When the VA or Board of Veterans' Appeals evaluates a vocational opinion, the credibility of the expert matters enormously. Not all vocational opinions are created equal — and the credentials behind the expert's signature are one of the first things adjudicators and attorneys evaluate.
The CRC Credential
The Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) is a nationally recognized professional credential awarded by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). To earn it, a candidate must hold a qualifying graduate degree, complete supervised clinical experience, and pass a comprehensive examination. Recertification requires ongoing continuing education every five years.
The CRC is specifically designed to certify professionals who assess vocational functioning — including the ability to work, functional limitations, transferable skills, and labor market access. It is one of the most directly relevant credentials for vocational opinion work in disability claims.
A Credential SSA Recognizes
The CRC is a nationally recognized credential that the Social Security Administration considers when qualifying vocational experts to testify in disability hearings. That matters because SSA vocational experts answer the same kind of question a TDIU claim raises: whether a person's documented limitations allow them to perform work that exists in the national economy.
That recognition carries weight beyond SSA hearings. When a VA adjudicator or BVA judge reads a vocational opinion signed by a CRC, they are reading an analysis from a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor who follows a recognized professional standard.
Why It Matters for TDIU Specifically
TDIU cases require an expert to opine on whether a veteran can maintain substantially gainful employment — which is a vocational determination, not a purely medical one. Physicians can document functional limitations; vocational experts translate those limitations into employment context. A CRC is specifically trained and credentialed to perform that translation.
Attorneys and veterans who want their vocational opinion to withstand scrutiny — whether at the regional office, BVA, or CAVC level — benefit from working with a CRC whose analytical framework and professional standing are well-established.
A credential is only one part of choosing well. For the other questions to ask, and the red flags that usually signal a weak report, see how to choose a TDIU vocational expert.
Our Expert's Credentials
Our principal vocational expert, Jacquelyn Schabacker, holds the CRC along with three additional professional credentials: MA, LPC, and RSW. She has over 20 years of experience in vocational assessment and has worked on TDIU and SSA disability matters for veterans and claimants in all 50 states. Learn more about Jackie Schabacker and her credentials.