Jobs and Career Help for Women Veterans

This guide is based on official sources listed below. It is general information, not legal or medical advice.

This guide is for women veterans and service members looking for job training, career counseling, help starting a business, or support returning to work.

It covers the main VA and SBA programs that can help you build a career, get skills, or grow a small business.

Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E)

VR&E can help you get job training, go to school, set up workplace supports, build a resume, and learn how to look for a job.

The Reemployment track helps a veteran with a service-connected disability go back to a former job and helps the employer meet the veteran's needs.

The Rapid Access to Employment track helps you search for a job or career that fits the skills you already have.

Who can get VR&E

To qualify, the VA requires a service-connected disability rating of at least 10%.

The VA requires that your discharge is not dishonorable.

The disability must get in the way of your ability to work.

If you were discharged before January 1, 2013, the basic eligibility period ends 12 years from the later of the date of your separation notice or the date of your first VA service-connected disability rating.

If you were discharged on or after January 1, 2013, there is no time limit on your eligibility.

Career counseling (Chapter 36)

VA Chapter 36, also called Personalized Career Planning and Guidance, offers free educational and career guidance, planning, and resources to eligible veterans and their dependents.

Services include career counseling to help you choose civilian or military jobs, educational counseling to find a training program or field of study, academic and adjustment counseling to work through barriers to success, and resume support and goal planning.

You may be eligible if you qualify for a VA education program, separated from active duty under conditions other than dishonorable within the past year, will be discharged under conditions other than dishonorable within six months, or are currently eligible for VA education benefits.

You can apply by mail by completing VA Form 27-8832 and sending it to your nearest VA regional office or to Personalized Career Planning and Guidance, Department of Veterans Affairs, PO Box 5210, Janesville, WI 53547-5210.

Starting and growing a business

The SBA Office of Veterans Business Development runs programs and services to help veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, military spouses, and family members start, grow, and expand small businesses.

It offers training, counseling, education, help getting funding, chances to bid on contracts, and disaster assistance.

Programs for women veterans include IVMF's Women Veterans Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship, known as V-WISE, and the Utah Veteran Business Resource Center's Startup Training Resources to Inspire Veteran Entrepreneurship, called STRIVE.

Other programs include Boots to Business Reboot, the Veteran Institute for Procurement, and ONABEN's Beyond the Boots initiative.

All businesses that work with VA must be registered through the SBA.

Where to get help

The Office of Veterans Business Development can be reached by phone at 202-205-6773.

You can also email the office at veteransbusiness@sba.gov.

The office is located at 409 3rd St. SW, Suite 5700, Washington, DC 20416.

More information about VetCert is available on the SBA website.

For the final word on your own eligibility or benefits, contact the VA or SBA directly and speak with a qualified professional.