These are the 2020-2021 Veteran Readiness and Employment subsistence rates. Veterans participating in the VR&E program may receive a monthly subsistence allowance while pursuing an educational or training program in preparation for a future career. The VR&E subsistence allowance rate is based on the rate of attendance (full time, 3/4 time, or 1/2 time), number of dependent and the type of training.
Servicemembers and Veterans with service-connected disabilities may be eligible for the VR & E program.
Since the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pays subsistence allowance for training that has been completed in the previous month, the first payment at these rates is reflected in the November 1, 2020 payment/disbursement.
In 2021, the Department of Veterans Affairs modified the 48-Month Rule which previously required VR&E benefit use to be deducted from the total 48 months of GI Bill benefits available to the veteran. Now, veterans who choose to use VR&E benefits first, ahead of any GI Bill use, will not have VR&E deducted from those 48 months. Learn more about these changes before you apply for either benefit.
| Post-9/11 Chapter 31 Subsistence Allowance Rates – Effective October 1, 2020 (based upon 1.30% Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase) |
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| Type Training | Training Time | No Dependents | One Dep. | Two Dep. | Each Additional Dependent |
| Institutional; Nonpay or nominal pay work experience in a facility of a Federal, State, local, or federally recognized Indian tribe agency; Improvement of Rehabilitation Potential: | Full-Time | $653.96 | $811.18 | $955.92 | $69.66 |
| ¾ Time | $491.38 | $609.27 | $714.69 | $53.59 | |
| ½ Time | $328.78 | $407.36 | $478.83 | $35.74 | |
| ¼ Time1 | $164.37 | $203.71 | $239.42 | $17.83 | |
| Nonpay or nominal pay on-job training in a facility of a Federal, State, local, or federally recognized Indian tribe agency; Training in the home; Vocational course in a rehabilitation facility or sheltered workshop; Independent instructor: | Full-Time Only | $653.96 | $811.18 | $955.92 | $69.66 |
| Farm Cooperative, Apprenticeship or other On-Job Training2: | Full-Time Only | $571.77 | $691.45 | $796.88 | $51.82 |
| Combination of Institutional and On-Job Training (Institutional Greater than One Half); Non-farm Cooperative Institutional Training and Non- farm Cooperative On-Job Training (FT Non-Farm Coop/Institutional): |
Full-Time Only | $653.96 | $811.18 | $955.92 | $69.66 |
| Combination of Institutional and On-Job Training (On-the-Job Greater than ½); Non-farm Cooperative Institutional Training and Non-farm Cooperative On- Job Training (FT Non-Farm Coop/On-the-Job): | Full-Time Only | $571.77 | $691.45 | $796.88 | $51.82 |
- The quarter-time rate may be paid only during extended evaluation.
- For On-Job Training, training wage plus subsistence allowance cannot exceed the journeyman wage.
- This maximum rate was calculated based upon full-time enrollment for a Veteran with the following dependents: spouse, mother, father and 25 children.
Veterans who qualify for the Post-9/11 or Forever GI Bill may be eligible to receive the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rate for subsistence.
Annual increases are based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
VR&E subsistence allowance will automatically adjust with the new COLA rate within VA’s electronic subsistence allowance system effective October 1, 2020. If you are pursuing an educational or training program, you will receive an increase in your subsistence allowance rate. Since the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pays subsistence allowance for training that has been completed in the previous month, the first payment at these rates will be reflected in the November 1, 2020 subsistence allowance payment/disbursement.
