2900-0009 Supportive Statement 8-29-25

SUPPORTING STATEMENT - PART A

Application for Veteran Readiness and Employment Benefits for Claimants with Service-Connected disabilities (Chapter 31, Title 38, U.S.C.) – 2900-0009

Summary of Changes from Previously Approved Collection

• On page one the instructions were amended to include plain language and information regarding re-applications.

• On page three the instructions for applying for Chapter 31 benefits have been updated to include the procedures for re-applying for Chapter 31 benefits.

• 1 comment received during the comment period.

1. Need for the Information Collection

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) through its Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) administers an integrated program of benefits and services, established by law, for Veterans, service personnel, and their dependents and/or beneficiaries. Title 38 U.S.C. 501(a) provides VA the authority to collect this information. VA Form (VAF) 28-1900, Application for Veteran Readiness and Employment Benefits for Claimants with Service-Connected Disabilities (Chapter 31, Title 38, U.S.C.) is necessary in the determination of eligibility for and entitlement to these benefits under 38 U.S.C. §3102 and 38 CFR §21.40.

2. Use of the Information

VA Form 28-1900 is used by Veterans and Service members with service-connected disabilities to apply for benefits and services under the Chapter 31 program. Without the information, eligibility and entitlement to benefits and services under Chapter 31 could not be determined. Veterans and Service members are able to access and complete the VA Form 28-1900 by using the VA Forms external website “Find a Form” and submit the completed and signed application one of the following ways: by mail, electronically via VA.gov, or in-person to a VA Regional Office, out-based location, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital, medical center, community-based outpatient clinic, or Vet Center. Veterans and Service members may apply directly online via VA.gov. Once the VAF 28-1900 application is received, a Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) staff member processes the application to verify eligibility. The Veteran or Service member receives a notification letter of Chapter 31 eligibility with a schedule initial evaluation appointment with a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) to determine entitlement. The end result for this collection is to determine eligibility for Chapter 31 benefits.

3. Use of Information Technology

VA Form 28-1900 is available on https://www.va.gov/find-forms/ website in a fillable electronic format. The form is also available to be completed and submitted via VA.gov.

4. Non-duplication

The information obtained through this collection is unique and is not already available for use or adaptation from another cleared source.

5. Burden on Small Businesses

This information collection does not impose a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small businesses or entities.

6. Less Frequent Collection

VA Form 28-1900 is used to gather the necessary information to determine eligibility to Chapter 31 benefits when an entitlement determination has not been previously rendered. Without the information collected on the VA Form 28-1900, eligibility to benefits under Chapter 31 is unable to be established and processed.

7. Paperwork Reduction Act Guidelines

This collection of information does not require collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the guidelines delineated in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).

8. Consultation and Public Comments

Part A: PUBLIC NOTICE

A 60-Day Federal Register Notice (FRN) for the collection published on Friday, June 27, 2025. The 60-Day FRN citation is 90 FRN 27758.

1 comment received during the 60-Day Comment Period.

Comment 1: Confirming the Readiness & Employment Benefits for Claimants with ServiceConnected Disabilities assistance needed for the ability to send a simple email. I can no longer send emails from my Outlook due to unknown issues of someone else’s control of my account. Please help us proceed with planned steps of this matter as soon as possible.

VBA Amended Response: August 27, 2025: Thank you for your comment. The Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program, also known as Chapter 31, is a VA program authorized under Title 38, U.S. Code, Chapter 31. It assists Veterans with Service-connected disabilities and an employment handicap to prepare for, obtain, and maintain suitable employment. The VA Form 28-1900, titled "Application for Veteran Readiness and Employment for Claimants with Service-Connected Disabilities," is the official form used by Veterans and Service members to apply for the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program, also known as Chapter 31. This form is an application used to initiate the process of determining eligibility to receive a comprehensive initial evaluation for VR&E benefits and services, which help Veterans with Serviceconnected disabilities prepare for, find, and maintain suitable employment, or achieve maximum independence in daily living if employment is not feasible. While we appreciate your comment, it is not within the scope of the intended use for VA Form 28-1900. To address issues preventing the sending of emails from Outlook, please contact your email service provider for further assistance. For any questions related to VA or the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program, please contact the VA at 1-800-827-1000 or reach out to VA online at Ask VA: https://ask.va.gov/

A 30-Day Federal Register Notice for the collection published on Friday, August 29, 2025. The 30-Day FRN citation is 90 FRN 42307.

Part B: CONSULTATION

No additional consultation apart from soliciting public comments through the Federal Register was conducted for this submission.

9. Gifts or Payment

No payments or gifts are being offered to respondents as an incentive to participate in the collection.

10. Confidentiality

The records are maintained in the appropriate Privacy Act System of Records identified as “Compensation, Pension, Education, and Veteran Readiness and Employment Records-VA (58VA21/22/28),” published at 74 FR 29275 on June 19, 2009, and last amended at 87 FR 8740 (February 16, 2022).

11. Sensitive Questions

No questions considered sensitive are being asked in this collection.

12. Respondent Burden and its Labor Costs

1. Number of Respondents: 133,399 per year

2. Number of Responses Per Respondent: one time

3. Annual burden hours are: 33,350 hours

4. The estimated completion time for this form is: 10 minutes

5. VA cannot make further assumptions about the population of respondents because of the variability of factors such as the educational background and wage potential of respondents. Therefore, VBA uses general wage data to estimate the respondents’ costs associated with completing the information collection.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) gathers information on full-time wage and salary workers. According to the latest available BLS data, the mean hourly wage is $31.48 based on the BLS wage code – “00-0000 All Occupations.” This information was taken from the following website: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm.

Legally, respondents may not pay a person or business for assistance in completing the information collection. Therefore, there are no expected overhead costs for completing the information collection. VBA estimates the total cost to all respondents to be $1,049,850.13 (33,349.75 burden hours x $31.48 per hour)

13. Respondent Costs Other Than Burden Hour Costs

There are no annualized costs to respondents other than the labor burden costs addressed in Section 12 of this document to complete this collection.

14. Cost to the Federal Government

Overhead costs are 100% of salary and are the same as the wage listed above and the amounts are included in the total.

Printing and production costs approximates the cost of printing this information collection per year. (Processing/Analyzing Cost total divided by $90).

Note: The hourly wage information above is based on the hourly 2025 General Schedule (Base) Pay (SALARY TABLE 2025-GS-RUS). This rate does not include any locality adjustment as applicable.

The processing time estimates above are based on the actual amount of time employees of each grade level spend to process to completion a claim received on this form. The within-grade step (3) of each employee represents the average experience of employees within each grade.

15. Reasons for Change in Burden

The burden has increased since the previous approval due to reading the instructions for applying for Chapter 31 benefits have been updated to include the procedures for re-applying for Chapter 31 benefits.

16. Publication of Results

The results of this information collection will not be published.

17. Non-Display of OMB Expiration Date

We are not seeking approval to omit the display of the expiration date of the OMB approval on the collection instrument.

18. Exceptions to “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Submissions”

We are not requesting any exemptions to the provisions stated in 5 CFR 1320.9.