VA Tweaks Forms to Help Vets Recover Lost Training Benefits
Published Date: 3/23/2026
Notice
Summary
Veterans and service members using the Chapter 31 program can now request to restore their benefits if their training facility closes or their course gets disapproved. The VA is updating the form and asking for public feedback by April 22, 2026. This helps make sure folks don’t lose out on their hard-earned support and can get back on track without extra hassle.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Restore Chapter 31 Benefits After Closure
If you are a Service member or Veteran in the Chapter 31 (Veteran Readiness and Employment) program, you can request restoration of your entitlement if your training facility closes or your training program/course is disapproved. The VA uses VA Form 28-10281 to decide restoration under 38 U.S.C. 3699(b)(1)(A).
Form Burden and Respondent Counts
The VA estimates 144,630 respondents will complete VA Form 28-10281, with an average burden of 10 minutes per response and a total annual burden of 24,105 hours. This is the paperwork time the VA expects from individuals requesting restoration.
Multiple Ways To Submit Restoration Request
You can access and complete VA Form 28-10281 on the VA Forms "Find a Form" website and submit the signed form by mail, email to your assigned Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC), or in-person at a VA Regional Office or VR&E out-based location. These submission options explain how the VA accepts restoration requests.
VA Notifies You If Request Is Granted
After you submit the restoration request, the assigned Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) will send you a notification letter telling you whether your request for restoration of entitlement is granted or denied. This tells you the outcome of your request.
Personalized for You
How does this regulation affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this federal register document means for your household, plus every other regulation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-11973, Implementing Regulation for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): Environmental Effects of the Department of Veterans Affairs Actions
The Department of Veterans Affairs is updating how it checks the environmental impact of its projects to be faster, clearer, and more in line with new laws passed since 1989. This change affects VA staff and veterans by improving planning and making sure VA actions protect the environment while delivering care. The new rules start June 15, 2026, and the VA welcomes feedback until July 15, 2026.
2025-21242, Extending Deadline for Debtor To Request a Waiver
The VA is giving veterans more time—up to one year instead of 180 days—to ask for a waiver on debts related to benefits. This change, effective January 26, 2026, helps reduce stress by giving veterans extra breathing room to handle their debt issues. It doesn’t cost veterans extra money but makes the process friendlier and fairer.
2025-18827, Extension of Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers Eligibility for Legacy Participants and Legacy Applicants
The VA is giving family caregivers of veterans more time to stay in their special support program by extending the deadline from 2025 to 2028. This means caregivers and veterans who joined the program earlier (the legacy group) can keep getting help for three more years. No changes to money or benefits, just extra time to enjoy the support they deserve!
2025-14687, Reproductive Health Services
The VA is planning to stop covering abortions and abortion counseling again, reversing a 2022 change. This affects veterans and their families who use VA and CHAMPVA health benefits. The change aims to focus VA services on what they consider essential care, with no new costs or timing details shared yet.
2026-16500, Agency Information Collection Activity: Mandatory Verification of Dependents
Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed revision of a currently approved collection, and allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice.
2026-16308, Agency Information Collection Activity: Veteran/Servicemembers Supplemental Application for Assistance in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, this notice announces that the Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, will submit the collection of information abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden and it includes the actual data collection instrument.
Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2026-05593, Notice of Lodging of Proposed Modification to Consent Decree Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
The government wants BASF Corporation to do extra cleanup work at a polluted site near McIntosh, Alabama, based on new tests from 2019-2022. They’ve proposed changes to the original cleanup plan, and now the public has 30 days to share their thoughts. This update means BASF will spend more time and money making the area safer for everyone.
Next: 2026-05595, Single Family Housing Section 502 Home Loan Program-Self-Help and Affordable Housing
Starting March 23, 2026, the USDA’s Rural Housing Service is testing a new pilot program that lets self-help home builders and affordable housing projects exceed current loan limits. This means folks building modest homes in rural areas could get more financial help than before. The pilot runs for two years, giving the agency a chance to see how these changes impact rural homeownership and affordability.