$3,000 a Year to Retrain — for Unemployed or Underemployed Veterans
Wisconsin pays UP TO $3,000 PER YEAR FOR A MAXIMUM OF TWO YEARS toward technical education or on-the-job training completable within two years. FOUR-YEAR DEGREES ARE EXCLUDED — this is deliberately about getting back to work rather than about a degree. It reaches RECENTLY UNEMPLOYED veterans (involuntary, non-misconduct job loss within the year before applying, after six or more consecutive months in the same role) and UNDEREMPLOYED veterans with income below a federal threshold. Up to two grants, NOT IN CONSECUTIVE YEARS.
Verified August 27, 2026
What this benefit is
Wisconsin pays UP TO $3,000 PER YEAR FOR A MAXIMUM OF TWO YEARS toward technical education or on-the-job training completable within two years. FOUR-YEAR DEGREES ARE EXCLUDED — this is deliberately about getting back to work rather than about a degree. It reaches RECENTLY UNEMPLOYED veterans (involuntary, non-misconduct job loss within the year before applying, after six or more consecutive months in the same role) and UNDEREMPLOYED veterans with income below a federal threshold. Up to two grants, NOT IN CONSECUTIVE YEARS.
What it's worth: Up to $3,000 a year, for a maximum of two years
- UP TO $3,000 PER YEAR, MAXIMUM TWO YEARS.
- For TECHNICAL EDUCATION OR ON-THE-JOB TRAINING completable WITHIN TWO YEARS.
- FOUR-YEAR DEGREES ARE EXCLUDED.
- RECENTLY UNEMPLOYED: involuntary, non-misconduct job loss WITHIN THE YEAR BEFORE APPLYING, after SIX OR MORE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS in the same role.
- UNDEREMPLOYED: income below a federal threshold.
- UP TO TWO GRANTS, NOT IN CONSECUTIVE YEARS.
- Forms WDVA 2019 and WDVA 2039.
Who is entitled to it
- You served in the U.S. armed forces.
- Your discharge meets the test.
- Wisconsin administers the grant.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
How to claim it
Deadline: Within the year after the job loss- 1Apply within the year of the job loss. That window is the main constraint on the unemployed route.
- 2Check the six-consecutive-months requirement in the role you lost.
- 3If you are working but on low income, apply on the underemployed route instead.
- 4Choose training completable within two years; a four-year degree is outside the programme.
- 5If you take a second grant later, remember it cannot be in a consecutive year.
- Form
- WDVA Form 2019 or 2039
- File with
- Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs
- Documents you will need
- dd214
- No renewal
- Once granted it does not need renewing.
Sources
- authority · published policyWDVA — retraining grant
- operating · published policyWisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.