SkillTRAN

What SkillTRAN does

SkillTRAN LLC, founded in 1982 and operating from Spokane, Washington, builds database software and web services for the vocational rehabilitation and Social Security disability adjudication market. The company's products organize occupational data around the 1991 Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) — comprising 12,761 occupational definitions — and cross-reference it to SOC, O*NET, Census occupational codes, GOE, MPSMS, NAICS, OEWS, and BLS Occupational Requirements Survey data. Core products are tiered by use case depth: OccuBrowse (starter-level occupational lookup), Job Browser Pro (intermediate, with DOT-level employment estimation via the proprietary Industry Context methodology), and OASYS (expert-level, including transferable skills analysis and pre-injury/post-injury comparison). A parallel set of web services — Hypo Handler, Transferable Skills Service (TSS), and PREPOST — extends the platform for vocational experts and claimant representatives building case-specific hypotheticals. The proprietary technology foundation is a 120,000+ DOT-to-NAICS crosswalk maintained since 1985 and a transferable skills engine that implements the SSA's specific definitional framework.

The company monetizes through a mix of annual web-based subscriptions billed per concurrent user (OccuBrowse Web publicly priced at $219/user/year, with Job Browser Pro Web, OASYS Web, and Hypo Handler on undisclosed annual tiers), per-case TSS transaction fees with no monthly minimum, one-time PC software licenses plus maintenance, and an optional PREPOST Unlimited subscription add-on. Distribution combines direct self-serve website signup, inside phone sales (800-827-2182), the SSA Digital Library channel for government users, and a special membership pricing arrangement with ACRD for Social Security claimant representatives. Marketing relies on a deep content and documentation library, Vimeo training videos, and conference presence at NOSSCR, ABVE, IARP, NADR, and AREA events with attendant 10% discounts.

SkillTRAN serves a defined professional customer base including the Social Security Administration, Social Security claimant representatives, certified vocational experts, state vocational rehabilitation agencies, private rehabilitation providers, workers compensation insurers and attorneys, insurance long-term disability claims handlers, and educational institutions for career counseling. The product is recognized by SSA as an acceptable electronic version of the DOT under memorandum 09-2139, and SkillTRAN's methodologies have been validated in SSA proceedings including a 1987 VARS validation study. The company has operated continuously since 1982, is founder-led by President Jeffrey A. Truthan (MS Rehabilitation Counseling, CVE, 2013 ABVE David S. Frank Lifetime Achievement Award recipient), is privately held with no external funding, and operates as a single LLC entity with no subsidiaries.

Name

SkillTRAN

Legal name

SkillTRAN LLC

Website

https://skilltran.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Rehabilitation / Disability Adjudication Software

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Career Exploration, Interest/Skills Assessment & Pathway Planning (EDAFAMAK)

Keywords

• Vocational rehabilitation software
• Disability adjudication tools
• Transferable skills analysis
• Occupational data lookup
• SSA disability case processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Spokane Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Annual Web-Based Subscriptions: Recurring annual subscription model for web-based services including OccuBrowse Web, Job Browser Pro Web, OASYS Web, and Hypo Handler. Billed per concurrent user per year. Includes all updates and data refreshes as government data changes.
2. Per-Case TSS Processing: Transferable Skills Service (TSS) charges per case processed. Re-runs of the same case for the same client are not charged additional fees. TSS accounts invoiced at end of each day when new cases are run.
3. PC Software Licenses: One-time or maintained PC-based software licenses for Job Browser Pro, OccuBrowse, and OASYS. Existing PC customers receive discounts on web service subscriptions and special pricing for annual maintenance.
4. PREPOST Unlimited Reports: Optional add-on to OASYS Web subscription providing unlimited Pre-Injury/Post-Injury analysis reports with secure storage of client data, work history, ability profiles, and report archiving.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SkillTRAN develops and licenses DOT-based vocational software used by Social Security disability adjudicators, vocational experts, claimant representatives, and rehabilitation counselors to perform transferable skills analysis, occupational lookup, and case documentation. Its flagship product, Job Browser Pro, encodes the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) with over 1,400 job titles, 175+ data points per occupation, and embedded selection algorithms that match claimants to viable occupations based on physical/mental limitations, age, education, and language. The company also sells specialized modules such as the SSA/DDS Net Program, Forensic Vocational, Classifications, WAGE, and the Dotstairs (Dot) expert system.

Product overview

SkillTRAN offers a portfolio of vocational rehabilitation and disability adjudication software products and web-based services. The product line spans three tiers: OccuBrowse (starter level) for basic DOT occupational searches; Job Browser Pro (intermediate level) adding labor market information and DOT employment estimation; and OASYS (expert level) for intensive transferable skills analysis. Both PC-based and web-based versions exist for the core products. Web-based subscription services include OccuBrowse Web, Job Browser Pro Web, OASYS Web, Hypo Handler, Transferable Skills Service (TSS), PREPOST (Pre-Injury/Post-Injury Analysis), LMI, and Real Job Openings. The products integrate government occupational data systems (DOT, SOC, O*NET, ORS, Census, OEWS) to support vocational experts, claimant representatives, rehabilitation counselors, and disability adjudicators. SkillTRAN acquired the VERTEK product line in 2010. All products are built around the 1991 Dictionary of Occupational Titles as the primary occupational classification system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OccuBrowse Web: Starter-level web-based occupational search service for vocational experts, claimant representatives, employment counselors, and job seekers
• Job Browser Pro
• OASYS
• Hypo Handler
• Transferable Skills Service (TSS)
• PREPOST
• VERTEK

Products and services

• Job Browser Pro Flagship DOT-based vocational software for occupational lookup, transferable skills analysis, and SSA-style selection of viable occupations based on RFC, age, education, and language. Used by DDS examiners, vocational experts, attorneys, claimant representatives, and rehabilitation counselors.
• SSA / DDS Net Program SSA POMS-compliant transferable skills analysis module used by state DDS agencies to perform standardized vocational assessments within federal disability adjudication workflows.
• Forensic Vocational Vocational software tailored for vocational expert testimony and litigation support, producing structured occupational analyses for SSA hearings and federal court disability cases.
• Classifications

Quantifiable outcome

• 182 SOC groups have direct 1:1 mapping to single DOT occupations, covering 14.55% of OES labor force
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ACRD (Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSpecial membership arrangement where ACRD members receive discounted access to SkillTRAN products. Members whose business is 50%+ related to Social Security claimant representation can access SkillTRAN products at attractive pricing through ACRD membership. Includes other education, networking, and recognition benefits. Validates SkillTRAN's importance to the Social Security disability representation community.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CareerScope: CareerScope provides DOT-based career and vocational assessment tools used by vocational rehabilitation professionals and disability evaluators. It is the closest direct competitor to SkillTRAN's OccuBrowse and Job Browser Pro, serving the same claimant representative and VR counselor market with similar occupational analysis functionality.
• Valpar International Corporation: Valpar manufactures vocational assessment work samples and transferable skills analysis tools widely used by rehabilitation counselors and disability evaluators. Their COMPASS, MCII, and other work-sample systems serve the same SSA-adjacent VR and workers comp assessment markets as SkillTRAN's OASYS and TSS products.
• Vocational Research Institute (VRI): VRI develops and distributes vocational assessment tools including the widely-used COPSystem and CAPS, used by vocational rehabilitation counselors and career development professionals. Their DOT and O*NET-based assessments directly overlap with SkillTRAN's occupational analysis and career exploration offerings for the same professional customer base.
• Microcomputer Systems Inc. MSI produces vocational evaluation software and case management systems for state VR agencies and rehabilitation counselors. Their VR suite and transferable skills tools serve an overlapping customer base with SkillTRAN in the public vocational rehabilitation market, particularly state agencies.

Broad incumbents

• Pearson Assessments: Pearson Assessments is a major incumbent offering a broad portfolio of psychometric, aptitude, and vocational assessment instruments (e.g., DAT, Strong, Kuder). Their assessment catalog overlaps thematically with SkillTRAN's skills assessment and transferable skills analysis, but targets a much broader education, clinical, and corporate testing market rather than SSA-specific workflows.
• SHL (part of Expleo / CEB): SHL provides psychometric talent assessment and occupational testing platforms for large employers worldwide. While not specifically DOT/SSA-focused, SHL's aptitude and occupational capability assessments operate in the broader skills-assessment category adjacent to SkillTRAN's transferable skills methodology.
• Educational Testing Service (ETS): ETS is a large-scale testing and assessment organization producing instruments like the GRE, TOEFL, and various occupational aptitude batteries. Their psychometric and aptitude assessment capability intersects thematically with SkillTRAN's skills assessment work but at much broader scale and across general education and credentialing.
• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm offering talent assessment, career planning, and workforce solutions. Their career architecture and competency assessment tools occupy a broader, more enterprise-oriented position versus SkillTRAN's SSA-specific vocational rehabilitation focus, but address overlapping needs around career exploration and job matching.

Others

• O*NET Online: O*NET Online is the U.S. Department of Labor's free occupational information database, increasingly viewed as the modern alternative to the DOT. While not a direct competitor (it is a free public dataset rather than a software product), O*NET represents the structural substitute that could erode SkillTRAN's DOT-based moat if SSA shifts standards to O*NET/ORS.
• CareerOneStop: CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, provides free career exploration, skills assessment, and labor market information tools. As a free, government-backed alternative, it constrains SkillTRAN's pricing power for career exploration and job seeker use cases that overlap with SkillTRAN's entry-tier OccuBrowse offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SkillTRAN