Greetings,

Veterans enrolled in the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program, this message is for you!

VR&E continues to excel in offering a wide array of benefit delivery options that provide modern, streamlined, and responsive service delivery to you. VR&E is pleased to announce an upcoming pilot for a new application known as the electronic Virtual Assistant (e-VA).

What is e-VA?

e-VA is an artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant which allows you to schedule and reschedule appointments, text and email your Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) counselor, and submit documentation, all privately and securely from your smartphone, tablet or computer.

Where is the e-VA pilot?

The e-VA pilot will be staggered across Albuquerque, Hartford, Seattle, and Winston-Salem Regional Offices starting on March 16th and expected to last through the end of April. If you are a Veteran serviced by one of these Regional Offices, you will be introduced to e-VA at the start of the pilot, while other Veterans will be introduced during national deployment. Some VR&E program participants may be introduced to e-VA twice, once for the pilot and once for national deployment. National deployment of e-VA is expected to begin in mid-summer.

How will I receive service?

If you are a Veteran enrolled in the VR&E program, you can expect to receive a text message and/or email introducing e-VA as VR&E’s new electronic virtual assistant. Your participation is optional so you must opt-in to continue using the service. Once you opt-in, the benefits of e-VA are immediately available to you!

What should I expect after opting in?

e-VA will periodically contact you with upcoming appointment reminders, plan progression check-ins, and/or reminders to submit your grades and receipts (as applicable). While e-VA is available via text messaging and/or email, your VR&E counselor is still available to assist you in person, by phone and/or via Tele-counseling.
You will receive an introductory text message from the short code number 59733, and/or an email from e-VA. In the first message you receive from e-VA, you will be asked to accept future correspondence. At this point, you may opt-in to continue sending and receiving correspondence or opt-out to discontinue the service from e-VA.

What do I need to do now?

Once you opt-in, it is recommended that you save the number (59733) as a contact and label it as “e-VA”. You will use this short code (59733) to schedule and reschedule appointments and submit supporting documents. Future text conversations with your VR&E counselor will be sent via the short code number 65368. It is recommended that you save this number (65368) also, as a contact and label it with the name of your VR&E counselor. You will utilize this short code (65368) to correspond directly with your VR&E counselor.

No matter your servicing Regional Office, please ensure your VR&E counselor has the most up-to-date contact information for you. A cell phone number and/or an email address must be provided in order to opt-in and start using e-VA. Please confirm with your counselor that he or she has your correct email address and/or cell phone number on file. You can verify this by contacting your counselor. Please do not hesitate to contact your counselor with any other questions.

A grateful nation thanks you for service!

Respectfully,
VR&E Service