Has anyone successfully used VA Vocational Rehabilitation?

I used my GI bill to get an associates degree in 95-97. When I decided to go back and get my bachelors degree in 07 my GI bill was expired. I applied for Voc Rehab with the assistance of a VA employment counselor at my local unemployment office. It was totally painless, at least it was up here in MN. Voc Rehab was awesome. They paid for tuition, books, cost of living check, everything. I never had to worry about paperwork. I just signed up for my classes and the school billed the VA. I would go to the book store to get all my stuff for classes, and all I had to do was tell the cashier I was on Voc Rehab and they billed the VA. The VA even bought me a laptop. After I graduated the VA assigned me to an employment counselor who was really helpful. Never had any problems.

For me, Voc Rehab was more than worth it. This info is a little old. But for what it's worth, I exited active duty with the Army in 1973 and decided to go back to college. I finished the undergrad degree on the GI Bill, and then applied for Voc Rehab. The VA paid for tuition, books, and living expenses, while I worked a regular job and went to school full time. I had a family with 3 small kids, and it would have been impossible for me to have finished Grad school without Voc Rehab. There were a few hassles with crossing t's and dotting i's, but it was definitely worth it. I was fairly clear with the end goal I had in mind and looked at Voc Rehab as one of the tools to get there. At the time, I worked thru a counselor at the college and didn't have that much interaction directly with the VA. But the program itself was pretty flawless, and it made a huge difference for me. I would say to keep pushing and stay focused on your end goal, and I wish you the best!

Good question. You can get up to 12 more months of education if you have used up your GI Bill and need some more work to get you to where you can work in a different field. You can get a cost-of-living stipend if you qualify for it, too. There are always "ifs, ands and buts" to any VA application, and each case must stand on its own merits.
Stay at it. This is not something you can simply "apply" for and be granted using the eBenefits website. There is a thorough evaluation process to go through. You can get the process started here:
https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/vre and put in the application if you have not done so already. Just this very minute, that particular web page is "down" for some reason. Here is the page where you can actually download the form: http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-526EZ-ARE.pdf
Instructions are included. This is an "all-purpose" form for VA, so it won't get you anything but an appointment, usually. It has to go to your VA Regional Office in Nashville. Here's their website: http://www.benefits.va.gov/Nashville/ Finally, check out some of Tennessee's veterans' benefits here: https://tn.gov/veteran/section/veteran-state-benefits
If you have any more problems in Memphis, give me an email ( [login to see] ). I was a VA Benefits Counselor at Ft. Bragg for some time, and am now on a different contract project. I know some of people at the VA in Tennessee and can most likely find you some help with this if problems persist.
Hope this helps! I'm here for you officially and as a "Battle Buddy."