VA Voc Rehab

VA Voc Rehab published a new set updates for its policy manual called the M28R that spells out the program’s procedures (well, kind of).

The good news is the agency does have it on its WARMS website. The bad news is it’s impossible to search as it is on the agency’s website… That is until I got my hands on it.

For my readers, I took the time to turn the whole document into a HUGE searchable PDF for you to download, free! If you follow the link, you can access it from our membership site once you login or set up a free registration.

[CLICK HERE TO BEGIN UPDATED M28R DOWNLOAD]

Our most recent update is from 4/6/2019.

The VA WARMS Website

Here is a look at the VA Voc Rehab – hot garbage – version of the M28R in case you want to see it for yourself:

https://www.benefits.va.gov/WARMS/M28R.asp

Be sure to check there often as we make no guarantees that the version for download here contains the most current versions as VA updates these all the time.

Go figure, right?

Despite the agency’s $220 billion annual budget, and they still post resources like the M28R in a way that makes them impossible to search without spending days digging or hundreds of dollars in software.

Why M28R Matters For Your Claim

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Veterans Affairs M28R is the guide all Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors must use when making decisions.

In fact, they are not allowed to make a decision that runs contrary to it.

Instead, Voc Rehab Counselors are not focused on counseling as much as adjudicating benefits.

Generally, the M28R is almost impossible to search because VA turned it into literally more than 100 different downloadable PDF’s and Word docs.

In total, the document is over 1,400 pages.

When the VA uses the M28R to deny a veteran, the veteran would need to download numerous files to fact check VA for a period of many hours.

To throw a monkey wrench in their game, I decided to use a scraping software program to pull down the manual and then put it back together using Acrobat so it is searchable.

You’re welcome 🙂

I try to update it as frequently as the agency posts updates.

Now, this huge manual is great for VA insiders with tons of training, but I will say that most VR&E counselors still have an inadequate grasp of the manual much less the regulations and statutes governing it.

Check Out VR&E Guide

After downloading it, if you feel you want a really easy to read guide to help you get your Voc Rehab benefits or to appeal for those benefits, check out the guide I wrote, Voc Rehab Survival Guide for Veterans.

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Be sure to check VA’s WARMS page for more recent updates that may impact your claim or appeal.