Case Study · Chapter 31 Self-Employment
From Card Shop to Appraisal Practice: A Chapter 31 Proposal
An Army veteran in Yuma, Arizona needed to move his trading card business toward work that fits his service-connected disabilities. He used the VR&E Chapter 31 Self-Employment track to request roughly $22,000 for the pivot. Subthesis prepared him from the first counselor meeting to the presentation, at no cost, through the Subthesis Keystone Award.
At a Glance
- Client
- Richard Barragan, owner of Break Check Barragan (BREAKCHECKBARRAGAN LLC), Yuma, Arizona
- Military service
- U.S. Army, 68W Airborne Medic, 82nd Airborne Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade
- Goal
- Pivot from buying and selling trading cards to an independent card appraisal and authentication practice
- Funding requested
- Roughly $22,000 through the VR&E Chapter 31 Self-Employment track
- Subthesis role
- Planning, documents, and preparation from start to finish. The veteran presented.
- Pace
- About one week of intensive, accelerator-style collaboration
- Cost to the client
- None. Provided through the Subthesis Keystone Award.
Why a Pivot
Break Check Barragan started in 2024 grading, authenticating, pricing, and selling trading cards. Running a card shop was not a sustainable fit with the owner's service-connected disabilities. Rather than trying to improve the existing shop, he chose to start a new business in a different line of practice: an independent appraisal, authentication, and documented-break practice with no inventory and no stake in the cards it evaluates. A new business in a different field made the Self-Employment pathway clearer than building on the old one.
That change is the rationale for the Chapter 31 request. The proposal had to show why this business, run this way, is suitable work given his disabilities, and that it is feasible.
How the Self-Employment Track Works
VR&E has five tracks, and Self-Employment is the one for veterans who want to start their own business. Eligibility for VR&E generally requires a service-connected disability rating and an employment handicap, as determined by a counselor. The official process, summarized from VA.gov, 38 CFR 21.257, and the VR&E manual (M28C.IV.C.5):
- 1
Counselor assessment
Your Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) looks at your aptitudes, business skills, the stability of your disability, your personal and financial resources, and your commitment before deciding whether self-employment is a suitable goal.
- 2
Feasibility and the business plan
You are referred to the SBA or partner resources such as SCORE, a Small Business Development Center, or a Veterans Business Outreach Center. You develop the business plan with that help. The plan must stand on its own as a document you could hand to a lender.
- 3
Self-Employment Panel review
The counselor refers your plan to a panel that includes VR&E staff and an SBA or SBDC consultant. The panel writes recommendations about feasibility. If a plan is not feasible, you can redevelop it.
- 4
Approval package
The counselor amends your rehabilitation plan and sends it for approval with an itemized cost list, your business plan, the counseling narrative, and the panel report.
- 5
Follow-up
Once you are ready to operate, VA follows up for at least 12 months, including a site visit (or an online review for online businesses) and a look at income statements and tax returns.
The business plan's feasibility analysis covers economic viability, a cost analysis of the VA assistance requested, a market analysis, non-VA financing, coordination with the SBA, site location and cost, and a training plan (38 CFR 21.257(f)). What VR&E can and cannot purchase is set out in 38 CFR 21.214. Rules change, so confirm details with your counselor.
How We Worked
From experience working with other service-connected disabled veterans, we knew what the counselor would ask for before the first meeting. So we built the documents first and the confidence second: every packet, plan section, and talking point was ready before it was needed. The whole project ran in about one week of intensive collaboration, closer to a business accelerator than a series of appointments.
One rule held throughout: the veteran presents. It is his business and his case to make, so he performed every meeting and the final presentation. Our job was to make sure he walked in prepared.
What Subthesis Delivered
The business plan
A stand-alone plan built around the feasibility points VA reviews: market, costs, financing, location, and training.
VRC meeting packets
An organized packet for each meeting with the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor.
Meeting preparation kits
Preparation materials so the client walked into each meeting ready.
Video sessions and study guides
Video sessions paired with study guides so the client could learn the material and explain it in his own words.
Website
A working website for the new appraisal practice.
Software and research tools
Software and research tools to support the business and the plan.
Online course foundations
Foundational documents that serve as the base for a future online course.
12 months of social content
SEO-focused content for every social media platform the business uses, planned across a full year.
And more, as the project needed it.
“Angel Reyes was the backbone to my whole application; allowing me to succeed in a world that I had no idea how to swim in. I know that I can do the business, but I was completely at a loss for preparing the documents and presenting my case until I met Angel Reyes.”
What We Learned
Patience is part of the plan
The Self-Employment track moves through assessment, feasibility, panel review, and approval. Each step takes time. Planning for that pace kept the work steady instead of rushed.
Work problems systematically
When questions came up, we took them one at a time: identify what was being asked, find the evidence, update the document, and prepare the answer. No problem was solved by guessing.
The Subthesis Keystone Award
A keystone is the stone at the top of an arch that holds the rest in place. The Subthesis Keystone Award is a raffle that gives the winner a full Subthesis engagement at no cost. The client won it, so he paid nothing for the work described on this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Subthesis write my Chapter 31 Self-Employment plan for me?
VA expects you to develop your plan, with help from the SBA or other business consultants. We work alongside you: structuring the plan, preparing documents and meeting materials, and coaching you so you can explain and defend every part of it yourself.
Will VR&E pay for Subthesis?
Not yet. Subthesis is pursuing federal-contractor status so VR&E counselors can authorize its services. The project in this case study was provided at no cost through the Subthesis Keystone Award. Today, you can hire our grant writing service directly at a flat fee.
What can VR&E pay for on the Self-Employment track?
According to the VA manual and regulations, it can cover items such as essential equipment and tools, minimum startup stock, licenses and fees, and short business training. It cannot pay for land, buildings, rent or leases, or vehicles. Your counselor decides what fits your plan.
Who presents the plan to VA?
You do. It is your business and your case to make, so on our projects the veteran always presents. Our job is to make sure you walk in prepared.
Preparing your own proposal?
Our Grant Writing service covers research grants, academic grants, and Chapter 31 Self-Employment proposals. Always a flat fee, never a percentage of your award.
See the Grant Writing service →