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Vocational Rehab is still an option whoever said you had to give up TDIU did not know what they were talking about, You may be currently unemployable, but also medically able to reach an employment goal by being retrained, This is the whole purpose for them to be there Rehabilitation where possible, It is also possible to complete this goal and work for a period of time before the TDIU stops to ensure that you are in fact able to do the job and maintain the requirements placed on you in a work environment.

Directly from their page

Services that may be provided by the VR&E VetSuccess Program include:

Comprehensive rehabilitation evaluation to determine abilities, skills, and interests for employment
Vocational counseling and rehabilitation planning for employment services
Employment services such as job-training, job-seeking skills, resume development, and other work readiness assistance
Assistance finding and keeping a job, including the use of special employer incentives and job accommodations
On the Job Training (OJT), apprenticeships, and non-paid work experiences
Post-secondary training at a college, vocational, technical or business school
Supportive rehabilitation services including case management, counseling, and medical referrals
Independent living services for Veterans unable to work due to the severity of their disabilities**

I would suggest you go here http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/ and print this information out and reapply for Voc Rehab. When you go to the appointment have it in hand and say we are going to do what this says or I am going one step higher than this office and will be back when I have found the appropriate person to get the problem sorted out ... If they have not done the comprehensive eval and explored everything then they have not given you the services you are entitled to.

again from their Regulations : (c) Program for vocational rehabilitation. Each time a veteran is rated totally disabled on the basis of individual unemployability during the period beginning after January 31, 1985, the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service will be notified so that an evaluation may be offered to determine whether the achievement of a vocational goal by the veteran is reasonably feasible.

§ 3.343 Continuance of total disability ratings.

(c) Individual unemployability. (1) In reducing a rating of 100 percent service-connected disability based on individual unemployability, the provisions of §3.105(e) are for application but caution must be exercised in such a determination that actual employability is established by clear and convincing evidence. When in such a case the veteran is undergoing vocational rehabilitation, education or training, the rating will not be reduced by reason thereof unless there is received evidence of marked improvement or recovery in physical or mental conditions or of employment progress, income earned, and prospects of economic rehabilitation, which demonstrates affirmatively the veteran's capacity to pursue the vocation or occupation for which the training is intended to qualify him or her, or unless the physical or mental demands of the course are obviously incompatible with total disability. Neither participation in, nor the receipt of remuneration as a result of participation in, a therapeutic or rehabilitation activity under 38 U.S.C. 1718 shall be considered evidence of employability.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 1718(f))

In short They VRE guys should be working with you to determine what is possible for you to do to reenter the Job Market with new training if necessary, Your doctor should not have to state you are or are not employable, He should only be giving a medical opinion as to the medical feasibility of potential for success in a retraining effort. If he thinks you are stable enough to attend school which may make you potentially suitable for employment. If you are limited and your potential is poor then he should state that... then you should be granted the opportunity to try or placed in the Independent living track...which ever is appropriate

When in such a case the veteran is undergoing vocational rehabilitation, education or training, the rating will not be reduced by reason thereof unless there is received evidence of marked improvement or recovery in physical or mental conditions or of employment progress, income earned, and prospects of economic rehabilitation, which demonstrates affirmatively the veteran's capacity to pursue the vocation or occupation for which the training is intended to qualify him or her, or unless the physical or mental demands of the course are obviously incompatible with total disability. Neither participation in, nor the receipt of remuneration as a result of participation in, a therapeutic or rehabilitation activity under 38 U.S.C. 1718 shall be considered evidence of employability.

mollym1978 wrote:

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As of yesterday, they told my counselor at the Vet Center, that they are an employment service, NOT an education service, and that they will not pay for me to go back to school. 

Direct from the VET Center homepage here online.......... They are there to provide  

readjustment counseling, 

It is a proven fact counseling is only as good as the counselors knowledge of the system and what is available to what veterans, and where to apply for it,  They are not there to guide you through the application process.   From my own experience with a vet center,  I walked in and within 15 min was sitting in front of a PHD holding counselor,  after an hour he gave me a form to take to the VA in a sealed envelope,  on the front he had written a building number and room number as well as a Dr's name.... this was his referral after his evaluation....  I go the next day to the building and find myself standing in a waiting room for the inpatient alcohol program,  after a wait I see the Doctor and he opens the letter and tells me from our conversation he determined I needed immediate medical detox and had referred me over to him to get me admitted.  After we talked about 30 minutes he says you are free to go but I am going to set you up to talk to a counselor in mental health to address your depression before it gets out of hand.  And here take this and destroy it,  you don't want a record that starts out with referral for alcohol abuse you clearly do not suffer from.    I have not stepped foot back in the Vet center since  for myself,  I have went with several friends who were in PTSD counseling there. but other than introducing myself as a friend of this or that veteran I don't even want them to know I am a veteran......  In fairness  there are some people who swear the Vet Center saved them from sure death.... I personally as you see believe they would have caused mine in short order and I do not trust them to even read me a form I have handed them...

VET CENTER HISTORY

Who We Are

We are the people in VA who welcome home war veterans with honor by providing quality readjustment counseling in a caring manner. Vet Centers understand and appreciate Veterans’ war experiences while assisting them and their family members toward a successful post-war adjustment in or near their community.

The Vet Center Program was established by Congress in 1979 out of the recognition that a significant number of Vietnam era vets were still experiencing readjustment problems.  Vet Centers are community based and part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  In April 1991, in response to the Persian Gulf War, Congress extended the eligibility to veterans who served during other periods of armed hostilities after the Vietnam era.  Those other periods are identified as Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf, Somalia, and Kosovo/Bosnia.  In October 1996, Congress extended the eligibility to include WWII and Korean Combat Veterans. The goal of the Vet Center program is to provide a broad range of counseling, outreach, and referral services to eligible veterans in order to help them make a satisfying post-war readjustment to civilian life. 

Services

What is readjustment counseling?

Readjustment counseling is a wide range of psycho social services offered to eligible Veterans and their families in the effort to make a successful transition from military to civilian life. 

 They include:

• Individual and group counseling for Veterans and their families
• Family counseling for military related issues
• Bereavement counseling for families who experience an active duty death
• Military sexual trauma counseling and referral
• Outreach and education including PDHRA, community events, etc.
• Substance abuse assessment and referral
• Employment assessment & referral
• VBA benefits explanation and referral
• Screening & referral for medical issues including TBI, depression, etc.

I recommend you learn differences within the VA system,  there is the treatment side or the VHA Veteran Health Adminstration,  the benefits side which is the VBA , which has several subparts including the VR&E  Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment  and several others that are less important and become self evident as you learn the primary 2 ,  VHA and VBA.   THe key point to remember is there are a lot of connections across both,  but responsibly for serving the Veteran is clearly defined who is responsible for what and they will not cross the lines in most cases to make things easy for you.  They simply tell you to go to them....And at that point you are starting over again at square one in most cases...