workforce and compete for good-paying jobs in the 21st century economy,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s why my administration has worked closely with the Cuyahoga County Council to implement a Veterans Service Fund that ensures we provide veterans with the most effective services available. I applaud Senator Brown’s work as a leader on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and I look forward to continue working with him and fighting hard on behalf of all our veterans.”

Brown, a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, also called on Congress to reauthorize VRAP, which is set to expire early next year. Brown is now working to pass the Veterans Employment Opportunities Enhancement Act of 2013, which would reauthorize VRAP for an additional two years. It would also allow veterans to enroll in an eligible program at a four-year institution if such a program is not reasonably available at a community college or technical school.

“Just as Congress invests in our servicemembers while they’re on the battlefield, it should do the same when they return home,” Brown said. “The Veterans Retraining Assistance Program will help ensure that thousands of veterans can get retrained for new positions in high-demand jobs.”

For the fall 2013 semester at Tri-C, there are more than 1,000 veterans and more than 270 VRAP participants. Brown was joined today by a representative from the college. He was also joined by Everett Chambers, a local unemployed Marine veteran and VRAP participant who is attending class fulltime at Tri-C to retrain as an electrical engineering technician. Chambers explained the importance of programs like VRAP for veterans like him and intends to apply for the $500 scholarship. 

“As a veteran I would like to take this opportunity to thank the VRAP program for choosing me as a recipient,” Chambers said. “It has been very challenging for me as a veteran in such a tough economic time, to pursue my educational dreams of achieving a degree in Electronic Engineering. The VRAP program has made it possible for me to move forward in achieving my goals. By choosing me as a participant of the VRAP program my financial burdens have been lightened which allows me to focus more on the most important aspect of school, learning.”

Brown is the only Ohio Senator to serve a full term on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and is Co-Chair of the Senate Air Force Caucus. Last month, Brown announced that several key pieces of legislation he originally sponsored have passed the Committee. Elements of Brown’s State Veterans Home Homelessness Act and Veterans Services Outreach Act were incorporated into the Veterans Health Care Eligibility and Enhancement Act of 2013, which was passed by the Committee. The combined package also extends the enrollment time window for healthcare benefits for active duty, Reserve, and Guard servicemembers from five to 10 years following deployment.

 

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