VET TEC — Veterans Employment Through Technology Education Courses

VET TEC (Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses) is a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pilot created under the 2017 Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act. It pays tuition and a living stipend for eligible veterans to attend short, intensive courses — typically about three months — run by VA-approved providers in coding, cybersecurity, data science and other high-technology fields, aiming to move veterans into digital-economy jobs faster than a traditional degree programme.
Between May 2019 and May 2022 more than 6,700 veterans enrolled, with about 66% completing their course; the U.S. Government Accountability Office reports total enrolment topped 20,000 veterans by 2024 against a budget of $262 million. Enrollees were more likely than the general veteran population to be from a racial or ethnic minority and to have a service-connected disability, indicating the programme is reaching veterans who often face the steepest barriers to tech employment.
Two GAO audits (2023 and 2025) found VA could not calculate an employment rate for programme completers, did not know why roughly 13% of enrollees dropped out, and had defined measurable objectives for only half its stated goals. Investigators also flagged about $4 million in potential administrative overpayments and roughly $28 million in payments to training providers that may need to be recovered because veterans did not secure jobs within the required 180-day window, alongside veteran complaints about misleading marketing and uneven course quality at some providers. VA has since revised the programme (branded 'VET TEC 2.0') in response, but the episode is a clear caution that funding and enrolment numbers alone do not prove a digital-skills programme is working.

Read the full analysis: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-105343