[House Hearing, 119 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
MISSION INCOMPLETE:
STRENGTHENING THE TAP PROGRAM
TO ENSURE A SMOOTHER TRANSITION TO
CIVILIAN LIFE FOR TOMORROW'S VETERANS
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITY
of the
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2025
__________
Serial No. 119-12
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via http://govinfo.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
60-684 WASHINGTON : 2025
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
MIKE BOST, Illinois, Chairman
AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN, MARK TAKANO, California, Ranking
American Samoa, Vice-Chairwoman Member
JACK BERGMAN, Michigan JULIA BROWNLEY, California
NANCY MACE, South Carolina CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire
MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS, Iowa SHEILA CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK,
GREGORY F. MURPHY, North Carolina Florida
DERRICK VAN ORDEN, Wisconsin MORGAN MCGARVEY, Kentucky
MORGAN LUTTRELL, Texas DELIA RAMIREZ, Illinois
JUAN CISCOMANI, Arizona NIKKI BUDZINSKI, Illinois
KEITH SELF, Texas TIMOTHY M. KENNEDY, New York
JEN KIGGANS, Virginia MAXINE DEXTER, Oregon
ABE HAMADEH, Arizona HERB CONAWAY, New Jersey
KIMBERLYN KING-HINDS, Northern KELLY MORRISON, Minnesota
Mariana Islands
TOM BARRETT, Michigan
Jon Clark, Staff Director
Matt Reel, Democratic Staff Director
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
DERRICK VAN ORDEN, Wisconsin, Chairman
JUAN CISCOMANI, Arizona CHRIS PAPPAS, New Hampshire,
ABE HAMADEH, Arizona Ranking Member
KIMBERLYN KING-HINDS, Northern MORGAN MCGARVEY, Kentucky
Mariana Islands DELIA RAMIREZ, Illinois
TOM BARRETT, Michigan TIMOTHY M. KENNEDY, New York
Pursuant to clause 2(e)(4) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House, public
hearing records of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs are also
published in electronic form. The printed hearing record remains the
official version. Because electronic submissions are used to prepare
both printed and electronic versions of the hearing record, the process
of converting between various electronic formats may introduce
unintentional errors or omissions. Such occurrences are inherent in the
current publication process and should diminish as the process is
further refined.
C O N T E N T S
----------
TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2025
Page
OPENING STATEMENTS
The Honorable Derrick Van Orden, Chairman........................ 1
The Honorable Chris Pappas, Ranking Member....................... 2
WITNESSES
Panel I
Mr. Alex Baird, Director, Defense Support Services Center, U.S.
Department of Defense.......................................... 4
Mr. John Green, Acting Executive Director, Outreach, Transition,
and Economic Development, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.. 5
Accompanied by:
Ms. Regina Yount, Assistant Director, Outreach, Transition,
and Economic Development, U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs
Ms. Margarita Devlin, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations
and Management, Veterans' Employment and Training Service, U.S.
Department of Labor............................................ 7
Panel II
Ms. Joy Craig, Associate Director, Service Member Affairs,
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.................. 18
Ms. Elizabeth O'Brien, Senior Vice President, Hiring Our Heroes.. 20
Ms. Barbara Carson, Managing Director of Programs and Services,
D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families,
Syracuse University............................................ 21
Mr. Brian Lewis, Executive Director of Customer Operations,
Consumers Energy............................................... 23
Ms. Kandi Tillman, Managing Co-Founder, 50strong................. 24
APPENDIX
Prepared Statements Of Witnesses
Mr. Alex Baird Prepared Statement................................ 39
Mr. John Green Prepared Statement................................ 45
Ms. Margarita Devlin Prepared Statement.......................... 49
Ms. Joy Craig Prepared Statement................................. 59
Ms. Elizabeth O'Brien Prepared Statement......................... 65
Ms. Barbara Carson Prepared Statement............................ 87
Mr. Brian Lewis Prepared Statement............................... 91
Ms. Kandi Tillman Prepared Statement............................. 94
Statements For The Record
Hire Heroes USA Prepared Statement............................... 105
APPENDIX--continued
Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals Prepared
Statement...................................................... 107
The American Legion Prepared Statement........................... 108
MISSION INCOMPLETE:
STRENGTHENING THE TAP PROGRAM
TO ENSURE A SMOOTHER TRANSITION TO
CIVILIAN LIFE FOR TOMORROW'S VETERANS
----------
TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2025
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity,
Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:15 a.m., in
room 360, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Derrick Van Orden
(chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Present: Representatives Van Orden, Hamadeh, King-Hinds
Barrett, Pappas, McGarvey, Ramirez, and Kennedy.
OPENING STATEMENT OF DERRICK VAN ORDEN, CHAIRMAN
Mr. Van Orden. Good morning. The subcommittee will come to
order. I want to thank our witnesses for being here today to
discuss the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and the role
that each one of these departments plays in helping our members
transition from being an active duty servicemember, a
productive member of the military, to a productive member of
society as a civilian.
I want to make sure that we adhere to our strict
nonpartisan position, the spirit of this committee. I know Mr.
Pappas shares my intention there. He is a good man.
As a former SEAL that served our country for 26 years and I
have first-hand knowledge of how difficult it can be to go from
being in a military member to being a civilian, and I am not
kidding you. I used to wake up for, like, 2 years after I
retired wondering where my gun was. That is not a joke.
200,000 military personnel leave the service each year and
for many of them it is a time for them to grow. It is also a
time, that 24-month period of time, is when our servicemembers
wind up committing suicide because they lose their identity.
They lose their uniform. They lose the rank. The joke with
their spouses are twice the husband and half the paycheck and
you all know that. I see these old grizzly war dogs back there.
You know what I am talking about, right? Yes.
We have got to do something. The bridging mechanism has to
start while we are in the service. Mr. Baird, you are here
today from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and I cannot
tell you how thankful I am and I also cannot tell you how
pathetic it is that I have to be so thankful that you guys
showed up. Check?
That is how these committees work, so thank you for being
here. Our office because I am on task and I have got your
paycheck now, too? I do not know. I do not care. You are here
and I appreciate it.
We went from about 25 percent to 52 percent so that is an
extraordinarily huge failure rate for the people that go to
TAP. That is real and we have got everybody's Situation Reports
(SitReps) here and talk about this a little bit later, SitReps
and all yours or whatever. There is no block on here for
participation of troops that go to TAP. It is a 175-page
document. It is, like, 150 pages into a 175-page document from
the Navy. It mentions TAP and a single sentence. What my
intention is to make this work.
I spoke to these three folks yesterday in my office in
private, and I appreciate you guys showing up to do that so we
could work through some things in long form interview, not like
this, but I do appreciate that, but we can do better, period.
We need to have metrics, so we understand if we are doing
better and I expect that out of you.
2019 we worked to modernize the TAP program. I think we did
sort of a good job. I was not here at the time. Were you in
Congress then?
Mr. Pappas. Yes.
Mr. Van Orden. You were? Okay, so it is Mr. Pappas' fault.
I am just kidding. We did an okay job and we did not do the
best job and I get it.
We got 48 percent of servicemembers that are beginning the
process of TAP and advanced 48 percent, gentlemen, ladies, and
that is unacceptable and we are just going to do better.
Last year I introduced the Enhancing the Transitioning
Servicemember's Experience (ETS) Act to hold DoD accountable.
That is the department what I have learned from being here
is I cannot hold a department or an office accountable, but I
want to hold individual officers accountable, make sure they do
not get promoted, they do not pass go, they do not get 200
bucks if there are people who are not going to TAP. If we start
burning these people down with shoulder boards, it will be
fixed immediately and that is my intent.
With that, I would like to yield to my Ranking Member Mr.
Pappas for any comments he may have.
OPENING STATEMENT OF CHRIS PAPPAS, RANKING MEMBER
Mr. Pappas. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for holding
this oversight hearing on the Transition Assistance Program. We
know before servicemembers leave the military we must ensure
that they are adequately prepared to rejoin civilian life.
This includes having a plan for employment and housing, as
well as healthcare and other social supports. Under normal
circumstances over 150,000 servicemembers leave the military
each year and their ability to successfully reintegrate in
civilian life depends on many factors and the Federal
Government is spending more than $13 billion each year to
support these efforts.
Without clear oversight of these programs, it is
challenging to know what will give our transitioning
servicemembers the best outcomes possible, so this is an area
of concern for me because the TAP data presented at this last
hearing in September 2024 indicates that DoD is struggling to
comply with the transition process 1 year in advance of
separating or 2 years in advance of retiring.
While some might argue that this data indicates that DoD
might not prioritize TAP, there is a clear connection in how
servicemembers experience their transition to veteran status on
recruitment. The American Legion recently testified at the
joint House and Senate Veterans Service Organization (VSO)
hearing stating that, ``getting this right is a matter of
national security.'' I expect that DoD, all agencies, and
partners will treat TAP as a matter of national security as
well.
We all need to recognize the history of TAP as it was born
out of DoD's drawdown in the 1990's and, unfortunately, we face
some similar economic forces today because of the
administration's use of Department of Government Efficiency
(DOGE) to dismantle agencies and the many services that they
provide.
It should not be lost on anyone that our servicemembers
will be transitioning into a more volatile economy with rising
unemployment and a sinking stock market, and it will be our
Nation's heroes that could suffer consequences if they are not
able to rely upon the support of Federal agencies because of
hiring freezes and firings at agencies like U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA).
Secretary Collins himself said to expect more cuts but
there has been no evidence from DOGE, the administration, or VA
that any of these actions are being redirected to provide
improved services and benefits to veterans. Rather the opposite
is happening.
Our offices are inundated with calls and emails about how
veterans' services are being negatively impacted. In the last 2
months, citizens in my State in New Hampshire have held a
number of events at our State capitol. The latest one was
drawing hundreds of folks who were deeply concerned about the
projected 80,000 job cuts at VA.
The American public does not want to see veteran benefits
and services targeted and with all these uncertainties support
systems are absolutely necessary. TAP is critical now more than
ever.
I also want to express my concern about how the
administration is targeting a particular class of
servicemembers, our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and
Queer (LGBTQ) servicemembers and veterans, particularly the
transgender community, stating that being transgender is
incompatible with military service I believe is an affront to
our American values.
As someone from the live free or die State, I find it
incomprehensible to discriminate against qualified transgender
Americans who are willing and capable of serving and are being
denied services that they bravely earned.
As these servicemembers transition out of the military I
expect TAP to pay careful attention to their needs and provide
them with the support that they deserve.
I want to thank you again, Mr. Chairman, for your spirit of
nonpartisanship on this subcommittee. Continuing to look to
work with you to identify ways that we can improve TAP. With
that, I yield back.
Mr. Van Orden. Thank you, Ranking Member Pappas.
I will introduce our witness panel. Morgan, hey, hey, hey,
you got a watch? You do not have watches in Kentucky. I love
that guy. Sorry.
Our first witness is Mr. Alex Baird, director of the
Defense Support Services Center at the Department of Defense.
Our next witness is Mr. John Green, acting executive
director of Outreach, Transition, and Economic Development at
the Department of Veterans Affairs. Mr. Green is accompanied by
Ms. Regina Yount, the assistant director of Outreach,
Transition, and Economic Development at the VA.
Our final witness to this panel is Ms. Margarita, great
name Margarita Devlin, deputy assistant secretary of the U.S.
Department of Labor (DOL), Veterans Employment and Training.
Please, I will ask you to rise everybody. Please raise your
right hand. Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are
about to provide is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth? Okay, thank you. You may be seated. Let the record
reflect that the witnesses have answered in the affirmative.
Mr. Baird, you are now recognized for 5 minutes to deliver
your testimony on behalf of the Department of Defense.
STATEMENT OF ALEX BAIRD
Mr. Baird. Good morning, Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member
Pappas, and the distinguished members of the subcommittee.
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Transition
Assistance Program, commonly called TAP.
Each of us across the department, our interagency partners,
are fully committed to making TAP the best it can be. A big
part of that is getting servicemembers to TAP early and
increasing the number of servicemembers who attend one of the
four 2-day tracks.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, we focused on shifting in-person
TAP to delivering TAP in a 100 percent virtual environment. We
were successful in the redesigning coursework, information
technology (IT), and contract support in ensuring
servicemembers got to TAP.
Throughout that challenging period, servicemembers
continued to provide high marks concerning TAP content
delivery, but our timeliness percentage fell short of both your
and our expectations. In mid-2022 we began a series of
corrective actions led by the military departments and
commanders. We are working together.
We continue to improve TAP while putting procedures in
place to increase timeliness and improve 2-day track
attendance. By the end of 2023, timeliness percentage doubled
and 2-day track attendance increased by over 7 percent.
We have not and will not stop there. We are confident that
the military department's corrective action will produce even
better results over time and that those results will further
validate our commitment to our transitioning servicemembers.
Much of our success is due to the great working
relationship we have with VA, DOL, and the other members of the
transition executive committee. DoD, the military departments,
and our interagency partners are actively involved at every
level of the TAP to the working groups.
We are proactive and championing and implementing change
and fully committed to supporting the warfighters and their
families. TAP is the foundation of that support and sets the
conditions for successful transition.
Today TAP is very different and far more effective than the
program of 10, 5, or even 3 years ago and provides
servicemembers more comprehensive support than at any time
during our Nation's history.
That is possible because TAP is a commanders' program with
commanders balancing national defense requirements with
individual transition goals and with results supporting
readiness, transition, recruiting, retention, reserve component
affiliation, and sustainment of the all-volunteer force.
TAP is and will remain adaptive focused on three
fundamental tenets, effective counseling, servicemember buy-in,
and meaningful support connections throughout the transition
period.
In closing, Mr. Chairman, I thank you and the ranking
member and the other members of this committee for your
outstanding unwavering support of the men and women who proudly
wear the uniform of our great Nation. Sir, I am very honored to
be here with you today.
[The Prepared Statement Of Alex Baird Appears In The
Appendix]
Mr. Van Orden. Well again, Mr. Baird, I am very thankful
that you are here. Your written statement will be entered into
the record.
Mr. Green, you are now recognized for 5 minutes to deliver
your testimony.
STATEMENT OF JOHN GREEN
Mr. Green. Good morning, Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member
Pappas, and distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank
you for the opportunity to discuss the current State of
Transition Assistance Program sharing model efforts and explore
collaboration opportunities to improve the program.
Joining me today is Regina Yount, assistant director from
Veterans Benefits Administration's (VBA) Outreach, Transition,
and Economic Development Program. We appreciate your ongoing
support for the Nation's veterans, their families and
caregivers and survivors.
As a retired Army veteran, I understand the challenges
members face when leaving active duty. During this critical
time many transition and servicemembers are at increased risk
for suicide, homelessness, post-traumatic stress, and substance
use disorders.
Connecting veterans to the benefits and services they have
earned acts to safeguard against these threats and supports
their overall well-being. VA recognizes that transition begins
well before a servicemember leaves the military and continues
long after separation making it essential for VA to stay
connected with veterans throughout their lives and provide
resources during critical times.
While servicemembers are still on active duty, VA leads a
1-day benefits and services course as part of TAP. This course
helps servicemembers navigate VA resources, including excessive
benefits and services. In Fiscal Year 2024, benefit advisors
assisted over 200,000 transitioning servicemembers.
We understand that information provided can be extensive so
we offer additional guidance and clarification through one-on-
one counseling sessions with benefit advisors, as well as those
online and training that can be accessed any time before or
after separation.
We also welcome spouses to all TAP trainings as we
recognize the key role they play in the transition process. As
an example, our benefit advisors commitment to transitioning
servicemembers happened recently at Camp Foster, Okinawa,
Japan. The benefit advisors assisted a servicemember who was
overwhelmed with the transition process.
Their one-on-one sessions with the advisor aided the
soldier in understanding the benefits available, explain the
timelines, and help the documentation requirements for
submission of the benefits delivery at discharge (BDD)
compensation claim.
Upon excellent service, VA connects directly with each new
veteran through a VA Solid Start program providing one-on-one
sessions tailored to address challenges that may face and link
them to benefits and resources.
For example, Jessica, who was on the verge of homelessness
when Solid Start contacted her and had no idea she was eligible
for health care and thought it was something only available to
officers.
As the representative listened to Jessica, they decided to
talk with her about healthcare, guided her through how to file
a claim for compensation, and offer to connect her with a
representative at the VA national contact center for those at
risk of homelessness. By her last call with her Solid Start
representative, Jessica was receiving compensation payments,
had health care, and was living in an apartment.
Since TAP's inception in 1991, transition supports has
significantly improved. VA offers several programs to support
servicemembers through transition and beyond, such as
personalized career planning and veteran and spouse transition
grant program. Ongoing assessment and modifications of TAP
ensure VA meets the evolving needs of transitioning
servicemembers.
In 2024, veteran service organizations' participation was
added into the TAP course serving as a direct connection
between participants and service organization. The benefits and
services course includes a practical exercise to reinforce
critical information and highlight time-sensitive information
benefits such as life insurance.
Last, VA modernized the silent process for scheduling one-
on-one assistance using quick response codes. The VA is
committed to maintaining a strong partnership with the
Department of Defense, Department of Labor, and other
interagency partners.
We share Congress' goal to ensure transitioning
servicemembers, veterans, and their families are supported
during and after the transition from military to civilian life
and remain dedicated to strengthening our transition
initiatives.
Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Pappas, and members of
the subcommittee this concludes my statement. I am happy to
respond to any questions you may have.
[The Prepared Statement Of John Green Appears In The
Appendix]
Mr. Van Orden. Thank you, Mr. Green. The written statement
of Mr. Green will be entered into the record.
Ms. Devlin, you are now recognized for 5 minutes to deliver
your testimony.
STATEMENT OF MARGARITA DEVLIN
Ms. Devlin. Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Pappas, and
distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to testify before you today on the current state of
the Transition Assistance Program and everything we are doing
to continue modernizing and refining the program.
The Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training
Service, otherwise known as VETS, exists to support the
employment and career goals of transitioning servicemembers,
veterans, military spouses, national guardsmen, and reservists
as well.
We have three core TAP workshops. Employment fundamentals
of career transition is the mandatory 1-day course. We also
provide two elective tracks. The employment workshop is, as it
sounds, additional support for direct transition to civilian
employment.
The career and credential exploration workshop provides
support for navigating the labor market and non-college degree
credentialing options such as apprenticeship, licensure, and
certifications.
Our satisfaction ratings for participants who take our
courses are consistently high. For example, 96 percent indicate
they would use what they learned in their own transition
planning. 94 percent reported that the course enhanced their
confidence in their transition planning.
Classroom training is not enough and transition is not a
one-size-fits-all experience. I have been in this space for a
long time and whether it was during my tenure at VA or now at
DOL, there is one consistent bit of feedback we get.
Servicemembers want personalized support beyond the classroom.
VETS answered that call when we pilot tested and developed
and implemented the employment navigator and partnership
program, or ENPP as we call it.
This program, which is currently available at 40 military
installations, helps servicemembers and their spouses navigate
their post-military career journey. Navigators provide one-on-
one career guidance and job seeking skills support, as well as
referrals to vetted partner organizations who provide
additional services during and after separation from the
military.
Navigators also facilitate warm handovers to a designated
point of contact at DOL-funded American job centers, and that
is especially important if the servicemember does not meet
career readiness standards.
Data reflects that ENPP has been a great success. In Fiscal
Year 2024, 99 percent of survey respondents reported positive
feelings after meeting with their employment navigator and
would recommend ENPP to a friend or a colleague.
Also, 96 percent of respondents felt ENPP partners met or
exceeded their employment related expectations. Even more
importantly, we now have outcome data.
Our preliminary analysis shows, for example, that enlisted
servicemembers who worked with an employment navigator became
employed approximately 2 months sooner and earned about 11
percent more than their counterparts who did not work with the
navigator during their transition. This program is making an
impact on servicemembers' lives.
The transition experiences of wounded warriors, caregivers,
and military spouses are also unique, so we developed and
implemented specialized courses like the Wounded Warrior and
Caregiver Employment Workshop and the transition employment
assistance for military spouses' workshop to address their
needs as well.
We also know transition does not end with the issuing of
the DD-214. Veterans may have several transitions throughout
their careers and we continue to provide support after
separation with programs such as the off-base transition
training program.
Facilitating successful military to civilian transitions
requires coordination between Federal and non-government
partners. DOL appreciates the strong partnership with our
interagency colleagues, including VA and DoD plus veteran
service organizations, State directors of Veterans Affairs, and
many other non-government partners.
Our long-term strategic goal for TAP is for the Nation to
recognize military service as a path to high quality civilian
careers. The future of the all-volunteer force depends on it.
We look forward to our continued work with this committee,
and we share in your commitment to ensuring servicemembers and
spouses have every opportunity for stable careers post-
military.
Mr. Chairman, ranking member, distinguished members of the
subcommittee, thank you for this opportunity to testify before
you today, and I welcome your questions.
[The Prepared Statement Of Margarita Devlin Appears In The
Appendix]
Mr. Van Orden. Thank you, Ms. Devlin. The written statement
of Ms. Devlin will be entered into the record.
We are going to go to questioning you guys, and the deal is
you--5 minutes is it. If you want to do a second-round 100
percent or a third or a fifth or a hundredth round I do not
care. We are going to get some answers this morning.
I now recognize Ranking Member Pappas for 5 minutes for
questioning, sir.
Mr. Pappas. Okay. Thank you very much to this panel and
your discussion about such an important program which for a
long time has been a work in progress and we need to continue
to see improvements over time.
I want to turn to Mr. Baird first. In March 2024,
Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that DoD is not
reliably verifying whether warm handovers occur. GAO found that
over a 2-year period commanders or their designees verified
that a warm handover was provided to nearly 78,000
transitioning servicemembers who were not recorded as receiving
one.
GAO recommended that DoD develop additional guidance to
commanders and their designees on verifying warm handovers and
on recording the verifications in the TAP data base. I am
wondering what steps DoD has taken to address this
recommendation?
Mr. Baird. Thank you for that question, Ranking Member. We
have done a lot and the GAO report really caught our attention
and we have made a lot of changes. Just yesterday, a new course
stood up on the TAP site that is for military commanders and it
walks them through what their responsibility is in the TAP
space, and it mentions the warm handover.
We have also...probably the strongest arm we have is the
service Inspector General (IG) teams and they have now, the
inspector generals are now taking a look at the TAP process
within the services to make sure that we are meeting all the
requirements. It is an education process and we will continue
to educate them until they get it right.
Mr. Pappas. Thanks for that and we are interested in
continuing to engage with you as that all rolls forward in
making sure that those recommendations are, you know,
continuing to be addressed.
We have also heard concerns from VSOs that enrollment in
SkillBridge is down. Our understanding is that the Navy and
Marines have scaled back eligibility. I am wondering if you can
explain why requirements might have changed?
Mr. Baird. The Navy and the Marine Corps took a hard look
at who is going through SkillBridge and what they found was in
a lot of cases it was senior people and so they have changed
the rules.
They have done policy. We see the same support for
SkillBridge today that we saw before. The services are just
getting better at determining who is the right person to go
through SkillBridge.
Mr. Pappas. Thanks for that. I have seen the benefits of
that program and heard about it directly from participating
businesses, as well as transitioning servicemembers, and we
want to continue to support a strong SkillBridge program.
If I can turn to VA now, I am wondering how VA is
collaborating with DoD to ensure that individuals with mental
health issues specifically are receiving the services that they
need during that crucial first year after transition.
You talked about Jessica, a veteran and her experience with
Solid Start. It was really important to hear about her example,
but I am wondering specific to mental health issues how we can
continue to see the kind of collaboration that is going to
help?
Mr. Green. I will say that we continue to collaborate with
DoD in order for these transitioning servicemembers are
connected through mental health. We do connect them to VA in
transition and we also get an opportunity to follow them
through our VA Solid Start Program.
There are three particular areas that we actually connect
with these transitioning servicemembers, 0 to 90 days, 91 to
180 days, and then 181 days or 365 day. We actually reach out
to those particular veterans upwards of seven times each one of
those particular time periods. If one of those calls is
answered, then we stop calling and we go to the next bucket of
dates. There is an opportunity for 21 calls to be made.
Additionally, DoD provides a list to our VA Solid Start
Program. VA Solid Start prioritizes those programs and those
particular veterans or servicemembers to get an opportunity to
outreach and make sure that there are no additional issues that
may be there.
Through transition, in transition meeting monthly, they get
an opportunity to see if there is any additional issues that
may be there that need to be addressed.
Mr. Pappas. Just one more quickly, the most recent post-
separation TAP assessment, I am wondering if you can tell me
what that indicates about veteran satisfaction with TAP and
whether the program effectively addresses the challenges that
veterans are facing entering the civilian workforce?
Mr. Green. Thank you, sir, for that question. Yes, the most
recent what we call post-separation transition assessment
program gives a satisfaction score of 96.3 percent, so it is
highly touted.
During that particular study we did have a great
satisfaction rate that we were meeting exactly what
transitioning servicemembers needed.
Mr. Pappas. Thank you. Thank you very much.
I yield back.
Mr. Van Orden. Thank you, sir. The gentleman yields back.
I recognize Representative Hamadeh from the great State of
Arizona.
Mr. Hamadeh. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Van Orden. It is just--yes, Arizona is awesome.
Mr. Hamadeh. There is so much better weather right now.
Thank you to our witnesses for being here today. As both a
veteran and a member of this committee, I find it deeply
troubling that only 52 percent of our transitioning
servicemembers are receiving timely access to the Transition
Assistance Program, TAP. This is unacceptable.
Now, when I served as an Army Reserve intelligence officer,
I witnessed first-hand how critical proper transition support
is for our warfighters. We expect excellence and accountability
from our servicemembers while they are in uniform, and we
should demand nothing less when your department is preparing
them for civilian life.
Now, my first question is for Ms. Devlin. I was struck by
something you said during our pre-hearing call yesterday. You
mentioned that when servicemembers do not complete all parts of
TAP you consider it simply in the law and DoD's responsibility
not yours, yet your department's own data shows that
servicemembers who receive proper transition assistance through
your employment navigator program find jobs 63 days faster and
earn 11 percent higher wages.
Now, how can the Department of Labor claim to prioritize
veteran employment outcomes while washing your hands of
responsibility for ensuring servicemembers actually receive the
Department of Labor's training?
Ms. Devlin. Thank you for asking that question. Just to be
clear, we are involved in working with DoD on the
accountability that is required to make sure that
servicemembers do participate in TAP and have access to it.
Forgive me if my answer to that original question was not clear
in our meeting.
We do we do take great pride in being a strong partner to
DoD, and we have a very active engagement in our interagency
council. We do look at the data. We brainstorm together
solutions to improve participation rates, how to help military
leaders understand the importance of TAP.
We contribute to how that training should look if there is
training that is required. We definitely are very involved and
we recognize the importance of early intervention and
participation in TAP.
Absolutely the navigator program, which is at 40
installations, has proven to be incredibly life changing for
these servicemembers who have access to it.
Mr. Hamadeh. Section 1144 of Title 10 specifically tasks
the Secretary of Labor with quote, ``furnishing information on
employment and training assistance,'' so that is not optional.
The law does not say when DoD decides to let you. The law makes
clear that the Department of Labor is a key partner in this
process with responsibility for coordinating the employment
components.
Let me ask you about accountability.
At Fort Cavasos in Texas, servicemembers who attended TAP
on time reenlist at a rate of 60 percent compared to just 30
percent for those who do not. That suggests that TAP actually
helps retention which should motivate commanders.
Ms. Devlin, given that your department's data shows
military members who use the employment navigator program find
jobs 2 months faster and earn higher wages, what specific
recommendations has the Department of Labor made to improve
unit commander accountability for TAP attendance?
Ms. Devlin. Thank you for that question as well. I agree.
In many cases participation in TAP early enough helps the
servicemember really see their options clearly in terms of
remaining in the military for additional time versus
transitioning out at that point in their life. In many cases it
helps them to realize they might need more time to fully
prepare for a civilian transition.
With respect to helping the servicemember transition and
any recommendations that we have for accountability, one of the
things we talked about in the committee, for example, in the
interagency committee is training for commanders to help them
understand the value of sending their troops to TAP, value in
terms of retention but also in terms of recruitment.
Every veteran that, you know, becomes a veteran and leaves
the military is a walking billboard for either military service
or not based on the experience that they had in the transition.
We have conversations around those kinds of things that are
maybe different approaches to tackling the problem. As we sit
through these committee meetings we are all very engaged in the
process.
My colleagues at VA and DoD are very engaged in making sure
because we all believe it is important that servicemembers have
access to TAP early enough in the process.
Mr. Hamadeh. Sure, I keep hearing that there are
conversations but what about accountability?
Ms. Devlin. I will defer to my DoD colleague, if it is okay
with you, Mr. Baird, because I know that he has been working
with the military services on accountability that we have
talked about in our committee meetings.
Mr. Baird. One of the things we ask in their questioning or
after they have finished with TAP is was there any barrier to
you getting to TAP, and that number has remained at about 1
percent.
Mr. Hamadeh. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Van Orden. Thank you, Mr. Hamadeh. If you want a second
round of question we are here. I mean, this is what we are
doing today, so I appreciate that tremendously. The gentleman
yields back.
I now recognize Mr. McGarvey, my very dear friend from the
great State of Kentucky, for 5 minutes, sir.
Mr. McGarvey. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you all for being here today. You know, we are
talking about a really important thing which is how we
transition active-duty soldiers into civilian life, what our
veterans do after that initial call to military service and the
Transition Assistance Program, TAP, what we are talking about
today, it really helps that transition go smoothly. It provides
the resources, the training, the support that our veterans need
whether they are going back to school, whether they are
starting a business, whether they are just preparing for life
finding a job outside of the military. It is like a guide that
helps servicemembers navigate what they are going to encounter
and to do it confidently.
Just looking at this panel we can see how many different
agencies are involved in this, but with TAP shared between you
guys, collective responsibility also means shared
accountability. As part of that accountability is ensuring that
we have common, high-quality standards across the board so that
no matter where you go do your TAP you have a quality
experience that prepares you for life after the military.
You know, in Kentucky, we have got Kentucky Fried Chicken
(KFC). This may seem like a trivial example, but one of the
things you do when you are training employees to work at a KFC
is you have to have training for every employee that ensures
you have that same quality no matter what restaurant you go to
anywhere in the world, right?
We want to make sure that no matter where you go in the
military for your Transition Assistance Program you get that
same quality. Right now we are hearing from veterans that that
is not the case.
Even the different branches of the service have different
transition assistance programs. They are frustrated. Veterans
are frustrated. They are not getting the level of support that
they feel they need. Sometimes it is available, but when it is
not available to them because of what city they are in or where
they are stationed that is frustrating.
Mr. Baird, how are the DoD and the military branches making
sure that local leaders and unit commanders stick to the rules
and ensure servicemembers attend TAP on time?
Mr. Baird. Thank you for that question. That is the very
reason we made it a service IG spotlight item so that they
would take a look at it. Commanders do what the IG looks at and
so we are hoping that in--prior to 2022 the services did not
have corrective action plans for how they were going to get.
Those plans went to GAO. All those plans were accepted and
now they are executing those plans to reach their, you know,
higher numbers.
Mr. McGarvey. I appreciate that because not only do we need
the quality we are hearing from veterans that there is a
disregard for the program at DoD. We want to make sure that
people are going.
What changes are being made to shift the culture to
prioritize a quality TAP program and that people go?
Mr. Baird. I think the emphasis is, one, coming through the
IG, and two, coming through the increased training we are going
to do for commanders. For the first time we now have a guide
that they can download and we also have an online class that
they can take to help them understand.
I think when TAP first came out they saw it as just another
program that they had to do. Now, they are starting to see the
benefit of it. We need to get really, quite frankly, we need to
get to the new commanders and make sure we do training with the
new commanders right off.
Mr. McGarvey. I appreciate that.
Ms. Devlin, I want to switch to you for the last time we
have got remaining. You have talked about, especially in your
written testimony, the importance of tailoring the TAP program
to actually meet the demands of private industry and what
employers are looking for.
How can the TAP program better involve employers to meet
the level of involvement that you would like to see to get the
needs of private industries and adapt to current job market
trends?
Ms. Devlin. Some of the things that we do at the Department
of Labor is that as we engage with specific industries where
there is a high demand for employment and where they are really
looking to hire transitioning servicemembers and veterans.
Defense industrial base, for example, is an area that is in
high demand and important to national security.
We engage with employers through our employer outreach
program and we bring that feedback from those employers back
into the department and we infuse it throughout our program. We
also take feedback from servicemembers about what they are
hearing and even after they leave the military and what their
experiences were like.
Mr. McGarvey. Thank you very much.
Like I said, you know, we want to make sure this is
actually a program that works for our veterans. It is so
important. To transition from military life to civilian life is
not always easy and we have got to do everything we can to help
them out. Thank you guys so much.
I yield back Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Van Orden. The gentleman yields.
The chair now recognizes Representative King-Hinds from the
Northern Mariana Islands. Ma'am.
Ms. King-Hinds. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It only took me 2
days to get here this time, but I am here.
Mr. Van Orden. I do not know how you do it, but God bless
you for being here. We appreciate it.
Ms. King-Hinds. Thank you to all the witnesses for joining
us this morning. I find it very disconcerting that only 52
percent of servicemembers attended TAP on time, right? How do
we improve this?
Should this be mandatory, a mandatory program or, you know,
where that it is compulsory for every servicemember? Is that
the case now or is that not the case? It is an open-ended
question to whoever wants to answer.
Mr. Baird. Thank you for that question. Yes, TAP is
mandatory.
Ms. King-Hinds. Why are the statistics the way they are?
Mr. Baird. Quite honestly, I believe because we were not
keeping an eye on them close enough, but we are now. We look at
them at our level with the transition executive committee but
also, too, the department IG teams are looking at the numbers
to make sure that they are staying on track.
Ms. King-Hinds. Okay. I see that there are different
agencies here who collaborate, right? Are there gaps or
legislative fixes that Congress can help with to ensure that
Department of Labor, Veterans Affairs, and whichever other
agency works together to be able to streamline the process of
helping the veterans and ensuring that they are getting the
assistance that they need?
Ms. Devlin. I can jump in and just say that from the
Department of Labor standpoint we believe we have got what we
need with the committee that we have in place.
For example, when we pilot tested the employment navigator
program and were able to demonstrate the success we went to the
committee and said, listen, we think we should expand this and
have more servicemembers have access to it.
DoD and the military services were at the table. They were
eager to help. We brainstormed a solution. We developed a
strategy and we are going forward with implementation of the
expansion subject to funding, of course. Those partnerships are
really strong that we have.
When it comes to the data on participation rates, we look
at that data on a quarterly basis and sometimes more regularly
in between those quarterly meetings and we ask questions. You
know, why is this one, you know, a little bit less here? What
is happening here?
The military services are there and they help us either
answer the question on the spot or they go research it and come
back to us so we have a system that enables accountability
between our agencies.
Ms. King-Hinds. All right. I come from a rural community. I
come from the Northern Mariana Islands where access to care and
services is very limited anyway for our veterans. How are we
ensuring that the folks who are coming out of the service are
getting the assistance that they need so that they are able to
go right into the workforce, that they are ready to go into the
workforce?
Ms. Devlin. Part of getting ready to go into the workforce
is to understand what the individual's interests, aptitudes,
and abilities are and where we have the employment navigator,
they help them navigate all of that. Where we do not have it
there is still the course, right, so if they do the 1-day
course it is a lot.
Sometimes we hear it is like drinking from a fire hose,
which is why we offered the two elective courses. Taking the
first course at TAP helps the servicemember understand what
they might want to do in their elective courses, right?
If they really know that they just want to get into a job,
they feel like they have the skills already, maybe they
completed some college while in the military, they might go to
the employment workshop to learn more about how to do the
resume, interviewing skills, networking, all those kinds of
things.
If they do not have the training maybe they want to learn
more hands-on, maybe they want to do an apprenticeship, they
can do the career credentialing workshop.
After that the connection to our partners, I think, is
critical because once they get into their community, they can
still keep that connection to our partners. For example, the
American Workforce System being able to connect with the
Disabled Veteran Outreach Program coordinators, local veteran
employment representatives. That gives them the continued
support that they need after they get into their community so
that they can continue to keep working on getting that stable
job.
Ms. King-Hinds. All right, thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back my time.
Mr. Van Orden. The gentlelady yields back.
The chair now recognizes myself for 5 minutes in the third
person, which is never just going to not be weird. Hey, I am
going to take a point of personal privilege before we start
that clock. I just want to cover something that Mr. Pappas
referenced in his opening statements.
Currently, the DoD is deployed to about 60 countries at any
given time and that is not going to change. When someone joins
the military and they decide to, you know, transition from one
gender to another, that is a 2 to 3 to 4-year process where
people are taking hormones then having some very, very
absolutely brutal, barbaric surgeries, and they are
nondeployable at that point.
If someone decides to do this, and that is up to them,
Chris Beck is the first openly transgender Navy SEAL and he is
a really good friend of mine and he is a guy now again. You
know, he went back and forth, but he is a really good friend of
mine and I have known him for 30 years and he is a good man and
he is a solid operator.
He was a frogman, and we did not care what was going on but
he got out of the military and then decided to do this. Here is
why that is so important. When we say that people are overseas
in 60 countries, I have to leave my wife and children or a wife
has to leave her husband or, you know, wife, we do not care
what you are doing in your personal time, but we have got to
leave our kids and potentially get killed because someone is
doing this.
That is, Mr. Pappas, the reason that I agree with the
current policy. I understand. I respect you tremendously. I
just want to make that very clear. Someone is going to leave
their family to forward deploy at all times and that is all I
have to say about that.
Ms. Devlin, I cannot tell you how excited I am that Lori
Chavez-DeRemer is the new secretary. She said, oh, my gosh. We
are--did you ever see the movie The Other Guys? Watch it, Marky
Mark, Will Ferrell, it is great. They did fresh start, so we
are doing a fresh start.
Now, I saw you sneak in there Rodriguez. Stand up, sir.
Yes. Oh, yes, you tried to, yes, nice to see you. Oh, yes, yes,
trying to sneak in. It did not work. Fresh start, ma'am with
you guys, and I expect a lot out of you. I expect a lot out of
Lori and I know she can perform.
President Trump expects a lot out of you and a lot out of
Lori and so does the entire country, not just our veterans
community. You guys are in good hands and I expect the best out
of you. Okay, that is enough of that.
Okay. Mr. Baird, do you consider TAP a retention tool?
Mr. Baird. Yes, sir, I do.
Mr. Van Orden. Why?
Mr. Baird. Those folks who go out into the field and do TAP
and if they do it right then they see the benefits of being in
the military.
Mr. Van Orden. Yes.
Mr. Baird. I think it is a great retention tool.
Mr. Van Orden. Okay. You are correct, sir, and they talk to
each other. Our vets talk to each other.
Mr. Baird. Yes, sir.
Mr. Van Orden. You know what I mean? It gets around if it
is terrible. It is a retention tool and is, as Mr. Pappas said,
it is a national security issue.
Mr. Green, you gave an anecdote about Jessica and one other
person, right, but 52 percent of folks go to this program. That
means 48 percent do not, 200,000 enlisted math, so about 96,000
people you cannot give me an anecdote for a year. Although I
appreciate Jessica and her job, there is 96,000 other people
you cannot give me an anecdote for because they did not go to
TAP and that, sir, is unacceptable.
We talked in private. Ms. Yount, I asked you a couple of
questions yesterday and there is a Solid Start program. You are
doing it. Here is the legislation and we pulled it up and this
is highlighted. It says, ``VA employees must call veterans for
outreach purposes,'' right?
Ms. Yount. Correct.
Mr. Van Orden. The survey indicates, ``Veterans preferred
communication methods other than a phone call.'' They like
texting and, you know, chatting and whatnot. Okay.
The Office of General Counsel (OGC) interpreted this to be
a voice phone call when it says calling each veteran, so who is
the OGC that made this decision?
Ms. Yount. That is VA's office of general counsel.
Mr. Van Orden. Who is the person? I asked you specifically
yesterday.
Ms. Yount. Unfortunately, we were unable to get the
individual's----
Mr. Van Orden. You are excused.
Ms. Yount [continuing]. his name.
Mr. Van Orden. You are excused.
Ms. Yount. Okay.
Mr. Van Orden. Now. You will respect this committee ma'am.
Mr. Green, there have been cuts by DOGE, and I will be very
frank with you. The messaging and how these guys are getting
the word out is not okay. They are just not doing a good job of
it, Mr. Pappas. They are not. We are not beholden to any
administration. We are not.
We are beholden to our constituents and our veterans, so I
am just going to say it out loud. What they are trying to do is
good and righteous at DOGE. How they are getting the message
across is confusing it and it is terrifying our veterans,
right?
I mean, he is getting calls. I am getting calls. Morgan,
you get calls? You guys get calls? I want to ask you this
question. Is there a measurable appreciative degradation of
your ability from the Department of Veterans Affairs or the
Department of Labor, ma'am, to deliver services to our veterans
due to this DOGE stuff?
Mr. Green. No, sir.
Mr. Van Orden. Okay. Ma'am?
Ms. Devlin. No, sir.
Mr. Van Orden. Okay. Here is what we have got to do. We
have got to quit fear mongering with veterans and our seniors
and hungry kids. I was raised on welfare. I went to bed hungry.
I do not like that. We are not cutting Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. We are not cutting Special
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children
(WIC). As a matter of fact, we increased it by $500 million. We
are not cutting veterans' benefits.
There were eight folks that were released from the Tomah VA
healthcare center where I get my care and I love them. I just
called Karen, she runs the place, and I said, ``Karen, has
there been any degradation of your ability to provide medical
care to our veterans?'' She said no.
I am just going to ask everybody on both sides of the aisle
and external folks to quit fear mongering. Because when I asked
you, Mr. Green, you are a subject matter expert, Ms. Devlin,
subject matter expert and you know what you are talking about,
right?
When you say there is no degradation of your ability to
provide services to our veterans I take you at your word. Let
us just stop doing that. That is all I am going to ask.
Mr. Pappas, do you have anything you want to wrap up with,
sir, before we go to the second panel?
Mr. Pappas. I have no further questions. I am interested in
engaging our second panel.
Mr. Van Orden. Okay, excellent. You guys are excused and I
hope you stick around for the next panel and we will take,
what----
Mr. Pappas. Five.
Mr. Van Orden. You know, everyone says 5 minutes. It is
always 10 so let us just say 10 minutes. We will take a 10-
minute recess. Thank you very much.
[Recess.]
Mr. Van Orden. The committee will come to order. Oh, sorry,
my bad. I am now in the proper uniform of the day.
Our second panel we are going to be hearing from our
witnesses Ms. Joy Craig, associate director of Service Member
Affairs, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
(VFW).
The next witness is Ms. Elizabeth O'Brien, senior vice
president of Hiring Our Heroes (HOH), U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Nice to see you.
Our third witness is Ms. Barbara Carson, managing director
of Programs and Services for the D'Aniello Institute for
Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), Syracuse University.
That is a very big title.
Our fourth witness is Mr. Brian Lewis, executive director
of customer operations at Consumers Energy.
Our final witness to this panel is Ms. Kandi Tillman, the
managing co-founder at 50'strong.
I would like to welcome you and ask you to stand please and
raise your right hands. Do you solemnly swear that the
testimony you are about to provide is the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth? Okay, please be seated. Let
the record reflect that all witnesses have answered in the
affirmative.
Ms. Craig, you are now recognized for 5 minutes to deliver
your testimony on behalf of the VFW.
STATEMENT OF JOY CRAIG
Ms. Craig. Thank you, Chairman. Chairman Van Orden, Ranking
Member Pappas, and members of the subcommittee, on behalf of
the men and women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United
States and its auxiliary, thank you for the opportunity to
provide our remarks on the Transition Assistance Program, or
TAP.
Nearly 200,000 servicemembers leave the military each year
with 80 percent separating before retirement. Military force
management depends on a steady pipeline of new recruits to
sustain operational readiness. This ongoing cycle underscores
the importance of ensuring the Department of Defense delivers
effective military to civilian transition programs.
For many servicemembers, joining the military is a means of
securing stable employment or a path to upward mobility. It is
a major life event and conversely so is transition.
Despite spending up to 6 months training new recruits, DoD
provides only 5 days of preparation for their return to
civilian life. Veterans who are not fully prepared face
increased risks of underemployment, financial hardship, and
suicide, especially within the first year after separation.
While DOD's primary mission is national security, it has
legal obligations to provide transition services. Federal law
mandates that all eligible servicemembers begin transition
support no later than 1 year before separation. DoD must ensure
timely TAP attendance and provide a warm handoff to community
resources.
In October 2023, DoD testified before Congress that
commanding officers frequently waived TAP attendance due to
mission requirements, voluntary separations or personal choice.
At the same hearing, the Government Accountability Office
reported that 53 percent of all TAP waivers were approved with
22 percent of at-risk servicemembers skipping the mandatory 2-
day track entirely.
DoD must allow more time for TAP participation, ensure
command support for transition, tailor courses to different
separation types, expand access for guard and reserve members,
and better integrate spouses into the process.
VFW's transition survey shows that future veterans' primary
concerns after separation include finding employment,
navigating service-connected disabilities, maintaining
financial stability, and losing their sense of purpose and
camaraderie. It is unrealistic to assume that every
servicemember has a job waiting or a safety net to catch them
on the outside.
The VFW recommends integrating transition support early and
at multiple points throughout a servicemember's career rather
than relying solely on the Transition Assistance Program. Poor
enforcement of TAP attendance disproportionately affects junior
enlisted servicemembers who are the most vulnerable post-
discharge.
The VFW's transition survey highlights other issues with
TAP. An Army E-6 from Fort Riley reported their unit did not
provide adequate time for a smooth transition and described TAP
as an overwhelming fire hose of information with no time to act
on what was taught.
One sailor from Quantico was repeatedly pulled from TAP
classes for operational duties, while another missed crucial
instruction because they were not released from deployment in
time.
These reports reveal a culture of prioritizing operational
needs over transition. One area showing improvement is VA's TAP
6.0 program which has increased access to benefits counseling
allowing in-person accredited representatives to help
servicemembers navigate VA claims.
Since its launch in January 2024, VFW has reached 13,000
more members than the year prior, a 54 percent increase in
engagement, which is why we urge Congress to pass the TAP
Promotion Act to ensure all future veterans receive this
essential assistance to claim their earned benefits as early as
possible.
The transition experience can also have lasting effects on
military recruitment. Poor transition can impact how veterans
speak to their children and communities about the value of
military service and could cause young people to be hesitant to
join fearing their own post-discharge challenges.
To address these and other ongoing issues, which I have
detailed in my written testimony, the VFW urges Congress to
establish a key position within DoD to oversee transition. We
recommend an undersecretary of defense for transition to
oversee, coordinate, and modernize all transition programs.
As it stands, transition services are fragmented and
inconsistently enforced at the unit level where operational
priorities often take precedence. An undersecretary would
provide Congress a single point of accountability and drive the
necessary culture change within DoD.
Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Pappas, this concludes
my remarks. I am happy to answer any questions you may have.
[The Prepared Statement Of Joy Craig Appears In The
Appendix]
Mr. Van Orden. Thank you, Ms. Craig. The written statement
Ms. Craig will be entered into the record.
Ms. O'Brien you are now recognized for 5 minutes to deliver
your testimony.
STATEMENT OF ELIZABETH O'BRIEN
Ms. O'Brien. Good morning, Chairman Van Orden, Ranking
Member Pappas, and distinguished members of the subcommittee. I
am Elizabeth O'Brien. I am the senior vice president of Hiring
Our Heroes, an initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Foundation.
I have also been for the last 2 decades an active-duty
military spouse and proud mother of three army brats during our
Nation's longest conflicts. Thank you for allowing me the
opportunity to speak on the need to update and modernize
Transition Assistance Programs for servicemembers transitioning
from active duty to the civilian workforce.
Since our inception at Hiring Our Heroes, we have served
over 1 million members and currently support 80,000 military-
connected individuals each year. Economic opportunity sustains
the all-volunteer force, but success depends on effective
career navigation.
Programs like SkillBridge and employment related pathways
are vital ensuring today's warriors become tomorrow's best
recruiters. As we all know in 2011, the United States faced a
crisis in veteran unemployment as young veterans struggled with
rates soaring up to 30 percent. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Foundation launched Hiring Our Heroes and we united forces with
State and local chambers, businesses, Department of Defense,
and Department of Labor, and the VA.
The public-private effort helped cut post-9/11 unemployment
from 12.1 percent to 5.8 by 2015. However, today, veteran
unemployment remains below non-veterans at 4 percent.
However, the unemployment data reveals little about the
true employment journey of transitioning servicemembers.
Research shows from McKinsey and Company that while veterans
generally out earn civilians, 60 percent of transitioning
servicemembers earn less in their first civilian job than in
the military.
Penn State University reported that 61 percent of veterans
feel unemployed, citing a mismatch between their skills and the
civilian job opportunities. Edelman found that 62 percent of
transitioning servicemembers could not secure a job at their
desired level and the LinkedIn veteran opportunity report
revealed that veterans are half as likely as civilians to reach
leadership roles, again pointing to a disconnect between
military experience and employer recognition.
The U.S. still falls short in post-military career support.
The Rand study confirmed GAO's 2020 findings that 45
overlapping programs across 11 agencies with less than 5
percent of funding for job placement or skills translation.
Most transitioning servicemembers need employment support, yet
TAP is not solely designated for that.
Rand's 2024 report urged greater investment in employment
programs and stronger Federal and nonprofit collaboration.
SkillBridge, a DoD initiative, is the sole Federal transition
program that turns conventional transition outcomes on its
head.
For over a decade at Hiring Our Heroes we have facilitated
and worked as one of the largest intermediaries in support of
SkillBridge. In the past 5 years we have connected 10,600
fellows with 2,500 employers nationwide, inclusive of all
ranks, 89 percent job offer rate within 3 months, $107,000
average starting salary, which is double the pay of an E-6 with
8 years of service and 20 percent higher than an O-3.
What we know is that experiential bridge programs close the
gap around poor transition.
Our strategic insight report surveyed 1,900 SkillBridge
participants and 381 non-participants. Time to employment was
much faster for fellows, with 63 percent being employed within
1 month of transition versus 38 of non-participants. Fellows
were far more likely to take a job for positive reasons.
Fellows who were more likely to recommend service to future
generations with 61 percent saying they would recommend service
versus 54 percent. Also, military spouse employment is key to
veteran transition success providing financial stability and
allowing the veteran to find the right fit job or upskilling
opportunity.
Currently, Hiring Our Heroes facilitates the Department of
Defense's military spouse career accelerator pilot. Since 2022
of December, we have placed over 1,000 spouses with an offer
rate of 85 percent and 60 percent remote placement.
As we look forward to the future, HOH recommends the
following areas of focus. Focus on more employment related
services as part of transition. They should be prioritized
while reducing or eliminating duplicative programs.
Expand opportunities for SkillBridge and apprenticeships.
The programs help servicemembers showcase their skills, create
informed career decisions playing a crucial role in successful
transition.
The military to civilian transition is not a one-time----
Mr. Van Orden. The gentlelady's time has expired.
Ms. O'Brien. Thank you. I look forward to your questions.
[The Prepared Statement of Elizabeth O'Brien appears in the
Appendix]
Mr. Van Orden. You are sure welcome and thanks for that.
Your written testimony will be entered in the record, which I
actually read. I did.
Ms. Carson, you are now recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF BARBARA CARSON
Ms. Carson. Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Pappas, and
distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to provide testimony today on behalf of the
D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families at
Syracuse University.
Even in the best of circumstances we know that military to
civilian transition can present significant challenges, yet the
bar for a successful transition is often quite low focusing on
unemployment despite data showing 62 percent of veterans are
underemployed after 6-1/2 years.
When exiting service veterans are qualified to get jobs
that reflect and respect their service and training. We should
not assume that those jobs are the same ones that they did in
the military.
Securing meaningful employment can help avoid enormous
financial, social, and personal costs. These costs also have
implications for our all-volunteer force and in turn our
national security.
Data from the Military Family Lifestyle Survey, our
collaboration with Blue Star families, as well as recent data
that was recently published by Ipsos with Call of Duty
Endowment as well as Mission Roll Call, both point to the
hesitancy to recommend or pursue military service for the
younger generation despite the positive perception of veterans.
The available evidence is a fundamental starting point for
how we might improve TAP and the transition process and where
TAP alone is not sufficient.
First, as a mandatory program, TAP must continuously be
assessed to ensure it is accessible and meets the evolving
needs of transitioning servicemembers.
Despite recent progress many still fail to begin TAP as
early as required by law and some fail to attend the required
portion at all. At the same time, we recognize the inherent
tension DoD faces between prioritizing mission readiness and
focusing on preparation for post-service life.
We must explore options that preserve flexibility for
commanders to meet their compliance goals but also include
consequences for noncompliance, such as integrating TAP
participation into those performance evaluations.
Beyond TAP, our system of support is complex and not always
aligned with what people need or what works best. There are
currently 46 programs across 11 agencies which Rand estimates
represent $13 billion of expenditures every year. This
investment skews heavily toward education services despite
evidence that employment is the key component of most veterans'
plans after service.
Budget and performance data for these programs is hard to
come by making it difficult to address overlaps and gaps with
existing programs. TAP is one of the few Federal programs that
has been evaluated, and while it shows long-term employment
benefits, effects on wages have been mixed.
Notably, wages were better when TAP was completed earlier
and combined with access to other resources. The Veteran
Metrics Initiative, or TVMI, a longitudinal study of post-9/11
veterans managed by Penn State University, found that in the
months following separation, two-thirds of veterans used at
least one program aside from TAP. A third used even more, and
veterans who use more programs experience better outcomes.
Nonprofit initiatives like our Onward 2 Opportunity Program
(O2O) contribute to these outcomes. O2O provides skilled
training and credentialing to over 10,000 transitioning
servicemembers, veterans of every era, and spouses each year.
As the only program that has been rigorously evaluated by a
third party, O2O provides non-government efforts, many often
operate more efficiently--excuse me. It shows that non-
government programs operate more efficiently and effectively
than some of the government counterparts.
In addition to data that is demonstrating the value of
multiple programs aside from TAP, we know that transition is
more than one moment in time.
Given this evidence, warm handovers must be easier between
DoD, VA, and Labor, as well as to states and communities. We
encourage appropriate data sharing with safety and other
reduced barriers to enrollment and benefits and services at the
Federal, State, and local level.
Further, though TAP can be a valuable resource, data
suggests that only about half of military spouses engage with
it. We encourage increasing their access and/or offering
programs that are more tailored for them. Transition impacts
the entire family unit and everyone benefits when spouses are
prepared.
In sum, the evidence demands an accountable system of
supports beyond TAP and government alone, empowering investment
of scarce resources into programs that work best for veterans
and their families during this critical time. Doing so not only
impacts their well-being, successful transition benefits our
communities, preserves the all-volunteer force, and ultimately
strengthens our national security.
Thank you and I look forward to your questions.
[The Prepared Statement Of Barbara Carson Appears In The
Appendix]
Mr. Van Orden. Thank you, Ms. Carson. Your written
statement will be entered into the hearing record.
Mr. Lewis, you are now recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF BRIAN LEWIS
Mr. Lewis. Thank you, Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member
Pappas, and members of the subcommittee for the opportunity to
discuss critical programs that support our Nation's veterans.
My name is Brian Lewis, and I am the executive director of
customer operations at Consumers Energy where I have worked for
12 years serving in a variety of customer-centric roles.
Consumers Energy provides natural gas and electric service to
nearly 7 million Michigan residents.
Prior to my civilian career I was a combat medic and a lab
tech in the U.S. Army where I was entrusted with the lives of
my fellow soldiers. When I transitioned to civilian life,
however, I had to abandon medical aspirations as I found my
Army training at that time had limited transferability limiting
my job prospects.
The challenges veterans face finding transferable and
meaningful civilian careers after service to our country are
real and compelled me to seek out ways to advocate on their
behalf, which I now support at Consumers Energy when veterans
join the company.
At Consumers Energy we have more than 800 military veterans
who take our pride of service beyond self, a passion we learned
in the military, and apply it to a new mission, applying
essential heat and light to our fellow Michiganders. Our
company's efforts to support veterans is about our earnest
desire to ease the often-difficult transition out of the
military by providing a welcoming environment for colleagues
with different backgrounds and experiences.
Our veterans-based resource group, the veterans advisory
panel, provides space for employees to help drive policy change
both within our organization and with external partners to
better recruit, retain, and support veterans.
Today, the veterans advisory panel is one of the company's
largest resource groups with over 500 members. Their feedback
ushered in a partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor and
led to the registration of seven different job roles as
approved apprenticeship programs.
Now, our veterans can use their GI bill benefits while on
apprenticeships that prepare them for rewarding, lifelong
careers.
We have also recruited veterans for pre-apprenticeship
programs referred to as energy style boot camps hosted at a
training center located in Congressman Barrett's district. In
partnership with the Utility Workers Union of America and Power
for America, these gas and electric boot camps have prepared
over 300 veterans for energy careers by providing a pathway to
apprenticeships that lead to high-paying, in demand electric
and natural gas careers.
As you can imagine though, demand for these programs
outpaces availability and each time a new boot camp opens we
receive more applicants than we have spaces to fill.
While programs like these are meaningful, there is still
work to be done. We encourage Congress to strengthen the
connection between the Transition Assistance Program offices
and companies in states that are not close to active-duty
military installations.
We also see great potential in the Department of Defense's
SkillBridge program but believe further coordination with the
Transition Assistance Program will improve connections between
veterans and prospective employers.
If you are an active duty servicemember of the military or
a military veteran listening today my message is simple.
Consumers Energy is the ideal career destination for you. We
value your heart of service and the unique skills you bring to
the energy industry.
We will do everything we can to provide opportunities in
the field, at a plant, or in an office. We will invest in your
development and give you the opportunity to thrive in a team
that is essential to providing energy to Michigan.
Thank you again for the opportunity to participate in this
discussion. Consumers Energy stands ready, willing, and able to
support policymakers in improving economic opportunity for our
Nation's veterans. With that, I look forward to your questions.
Thank you.
[The Prepared Statement Of Brian Lewis Appears In The
Appendix]
Mr. Van Orden. Mr. Lewis, I want to thank you for your
incredibly shameless pitch for your company. That was just so
in your face. Let us just acknowledge it. Hey, thank you, sir.
Did you go to Fort Sam?
Mr. Lewis. I spent a year at Fort Sam with a bunch of
sailors.
Mr. Van Orden. That is right. Best year of your life----
Mr. Lewis. Best year.
Mr. Van Orden. Okay. Your written testimony will be entered
into the record.
Ms. Tillman, you are now recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF KANDI TILLMAN
Ms. Tillman. Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Pappas,
members of the subcommittee, thank you so much for giving me
the opportunity to speak to you today. I am here on behalf of
50'strong, an impact first small business that my husband and I
co-founded in 2020. He was a former junior enlisted
servicemember that served two tours with the Army Rangers.
Our mission is simple, to help strong employers build
strong pathways for military talent and to provide easy virtual
connections for those in transition.
Just last Thursday, hundreds of military-affiliated job
seekers registered for one 50'strong event that featured 20
employers. Of those that registered, 25 percent identified as
E-1 through E-4 ranks, 54 percent were military-affiliated
students, and many were transitioning military opting in on
their own.
After this one short virtual event 90 percent of those that
attended say they discovered new civilian employment pathways
and 98 percent said they would recommend it to others.
We did this almost every week.
In 2024, we supported approximately 200 employers, 100
education institutions, and nearly 13,000 military-affiliated
job seekers. This was all done at no cost to those job seekers
and at no cost to taxpayers. It is thanks to the support of 13
corporate partners.
Several years ago, a veteran at a Fortune 500 company said
to me we want to hire more transitioning military. We do not
know how to reach them efficiently. I still hear this every day
from employers.
As a civilian with 20 years of experience in Fortune 500,
this tells me that we need industry-enabled modern and
accessible solutions that complement the critical role that
government and nonprofit organizations play.
I will offer four areas today for us to consider together.
First, we must recognize that employment is critical to
military transition and therefore employers are a critical
stakeholder for any related policy.
According to Military One Source, nearly three-quarters of
all those leaving active duty separate versus retire. As a
reminder to us all, the vast majority of transitioning military
will need civilian employment and it is employers that offer
employment.
Second, let us recognize that SkillBridge has
revolutionized employer participation in military transition in
the last 6 years.
As one strong example, Lowe's has established a SkillBridge
program that enables opportunities at any of their locations
across the country. Last year 95 percent of their SkillBridge
participants received a full-time job offer at the end of their
fellowship.
This means that a servicemember returning home to Oshkosh,
Wisconsin, or Bedford, New Hampshire, or Buckeye, Arizona,
where I live, has a pathway to a strong future in their home
community on day one of post-active duty.
I will also highlight Cushman and Wakefield, a global real
estate services firm. They have taken on over a hundred
SkillBridge interns to more than 30 different types of roles
with a 90 percent full-time offer rate. My thanks to the
bipartisan leadership of the past three administrations toward
this phenomenal growth.
Third, we must find solutions that work for employers of
all shapes and sizes, including small businesses that employ 47
percent of private sector workers in the U.S. Importantly,
State and local Chambers of Commerce and industry-driven
business associations and business vertical-supported groups
are often key drivers of small business enablement.
Finally, we must recognize that military transition
includes the very large number of those that enroll in school
in what I will refer to as extended military transition, yet
there is no at skill support to help them translate their
skills from the military. There is little tracking of
employment outcomes once they complete their education.
Yes, we must protect this investment and also we must
recognize that any education training or certification program
should honor our promise to those who have served by leading to
meaningful employment, not dead end pathways that exhaust their
hard-earned education benefits. We must also ensure that the
funding is used as intended to intentionally support military-
affiliated students.
Based on this I have a few recommendations. First, include
diverse employer voices in all congressional hearings and
roundtables, enhance TAP curriculum with industry-driven
virtual career preparation, continue to support DoD's efforts
toward strong employment outcomes, modify SkillBridge
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) requirements to maintain
flexible internship models, champion local collaboration in
your communities, develop a tracking mechanism for employment
outcomes for all transition programs, and encourage all schools
receiving post----
[The Prepared Statement of Kandi Tillman appears in the
Appendix]
Mr. Van Orden. The gentlelady's time has expired and,
ma'am, your written testimony will be entered into the record.
I read it, too, and you have some fantastic recommendations.
You certainly do.
I now recognize the Ranking Member, Mr. Pappas, for 5
minutes to question the witnesses at his leisure.
Mr. Pappas. Well, thank you. I thought it appeared you were
close to the end, but I think your recommendations are really
important for the subcommittee.
Ms. Tillman. My last recommendation, thank you so much,
sir, my last recommendation, encourage all schools receiving
post-9/11 GI bill funds to allocate resources specifically for
student veteran support services.
Mr. Pappas. Well, thank you for that, and maybe I could
just turn to you for a question. You highlighted SkillBridge as
a really important development, something that has been really
working. Can you help us understand what the barriers are for
more businesses to participate in SkillBridge and what we
should be doing to ensure that that connection is made?
Because every time I am out in my district, I meet
employers that have veteran employees and are incredibly eager
to continue to find more. This is a time where most industries
are continuing to hire, so talk about the need to make sure
SkillBridge reaches more employers.
Ms. Tillman. Thank you so much for the question.
SkillBridge is often an entry point for new employers that are
trying to figure out how to engage with military talent. There
was an important component of SkillBridge that has enabled so
much growth and so much momentum in industry and that is the
ability for employers to open internships through what we will
refer to as third-party intermediary facilitators.
One recommendation I would like to make, I will point out
that thanks to the DoD, the military to civilian transition
office, tremendous efforts have been made to ensure strong
outcomes in the last year's MOU updates.
There is one modification I would like to offer to ensure
that new employers, particularly small businesses, can most
flexibly engage in the program, and that is to delay Section
4.3.4 of the current MOU that requires individual MOUs for all
host employers until a future date but mandate employment
outcomes reporting immediately, as outlined in section 4.3.3
for the third-party facilitators that are making their
participation possible.
Mr. Pappas. Well, thanks for that recommendation. I
appreciate your focus on the small business community, too,
which I know is valuable to all of our districts here.
Ms. Carson, if I can turn to you for a question? You
highlighted your Onward 2 Opportunity Program, and can you tell
us a little bit more about how that got started? What makes it
unique and if there are lessons that can be translated from the
success of that program to other initiatives that provide
transition assistance?
Ms. Carson. Thank you for the question. The Onward 2
Opportunity Program began with a philanthropic effort by the
Schultz Family Foundation and it continues to this day with
both corporate and philanthropic support.
It is credentialing, not made-up ones that we say that you
have a badge from Syracuse University but industry recognized
credentials in cyber, IT, Human Resources (HR), and the Project
Management Professional (PMP), for example. We make that
available at no cost thanks to those funders that I just
mentioned.
When combined with a connection to employers it is a very
successful intervention that, as I shared in my testimony
written and verbal, has been evaluated by third parties. That
is exactly what we would like to see with other interventions.
What are the outcomes you intend and are you achieving them?
Mr. Pappas. Thank you very much for that.
Ms. Craig, if I can turn to you? I appreciate your
testimony here today and I think you identified that push and
pull relationship that exists between those who are actively
serving in their command when it comes to setting aside time to
prepare for transition.
Right now, there is only a small amount of time for TAP and
some describe it as an experience like drinking from a fire
hose. We hear that term all the time.
What suggestions do you want to highlight to ensure that
folks can manage the flow of that water and that every
servicemember is given adequate time to be able to prepare?
Ms. Craig. Thank you for that question, Ranking Member
Pappas. As I mentioned earlier, you know, DoD does spend
anywhere between 6 weeks and 6 months training, onboarding
servicemembers to become warfighters but they are lucky if they
get 5 days when they prepare to leave the military.
The real question is why only 5? Why cannot TAP be longer
or segmented in a way that members touch base with the program
multiple times throughout their service? We do believe that
that would be a great question for an undersecretary of defense
to investigate further.
The fire hose of information that they receive during those
TAP classes they are given very little time to actually act on
all the long to-do list that they create for themselves. We
believe that TAP should be either extended in time or that
commanders could be a little bit more gracious in giving
servicemembers time on the clock to prepare for transition.
Mr. Pappas. Thanks very much.
I yield back.
Mr. Van Orden. The gentleman yields back.
The chair now recognizes Mr. Hamadeh from the great State
of Arizona for 5 minutes, sir.
Mr. Hamadeh. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you to our witnesses and thank you Ms. Tillman for
everything you and Kevin have done for promoting veterans and
the entire Tillman family is near and dear to me.
You know, my first picture I hung up on my office wall was
actually one of Pat Tillman and it is a constant reminder of
the sacrifices our military servicemembers make. It reminds my
staff and I always choose to hire veterans. I prioritize them
first and foremost.
As we both know, Arizona's economy is growing and I want to
make sure that our employers understand that the veteran pool
is the best pool to, you know, to take from, especially with
the growing economy and all the semiconductors coming in.
Ms. Tillman, I have got a question for you. What has been
your experience working with the Department of Labor with the
navigator program, the ENPP?
Ms. Tillman. Thank you so much for the question. I would
like to offer when we first started 50'strong as a private
small business, as you can imagine, navigating government here
in DC was quite complicated for us. I will offer the Department
of Labor VETS team was one of the first groups to welcome us
in.
We have had the privilege of hosting and helping to host
employer roundtables with Assistant Secretary Rodriguez and
their team has been incredibly supportive and open to the
employer community.
Also, as of January of this year, 50'strong is now an
official partner of the DOL ENPP program. Referrals are just
now starting to come in for that, but we do certainly look
forward to further collaboration with their team. I am grateful
for their team's efforts to include all types of organizations
and employers.
Mr. Hamadeh. Do you have any other recommendations to make
that program better?
Ms. Tillman. My recommendations are as what they would be
for any other program. We have to continue to look toward
outcomes. I will applaud the DOL team. They are tracking
outcomes of the DOL ENPP program, and I appreciate that.
Mr. Hamadeh. What feedback have you received from the 200
employers that 50'strong works with when it comes to hiring
veterans?
Ms. Tillman. It is important to note that the vast majority
of those 200 employers are opting into our services at no fee.
Of those that are coming what we always tell them is if you get
value then please continue to come back.
You know, as a small business we will no longer exist if we
are not offering value to all in our community and making sure
that we are doing it in a way that is trusted and honored.
The feedback that we are hearing from employers is that. I
just heard a feedback from an employer that came to one
50'strong event for their first time. They found two great
candidates and they ended up hiring one of them.
We are incredibly appreciative to the employers that are
coming prepared, offering pathways, and importantly, offering
much-needed industry-led career preparation as part of the
employment search.
Mr. Hamadeh. Thank you.
Mr. Lewis, what gaps do you most often see in hiring
transition servicemembers versus civilians?
Mr. Lewis. The gaps that we find--thank you for the
question, Representative. I would say the gaps that we find
most often is that they are still looking for the camaraderie
that they had while serving and that is why we have been very
diligent and investing in our veterans advisory panel that just
led to hearing their challenges, their concerns, and their
needs.
It is helped shape some of the benefit packages that we put
forward, but I think that is it the most. They have rejoined
the team at Consumers Energy, but they want to have the same
level of esprit de corps that they had in their time in the
service, so we are very deliberate about spending time,
investing time in providing that social outlet so that they can
feel a little what they had previously.
Mr. Hamadeh. How do you provide that?
Mr. Lewis. Our veterans advisory panel has weekly and
monthly meetings. We have an annual event where we will bring
everybody together for Veteran's Day to celebrate their
service. We have outside parties come in and speakers.
We continue to invest in the benefits policies, so we have
30 days of paid military leave that is fully paid. We do not
require any kind of a gap fill there. We offer 1 year of
complete gap fill pay as well.
We provide different mental health offerings. It is just
being intentional about spending time with veterans, listening
to their needs, and finding programs that meet those needs.
Mr. Hamadeh. Has the feedback been positive from the
veterans?
Mr. Lewis. Completely positive. I think the national
average with self-identified veterans is around 7 percent. We
have 12 percent at Consumers Energy and continue to fill that
pipeline. We are intentional about going out and finding that
talent.
Mr. Hamadeh. Very good, thank you. Thank you.
I yield back.
Mr. Van Orden. The gentleman yields back.
The chair now recognizes Ms. Ramirez from the great State
of Illinois, my dear friend, ma'am, 5 minutes.
Ms. Ramirez. Thank you, Chairman and thank you ranking
member for holding today's hearing.
Thank you for the witnesses that are here. We know that the
current attacks on the VA's workforce and its funding are
alarming, and I personally am deeply concerned about the
impacts those attacks will have on all veteran programs and
services.
However, we know that the unique importance of the
Transition Assistance Program has on veteran lives. Having ran
a homeless shelter where we served a number of veterans
experiencing homelessness, I know that the transition from
military service to civilian life is distinct and complex.
From employment assistance to mental health services,
housing support and access to continued education, our veterans
deserve an integrated, streamlined, comprehensive approach to
TAP that recognizes their sacrifices, honors their needs, and
also provides them with the necessary tools, the resources and
the support they need so that they can succeed.
While we continue to fight for full funding and staffing at
the VA, given today's conditions we also have to be
particularly aware of programs like TAP that provide essential
support at a moment of significant transition in veterans'
lives instead of recklessly reducing resources and capacity in
the VA, which has the potential to impact veteran access to and
experience of TAP. We should be instead investing in
improvements to the TAP program so that we can meet the diverse
needs of our veterans.
I have a couple of questions. Ms. Craig, in your testimony
you shared that you believe transitioning out of the military
presents unique challenges. You said that this includes shifts
and identity, needing further education, struggling with
employment, and overall a lack of support.
What additional support do you believe is still needed from
our Federal agencies, particularly the VA, to ensure that the
TAP program equips veterans to successfully reintegrate into
civilian life?
Ms. Craig. Thank you for that question, Congresswoman
Ramirez. We, the VFW, believes that the VA is doing the best
that they can with, you know, the resources that they have at
the time. I am sorry. Do you mind do you mind rephrasing the
question?
Ms. Ramirez. What additional support? Are there any
specific gaps in resources that Congress should be addressing
as it pertains to the TAP program?
Ms. Craig. I would not say necessarily gaps in resources
right now. The VFW is highly supportive of the benefits
delivery at discharge program, which the VA is gracious enough
to allow our representatives to go into that 1 day of their TAP
course.
Our BDD reps are able to engage with servicemembers as they
are transitioning and link them to the VA at the point of
discharge, which we know that when servicemembers get away from
the military and do not connect with VA, particularly within
that first year, they are even less likely to circle back to
the VA and they miss out on crucial resources and services that
the VA provides.
Ms. Ramirez. Thank you, Ms. Craig.
I want to shift gears now and ask a question to Ms. Carson.
Your testimony highlights a key issue that many veterans face,
the need for a longer period of plan separation from military
service before that 1-year mark. Based on available research,
what do you think is a recommended timeframe for servicemembers
to begin that transition?
Additionally, as you are answering that question, how
should we account for economic conditions when determining the
timeframe? For example, if job growth is slowing or if certain
industries are seeing layoffs, should we be adjusting the
timeline or tailoring resources accordingly?
Ms. Carson. Thank you for your question, ma'am. This is a
great one that has been looked at by TVMI, which I referenced,
and they suggest, and we agree that at 1 year prior to
separation it could be extended even more.
It is as easy potentially as making information available
that is going to be provided at TAP available earlier. The VA
does some of that right now at military it is part of the
military lifecycle, being aware of the benefits that are
available before you even begin to separate.
In terms of being sensitive to economic trends, we do need
more data on that. That is not always available to those of us
who are not within the government's data collection resources
and that we could adjust and be more timely if that were
provided.
One way to do that is to keep a longitudinal study and look
in on servicemembers long before they have left service and
continue long post-service. The TVMI would be, again, a great
place to start the baseline for those questions to see that the
four domains of health that have been identified are sustained.
Ms. Ramirez. Thank you, Ms. Carson, I appreciate that. I
mean, I could not agree more. We have to improve the system
coordination. We need to be streamlining dual enrollment
processing, staff up more navigators, and conduct greater
outreach for the program earlier.
Instead, however, we are trying to stop a staffing purge
that will create needless hardship for veterans. The actions of
this administration, let me say on the record, are not
progress. They are adored to privatization and they put
servicemembers' transition to civilian----
Mr. Van Orden. The gentlelady's time has expired.
Ms. Ramirez [continuing]. life in jeopardy and it is
shameful.
Mr. Van Orden. The gentlelady's time has expired.
Ms. Ramirez. With that, I yield back, Chairman. Thank you.
Mr. Van Orden. The gentlelady yields back.
The chair now recognizes Representative King-Hinds from the
Northern Mariana Islands for 5 minutes.
Ms. King-Hinds. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I made a promise to our local VFW chapter to extend their
half a day to the folks here in DC, who represent the VFW
during these testimoneys and to say thank you on their behalf.
I hear from Ms. Craig and Ms. O'Brien about the importance
of providing spouse services, that they are included as part of
the TAP program, and I just wanted to, kind of, hear more on
that subject because I do believe that, you know, when families
transition into civilian life it impacts the entire family. I
want to hear your thoughts on what that would look like?
Ms. O'Brien. Thank you for the question. First and
foremost, for the duration of a military servicemember's career
if they have a partner, if they are married, the military
spouse is expected to come alongside and is a very active
participant oftentimes.
As we near transition, we find that military spouses are
often included only on an opportunity where there is space
available for them to push in and to sit in. The reality is
military spouses carry a huge burden to make a successful
transition for the entire family.
We also know that military spouse employment, having the
opportunity for spouses to go to work 5 to 6 years, especially
1 year before transition, has a direct impact on how the
servicemember transitions out and the job that they select. If
we have financial stability in the home, it provides the
opportunity for the servicemember to make the right choice and
the right fit in terms of employment.
Recommendation is certainly that military spouses are
included in TAP, have the opportunity to come alongside and not
only on a space available opportunity.
Ms. King-Hinds. Thank you for that. I agree. This question
is also for you. You mentioned that in terms of transitioning
back into civilian life one of the issues is not necessarily
unemployment but underemployment. How can we help address that
issue?
Ms. O'Brien. Well, in terms of what Ms. Carson recommended
beginning that process at least a minimum of a year out in
terms of transition. We know oftentimes because we are not
plugging military servicemembers into TAP at the right time it
puts them further and further behind and they are forced then
to take a job because there is economic pressure to feed our
families, to ensure that there is a pathway to economic
opportunity.
If we can start that process at minimum a year out and it
allows them to figure out what is the right career for them,
what skills do they need to acquire, how can they better
articulate their soft skills that they bring to employers?
Each of those mile markers becomes increasingly more
important and we see those that do not have the time to
participate in TAP fully and to participate in SkillBridge end
up underemployed over and over again.
There are programs in place. There are nonprofits that have
the ability to fill the gaps where needed and to step forward
and so creating a tighter synergy in that warm handoff is
absolutely important and going back to at least minimum of a
year participation.
Ms. King-Hinds. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back my
time.
Mr. Van Orden. The gentlelady yields back.
The chair now recognizes Mr. Barrett from the great State
of Michigan. Sir.
Mr. Barrett. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for
hosting this committee today and want to thank the panelists
for your time.
I know Ms. Tillman. I think you, kind of, were explaining
through your remarks it reminded me a little bit of the
difference between outputs and outcomes. The DoD will say,
well, we put this many people through this program. This many
people went through the TAP program and did this many briefings
and everything else, but we never ask, well, what is the
outcome of that?
We know how many outputs were done, but the outcome is
still uncertain from there. I think that has got to be a shift
in focus of what we do is less about how many people we run
through a program and more about what the outcome of that is
and the deliverable for it for the purpose of the veterans that
it is supposed to be benefiting. I appreciate your
acknowledgement of that distinct difference.
Also, Mr. Lewis, thank you so much for being here from
Michigan. Appreciate the partnership with Consumers and the
work that you do employing veterans. I know first-hand men and
women that I served with in the military who ultimately went
and worked at Consumers.
I think a big part of what veterans are looking for,
whether they consciously think about it or not, is they are
looking for their next purpose in life.
They have a distinct purpose in the military. They know
that. They can feel it. There is a mission behind what we do
every single day.
Then as you leave service, I think you want to feel that
same sense of purpose or at least a degree of that. You
understand that military and civilian life are going to be
different and they are not going to be entirely exact but
having that sense of purpose is very important.
I am curious if you have had any lessons learned through
the program that you are doing along the way that you have been
doing it for over a decade now, I believe, of some of how you
build that connection through that sense of purpose perhaps?
Mr. Lewis. Thank you for the question, Representative. I
know I am repeating myself but being intentional about it, like
you have got to get started and I have seen too many employers
that just do not get started.
Pulling a group of veterans together we will figure it out
for you. We have opinions and we will share them, so I think
really being intentional about providing time, getting that
group together, hearing their voices. They are going to tell
you how to recruit veterans, where you need to look, where we
are falling short of a benefits package, and with that we can
make those changes.
Veterans bring to the workplace a myriad of skills. They
are dependable. They work safe. They show up on time. They
execute. They know how to work in a team. If you get us
together in a room, we will create the outcomes that are
necessary. Just give us space.
It is an easy investment for companies to make. Far too
often we fall short because we are focused on the task at hand
where we can solve our own problems by getting folks engaged
into their own futures.
Mr. Barrett. Do you think that--and thank you for that. Do
you think Consumers has recognized, look, there is a real
purpose behind what your company does, right? It is life
critical for, you know, home heating, for electricity, for, you
know, all the various things that go into that?
Do you feel that that provides a natural fit for veterans
to really have a very clear answer of the purpose behind the
work that they are doing?
Mr. Lewis. Absolutely. There is a purpose in our work.
There is a beginning and an end. There is always a mission as
we start the day. We ride in the literal storms sometimes to
throw up power lines. Veterans connect with that very well
because they are used to that.
They are used to being in uncomfortable positions for long
periods of time because there are people in need and I think
they find a greater outcome, a greater opportunity, a greater
mission when they do work like providing energy to their
citizens.
Mr. Barrett. Sure. Thank you and the partnership you have
with the facility in Potterville that you mentioned, I have
toured that facility. I have seen it first-hand some of the
work what they do.
When I was in the State legislature we got them approved
for some of the tuition assistance programs that are available
to our National Guard men and women there. Can you tell me a
little bit about how that has worked from the Federal
partnership that you describe with the Department of Labor?
Mr. Lewis. Yes. Shout out to Amber Fogarty. She is my
previous co-chair at the veterans advisory panel. She was very
intentional with working with the Department of Labor to get
seven different apprenticeship programs recognized.
I did not know that was an option when I was coming out of
the service. I did not think about skilled trades. The fact
that you can now take your GI bill and apply it to those
apprenticeship programs and start making significant incomes
immediately after service it is just, again, being intentional.
I know the Department of Labor has a program to have
apprenticeships recognized. She went through that. I mean, it
is a task for businesses to get involved in but the talent will
follow those apprenticeship programs. Again, be intentional
about it.
Mr. Barrett. Thank you.
Last I will just say to each of you thank you again for
being here. I think this really demonstrates that work has--
there is a dignity that comes along with working and having
that continued mission.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Van Orden. The gentleman yields back.
The chair now recognizes myself for 5 minutes. Again, hey,
I am just going to cover this again. I am going to ask Ms.
Craig, how much money do you guys get from the government?
Ms. Craig. Actually, Congressman, I am not sure.
Mr. Van Orden. Ms. O'Brien.
Ms. Craig. I do not believe any.
Ms. O'Brien. We have one solar energy grant from the
Department of Energy.
Mr. Van Orden. How about from the VA? From the VA? Do you
get any money from the VA?
Ms. O'Brien. Do we?
Mr. Van Orden. Yes.
Ms. O'Brien. No.
Mr. Van Orden. Okay. Ms. Carson.
Ms. Carson. The IVMF receives Federal grants from the Small
Business Administration and Commerce.
Mr. Van Orden. Okay but not the VA?
Ms. Carson. Correct.
Mr. Van Orden. Correct.
Mr. Lewis.
Mr. Lewis. No dollars from the VA.
Mr. Van Orden. Zero.
Ms. Tillman.
Ms. Tillman. No dollars from the VA.
Mr. Van Orden. Okay. Once again, I am not going to tolerate
anybody fear mongering with my veterans period. We had the DoD
here. We had everybody here. We had the VA here. There has not
been a single incident that I can find anywhere where there has
been even the most miniscule degradation of our ability to
provide services or education benefits, medical benefits to our
veterans, so knock it off.
Write that down. If any of you hear about any of that you
call me personally. We are not going to tolerate it.
I met Elon Musk's number one person for the VA, not
somebody cleaning the toilets. The first words out of his mouth
was we will never cut our veterans' benefits period. I said
that is great that was your opener because mine was going to be
if you try cutting our veterans benefits I will rip it--oh, I
almost was a senior chief just right there, okay?
We are not going to do it. They are not doing it. We are
not doing it. He is not doing it so knock it off period. Done
with that. It is stupid.
Ms. Craig, 11 agencies are involved in the Transition
Assistance Program, is that correct?
Ms. Craig. I am sorry, Chairman, you said 11?
Mr. Van Orden. You said, like, 11 agencies are involved in
the TAP.
Ms. Craig. I believe the number of----
Mr. Van Orden. Or Ms. Carson? Who said that?
Ms. Craig. I think the number is greater than that. Ms.
Carson. Ms. O'Brien and I both said that.
Mr. Van Orden. Okay, so how many people, like, how many
people are out of these 11 agencies full-time equivalents. Do
you have any idea?
Ms. Carson. I do not know the answer to that.
Mr. Van Orden. Okay. Well, it is more than 11, I am going
to say. If we have more than 11 agencies involved in something
and we have a 52 percent success rate that is a failure. What
we could probably, you know, surmise from this is that more
agencies does not necessarily mean more better, okay? That is
how I listen to people talk.
What we need to do is make sure across the board soldiers,
sailors, airmen, Marines, everybody has the ability to go to
this TAP program and here is what is going to change.
Oh, sorry, Mr. Lewis. This is what you were trying to say
here. You want to hire veterans because they know where to be,
when to be there, what to wear, and they are not high, right?
Those are big things.
Mr. Pappas is in the restaurant business. He knows what I
am talking about. Okay? Nothing is changing here. Nothing until
it is on here in a line item that a commissioned officer is
held responsible.
Let me tell you what I am talking about. The difference
between the retirement pay for an O-5, which would be a
squadron commander, a SEAL team commander, like a wing
commander, you know, I mean, like Colonel Johnson and they are
really a lieutenant colonel. That is a phone colonel.
The difference between the pay for an O-5 and an O-6
retirement is $3,000 a month. Hopefully, they live, what, 40
years like we did, 30 years? That is $1 million. It is $1
million difference between an O-5 and an O-6 retirement.
If I go to these screwballs and I am, like, hey, dude, you
do not have your people going to TAP it is going to cost you $1
million. You will have a 100 percent, 100 percent attendance
rate, and that is my intention.
Again, an E-7 is making $27,000 annually. These guys are
making $78,000 a month annually, O-5, O-6s are $96,000 a month
retirement. If I tell you right now if anybody is paying
attention here, all you people in charge of stuff, I am coming
for you. I am gunning for you O-5s and O-6s and you are trying
to blame it on a first sergeant or a master chief? Nope.
It is on you and we will charge you $1 million if you do
not use these programs because you are statutorily obligated to
do so. I do not have any questions.
You guys think I am joking. I am not. Okay? What do
veterans bring to the workplace? Anger apparently, I do not
know.
Listen, I want to thank you all for being here today for
both panels. You are awesome. I really appreciate your work.
Ma'am, you are killing it. However, Oshkosh is not in my
district, sorry. You got his right though.
If there is anything we can do collectively as a committee
we will do it. I know that Mr. Pappas' intention. He is a good
man. We are going to do what we can to help you regardless of
your political party affiliation or what you do in the privacy
of your home. We do not care.
We just want better for our veterans and I know you do, and
I thank you very much. I think you are doing God's work.
I now recognize Mr. Pappas for any closing comments that he
may have.
Mr. Pappas. No, just a brief thank you. I really appreciate
the contributions of this panel. You are all working in your
own capacities to help meet the needs of those who wear the
uniform of this country and their spouses and family members.
We are really grateful for it. I think there is a lot that
I learned today from you all and the programs that you run, the
way that you open doors of opportunity to veterans.
As I said before, you know, transition assistance has been
a work in progress over a lot of years. It can continue to get
better, but only if we engage, learn these lessons and help
promote smart policies. We are all in on that proposition.
Thanks very much.
I yield back.
Mr. Van Orden. The gentleman yields back.
I ask unanimous consent that all members have 5 legislative
days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous
materials. Without objection, so ordered.
This hearing is now adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:02 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
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A P P E N D I X
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Prepared Statements of Witnesses
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Prepared Statement of Alex Baird
Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Pappas, and distinguished
members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss
the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and the collaborative
relationship between the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Labor (DOL), and our other
Federal agency partners.
DoD and our partners are working closely to improve the
effectiveness, quality, timeliness, and efficiency of the delivery of
military-to-civilian transition support and services, while enhancing
interoperability and efficiency in our joint operations. We advance
these goals primarily through the Joint Executive Committee (JEC), a
VA-DoD interagency collaborative body co-chaired by the VA Deputy
Secretary and the DoD Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness, and
the JEC's subordinate Transition Executive Committee (TEC). As a result
of the JEC and TEC, we moved past the historically bifurcated view that
DoD's role ends when the Service member separates from military
service, to embrace a new appreciation of overlapping interests and
dependent responsibilities across the Service member and Veteran
journey.
Joint Framework for Transition Success
The JEC is responsible for oversight and implementation of the
Military to Civilian Readiness (M2C Ready) framework, which brings all
interagency programs under one overarching umbrella, ensuring that
transitioning Service members receive the necessary interconnected
resources and support throughout the critical 365-days pre-to 365-days
post-separation. The TEC, co-chaired by DoD, VA, and DOL, includes the
Departments of Education and Homeland Security, the Small Business
Administration, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Military
Departments. The TEC is supported by tiered interagency collaborative
groups that include a senior transition steering group, an overarching
transition working group, a DoD/Military Departments transition
coordinating council, and six standing focus area working groups
(Employment, Performance Management, Curriculum, Integrated Reserve
Components, Data Sharing/Information Technology, and Strategic
Communications). and. In November 2024, the TEC established a
subordinate interagency Mental Health Task Force to identify TEC inter-
agency and intra-agency mental health touchpoints, resources, and
tools; and assess information or data sharing connectivity and/or gaps
across the full transition continuum. The desired outcome is
synchronization closing the gap between clinical and non-clinical
mental health support and services.
The JEC and TEC partnerships are best-in-class examples of
effective Federal interagency collaboration and service delivery,
providing leadership synergy and subject matter expertise that
prioritizes our joint strategic goals, identifies challenges, and
guides solutions to ensure continuous, meaningful improvement in TAP.
The JEC and TEC support DoD's mission by ensuring readiness of our
force; this includes preparing Services members and their families for
transition. Over the last 7 years, DoD and our interagency partners
have hosted numerous Military to Civilian Transition Summits that
yielded two key outcomes: (1) we aligned disparate DoD and interagency
transition activities into one overarching transition framework, and
(2) we designated the year before and year after separation as the
``critical transition period.'' These summits led to the development of
the Military to Civilian Readiness (M2C Ready) Framework.
Under the auspices of the JEC and TEC, the Departments began
implementation of a more interconnected and efficient transition
process that aligns military-to-civilian transition activities along a
continuum during the critical 365 days before separation and extending
through the critical 365 days after separation. This 365-pre and 365-
post transition time provides for comprehensive, standardized, and
individualized assessments across DoD, VA, and the military services;
and reinforces development of an individualized transition plan
according to a Service member's unique circumstances.
As the new administration sets its priorities, there is a renewed
commitment to working with our joint partners to establish new, bold,
and transformative initiatives in transition support. The focus will be
on creating a seamless continuum of care and assistance, leveraging
data-driven insights, and strengthening partnerships to address
emerging challenges. This collaborative vision will ensure that Service
members, veterans, and their families receive holistic and adaptive
support as they transition into civilian life. Through the JEC's
stewardship of M2C Ready, and the TEC's collaborative forums, these
priorities will drive forward-looking policies that enhance the long-
term success of the transitioning military community.
Military to Civilian Readiness (M2C Ready) Framework
M2C Ready is an overarching framework that aligns all the various
activities during transition to provide transitioning Service members
with an understanding of, and easy access to, all the benefits,
services, and resources they are entitled to. Further, M2C Ready
provides interagency support to facilitate a holistic and successful
transition, and it guides policymakers toward areas of the process that
need additional attention without creating duplicative programs or
activities. The M2C Ready framework assists in identifying gaps in the
transition process and facilitating agency efforts aimed at advancing
the health, benefits, and support of Service members, Veterans, and
their families.
Transition Assistance Program (TAP)
DoD is committed to supporting our Warfighters and their families
as they complete their active military service and navigate the
transition from military to civilian life. TAP is the foundation of
that support, setting the conditions for successful transition by
providing approximately 200,000 Service members each year with a common
level of support--regardless of location, Service, or component--at
over 200 locations around the globe. TAP is proactive in championing
and implementing change; is markedly different and exponentially more
effective than the program of 10, 5, or even 3 years ago; and provides
Service members more comprehensive transition preparation, information,
support, and services than at any time during our Nation's history.
TAP is first and foremost a Military Departments' Secretary and
Commander program executed while Service members are on active duty.
TAP is a statutorily mandated program that Service members are required
to attend upon meeting eligibility requirements. To be eligible, and
thereby required to attend TAP, Service members must have completed 180
days or more of continuous active duty in Title 10 active-duty status,
to include Reserve Component members on active-duty orders. In the case
of an anticipated retirement, pre-separation counseling must commence
as soon as possible during the 24-month period preceding the
anticipated retirement date. In the case of a separation other than a
retirement, pre-separation counseling must commence not later than 365
days before the anticipated date. If a retirement or other separation
is unanticipated with less than 365 before the anticipated retirement
or separation date, or in the event a member of a reserve component is
demobilized or deactivated when, as determined by the Secretary
concerned, operational requirements make the 365-day requirement
unfeasible, pre-separation counseling must begin as soon as possible
within the remaining period of service.
The Secretaries and Commanders are committed to supporting TAP as
both a Service member support program and a strategic readiness
program. DoD supports the Secretaries and Commanders by leading
collaborative interagency development and delivery of TAP. This design
ensures fully informed prioritization and preservation of national
defense strategic, operational, and tactical priorities governing
active duty Service member requirements balanced with effective and
timely TAP delivery supporting individual transition goals. The results
directly support and enhance readiness, transition, recruiting,
retention, reserve component affiliation, and sustainment of the All-
Volunteer Force.
The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2019 transformed TAP from a one-size fits all program to an
individualized approach providing comprehensive, holistic, timely
transition support focused on the Service member's needs and transition
goals. Groups or cohorts transition on common timelines, but military-
to-civilian transition is an individual activity. The unique personal
circumstances, experiences, needs, and post-transition goals of each
Service member determine whether that Service member requires
employment, education, entrepreneurial, financial, housing, healthcare,
or peer-to-peer support during their transition.
Today, TAP is agile and dynamic, and ensures both flexibility and
relevance supporting Service member achievement of individual
transition goals. Tailoring of the transition process to individual
needs and goals provides flexibility. Service members receive
information and resources that best support their individualized
preparation for transition. Relevance, predicated on preparation for
civilian life, ensures Service members' buy-in and active
participation. Flexibility, relevance, and individualization ensure TAP
works and empowers transitioning Service members to become successful
veterans who attain their goals and reach their potential in their
chosen civilian career paths, and in so doing, strengthens their local
communities and the Nation.
Today's TAP is an individualized, robust program with alternate
pathways and multiple levels of assistance. At each step of the
process, Service members have access to trained counselors who guide
the Service member and tailor the program, allowing Service members to
be in control of their transition and use programs, resources, and
information that fit their specific needs and align with their post-
transition goals.
TAP Initial Counseling
For Service members with an anticipated retirement or separation,
the TAP journey begins with an Initial Counseling (IC) session
initiated no later than 365 days prior to their separation or
retirement. DoD strongly encourages Service members with an anticipated
retirement to initiate IC as soon as possible during the 24 months
preceding retirement. Service members with an unanticipated separation
or retirement initiate IC as soon as possible within their remaining
period of service.
In 2022, the Military Departments developed Corrective Action Plans
(CAP) to improve IC timeliness. The CAPs have already produced marked
improvement with 65 percent of Service members meeting IC timeliness
requirements in 2023, including 52 percent of those with anticipated
separations or retirements beginning TAP no later than 365 days prior
to separation or retirement. The CAPs include updates to internal
Service administrative regulations and changes to the Inspector General
checklist to provide for stricter grading criteria on timeliness. CAPs
also include marketing to Service members to ensure understanding,
training for commanders and senior leaders on the requirement as well
as the benefits of attending TAP early, and additional training for TAP
counselors. The full impact of implementing the CAP changes will not be
manifested in the data until 2026 at the earliest.
During the individualized counseling session with a trained TAP
counselor, the Service member completes an Individual Self-Assessment
and begins development of an Individual Transition Plan (ITP). Based on
the self-assessment, counseling, and ITP, the TAP counselor assigns the
Service member to a transition tier level. The assigned tier level--one
(minimal assistance), two (medium assistance), or three (most
assistance)--determines the transition assistance a Service member
needs. Each individual Service member's tier assignment details which
TAP components, courses, 2-day tracks, and Career Readiness Standards
are mandatory.
TAP Pre-Separation Brief
Once the IC and assessment are complete, the Service member attends
the Pre-Separation Brief (Pre-Sep). Pre-Sep informs the Service member
of various services, benefits, and resources available during and after
transition. The Pre-Sep also familiarizes the Service member with
available resources and content within the TAP courses. Pre-Sep
provides the Service member with the knowledge and flexibility to
determine when to use services based on their individual needs and
transition timeline. October 2024 updates to Pre-Sep included addition
of information on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition
Service programs and an interactive pdf resource guide.
TAP Courses and Tracks
During TAP, Service members complete five core courses: Managing
Your Transition, Military Occupational Code Crosswalk, Financial
Planning for Transition, VA Benefits and Services, and DOL Employment
Fundamentals for Career Transition. In 2024, the VA Benefits and
Services course incorporated participation by Veteran Service
Organizations identified by the VA.
Along with the core curriculum, TAP includes four 2-day workshops
(tracks) to provide focused information and resources aligned with
individual post-transition goals. The four tracks are Employment,
Managing Your (MY) Education, Vocational (Career and Credential
Exploration), and Entrepreneurship (Boots to Business). During initial
counseling and regardless of their designated tier, Service members
must elect a track based on individual post-transition goals and are
encouraged to attend the track-specific course.
Only Service members designated as Tier Level 3 are required to
attend the elected track. In 2022, the Military Departments developed
Corrective Action Plans (CAP) to increase Tier 3 track attendance. The
CAPs have already produced marked improvement with 83 percent (29.8K of
35.9K) of Tier 3 Service members attending a track in 2023. The CAPs
include training for TAP counselors; reports for commanders identifying
Service members who had attended and those who need to attend a track;
and inclusion of track attendance in Inspector General checklists. The
full impact of implementing the CAP changes will not be manifested in
the data until 2026 at the earliest.
Military Departments may exempt Service members designated as Tier
Level 2 from track attendance based on the results of their IC and
self-assessment. Service members determined as Tier Level 1 are exempt
from track attendance. In 2023 over fifty thousand Tier 1 and Tier 2
Service members attended a track (50.1K of 135K). Regardless of tier
designation, DoD encourages every Service member to attend any or all
the tracks in preparation for transition.
TAP Capstone
Conducted no later than 90 days before transition from active duty,
Capstone is the final component of TAP. During Capstone, the Commander,
or Commander's designee, reviews the Service member's transition
journey to determine completion of all applicable components and
individual preparedness for transition. Service members identified as
needing additional support require a warm handover by the Commander or
designee. These warm handovers may include connection to Military
OneSource for peer support, VA for housing assistance, or DOL for
employment assistance. A warm handover creates a connection between the
Service member and the appropriate partner or agency with the resources
to assist in transition and beyond. Service members may also request a
warm handover from the TAP counselor if they have a concern with their
preparedness for transition beyond any identified by the TAP Counselor
or Commander.
TAP Assessment
DoD uses the Transition Assistance Participant Assessment (TAPA) to
capture Service member experiences and knowledge gained throughout the
TAP process. TAPA, along with assessments from both governmental and
non-governmental entities, allows DoD to evaluate TAP, the perception
of TAP, and the quality of the counseling and instruction provided. The
TAPA also captures basic demographics, such as Service, component,
grade, length of service, location, and sex. Participation in the TAPA
is voluntary and anonymous. However, DoD encourages Service members to
complete the TAPA after each TAP course to ensure continuous program
improvement. 2023 TAPA results demonstrate that Service members
perceived TAP as valuable and of high quality. 89 percent understand
how to access post-transition resources; 87 percent plan to use what
they've learned; and 86 percent feel prepared to meet their transition
goals.
The TAPA also provides Service members the opportunity to self-
identify barriers to TAP, with a 3-year average of only 1 percent of
respondents perceiving a barrier (e.g., not allowed time away from work
duties to attend TAP). While many operational, administrative, and
individual factors contribute to this small percentage, DoD, Service
Secretaries, and Commanders are focused on mitigating, reducing, and
eliminating barriers.
Future TAP Enterprise Individual Self-Assessment
In 2024, DoD completed a year-long pilot at 17 military
installations of an Enterprise Individual Self-Assessment (EISA) to
replace the current Individual Self-Assessment. EISA is a standardized,
evidence-based self-assessment tool that will assist in determining the
likelihood the Service member will face major readjustment, health
care, employment, or other transition-related challenges across nine
life domains: social & relational, resiliency, hope, financial,
employment, housing, sense of belonging, mental health resource
awareness, and physical health resource awareness. The Military
Departments will administer EISA twice, during IC at the beginning and
during Capstone at the end of TAP, to inform and improve counseling,
risk mitigation, support connections, and warm handover protocols. DoD
contracted development of a modernized transition and reintegration
information technology capability that will support EISA worldwide
implementation in 2026.
Transition Support
SkillBridge
The highly popular SkillBridge program permits interested Service
members to gain valuable civilian employment skills by providing job
training, including apprenticeship programs, with defense industrial
base employers as well as Federal, State, local, and private sector
employers. In return, these businesses have access to the world's most
highly trained and motivated workforce and can evaluate participants'
suitability for future employment within their company. The program is
voluntary, with the scope and individual participation defined by
Service operational needs, force structure policy, and Service member
interest.
In 2023, DoD realigned SkillBridge within the Office of the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs to
improve program stability, governance, evaluation, and management.
Those efforts include enhanced information systems, data collection,
and data analysis. The DoD is conducting employer and stakeholder
outreach engagements to ensure that the next evolution of SkillBridge
is fully informed by DoD, Military Departments, Service member, and
industry partner assessments and requirements.
Financial Readiness
DoD's financial readiness program provides mandatory financial
literacy training to members at specific milestones across the military
lifecycle, including transition, following the best practices outlined
by the congressionally established Financial Literacy Education
Commission. DoD programs provide trusted, factual, objective, and
unbiased education and counseling support to members and spouses free
of conflict-of-interest, delivered in a nonjudgmental manner, allowing
individuals to make informed financial decisions to meet their goals
and navigate potential financial challenges.
Eligibility for Military OneSource After Separation
Military OneSource's 24/7 call center, website, and mobile app with
access to over 100+ support services for transitioning Service members
and their dependents, are available for 365 days after separation.
Military OneSource is a familiar and trusted resource for Service
members and their families. The top three services requested by
transitioning Service members and their families are non-medical
counseling (relationship and readjustment counseling), tax services,
and hometown information and referral services.
InTransition
DoD's InTransition Program assists Service members who have used
behavioral health care services while on active duty in finding new
providers and maintaining continuity of care across transitions--
including when relocating to another assignment, returning from
deployment, transitioning from active duty to the reserve,
transitioning from the reserve to active duty, or preparing to leave
military service. This assistance takes the shape of worldwide,
specialized, telephonic transition coaching to facilitate the
connection to a new provider, such as VA, community, or other
providers.
Benefits Delivery at Discharge
DoD and VA encourage Service members to apply for VA Disability
compensation benefits prior to separation and therefore coordinate
closely in the execution of the Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD)
program. BDD allows Service members who are separating and applying for
VA disability to file their claim as early as 180 days prior to
separation. DoD and VA are leveraging electronic pre-separation service
treatment records as a foundation for considering Service members'
applications for BDD. This eliminates burdensome requirements for
Service members to obtain and transmit records to VA, reduces time-
consuming administration at military medical treatment facilities, and
speeds the application process.
Common Separation Health Assessment
Improved collaboration across agencies and within DoD has led to a
single, common Separation Health Assessment. This unified assessment
supports both the VA disability compensation process and the required
DoD health assessment at separation. By adopting a shared form for use
by both VA and DoD, the need for Service members to complete multiple
assessments is reduced. This change enhances the overall separation
experience and boosts efficiency. The creation of a single Separation
Health Assessment emerged from the JEC. Its purpose is to ensure
continuity in both mental and physical healthcare during transition,
increase awareness of the health effects of military service, and
support Service members' eligibility for VA disability compensation,
benefits, and services.
Enhanced Statement of Benefits
After separation, a Service member is provided with a list of all
the benefits, services, and health care to which they may be entitled,
though that list is not tailored to each individual Service member.
Under the direction of the JEC, DoD and VA are developing an online,
authoritative, and individualized Enhanced Statement of Benefits, which
will be hosted on VA.gov. This tailored, searchable listing of eligible
DoD, VA, and DOL post-separation benefits will make it easier and
faster for Veterans to identify eligibility; search for benefits,
services, and health care; and apply for benefits.
VA Solid Start
As a result of DoD, VA, and DOL's collaboration on M2C Ready, the
VA's Solid Start program was launched in 2021. Solid Start contacts
Veterans at three critical points during the first year of transition
at the 90-, 180-, and 360-day mark in order to achieve early and
consistent contact and support the transition to civilian life--from
help getting a home loan, to health care, to returning to work to
mental health support. Additionally, DoD data provided to Solid Start
assists VA counselors in prioritizing outreach to Veterans.
DOL Employment Navigator and Partnership Program (ENPP)
In response to feedback from Veterans who stated that, while their
TAP classroom experience was educational, they desired a more
personalized approach, DOL developed, piloted, and implemented the
ENPP. DOL Employment Navigators provide one-on-one, tailored career
guidance and job seeking skills support to transitioning Service
members and their spouses, as well as referrals to vetted partner
organizations. ENPP is currently available at 40 military installations
worldwide and is expanding.
States: An Integral Partner in Transition
State Department of Veterans Affairs (SDVA) offices play a critical
role in transition as they have been tasked to specifically manage
Veterans' affairs on behalf of their Governor and carry out the
responsibility for Veteran services and programs in their respective
states or territories. Additionally, SDVA's welcome Veterans and
connect them to Federal and State benefits, support, high-quality care,
and recognition they have earned. TAP curriculum includes introductory
information and links to SDVAs for 54 states and territories and the
District of Columbia.
Recognizing the importance of data, in both outreach and connecting
Veterans to services and resources, DoD updated our data-sharing
Memoranda of Understanding with SDVAs. In addition to sharing DD Form
214: Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty data with
SDVAs, Service members can also share contact information from the DoD
Form 2648: PreSeparation Counseling Checklist with SDVAs up to a year
prior to separation, providing SDVAs the ability to proactively engage
with and support Service members' transition experience.
Conclusion
As illustrated in our recent Report to Congress and highlighted in
this statement, the Military Departments achieved significant
improvements in IC timeliness and Tier 3 track attendance.
Additionally, the number of Service members reporting a perceived
barrier to TAP remains low, demonstrating Commanders' commitment,
prioritization, and support of TAP and their transitioning Service
members. DoD will work with the Military Departments to ensure
continuous improvement across TAP and are confident that improvements
evidenced in 2023 will continue and further validate the positive steps
the Military Departments put into place.
Thank you again for the opportunity to discuss the Transition
Assistance Program. Military to civilian transition is an ever-
evolving, complex, and multi-faceted environment in which the diversity
of individual goals equals the number of transitioning Service members.
TAP is and must remain adaptive while vigilantly maintaining
programmatic focus on three foundational and complimentary tenets:
effective counseling, Service member buy-in, and meaningful support
connections throughout the transition period. Correspondingly, TAP will
sustain emphasis on an individualized approach that best meets each
Service member's post-transition goals. To that end, TAP will remain
innovative, proactive, transparent, and collaborative. DoD, working
closely with the Service members, Military Departments, interagency
partners, and Congress, will continuously improve transition services
while building upon current successes to achieve ever-improving
outcomes for Service members through TAP.
In closing, Mr. Chairman, I thank you, the Ranking Member, and the
members of this Subcommittee for your outstanding and unwavering
support of the men and women who proudly wear the uniform in defense of
our great Nation.
Prepared Statement of John Green
Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Pappas, and distinguished
Members of the Subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to appear
before you today to discuss how we can strengthen the Transition
Assistance Program (TAP). Accompanying me today is Ms. Regina Yount,
Assistant Director, Outreach, Transition, and Economic Development,
Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). I appreciate your continued
support of the Nation's Veterans, their families, caregivers, and
survivors. Within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), our focus
will always remain on keeping Veterans and their families at the center
of everything we do.
The military to civilian transition period can present many
challenges for Service members, including increased risk for suicide,
homelessness, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use
disorders, to name just a few. Connecting Veterans to the benefits and
services they have earned and deserve serves as protective factors,
guarding against threats to their overall mental, physical, and
financial well-being. VA recognizes that transition starts well before
a Service member leaves the military and continues for months or even
years, as they seek stability at home, at work, and in their community.
Established in 1991, TAP is an interagency effort, led by the
Department of Defense (DoD) and designed to help more than 200,000
transitioning Service members annually. Together, with interagency
partners such as the Department of Labor (DoL), Small Business
Administration, Office of Personnel Management, Department of
Education, and Department of Homeland Security, TAP helps equip
transitioning Service members with the tools they need to succeed in
civilian life, including needed access to benefits and services. In
partnership with these agencies, VA takes a comprehensive approach,
ensuring the implementation of a tailored program that evolves with the
changing needs of transitioning Service members. The connections VA
makes during the TAP course are building blocks for the relationship we
aspire to have with Veterans for a lifetime, as their needs evolve and
change.
During classroom instruction, VA leads a 1-day Benefits and
Services Course that helps Service members understand how to navigate
resources available within VA, as well as how to access the benefits
and services they have earned through their military service. Spouses
and caregivers are also invited to participate in the course, as VA
recognizes and values them. During Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, Benefits
Advisors assisted over 206,000 transitioning Service members by
delivering 6,039 Benefits and Services Courses (5,767 in-person and 272
instructor led virtual) to over 153,000 transitioning Service members,
Veterans, their families, and caregivers. Additionally, 52,898
individuals completed the eLearning online VA Benefits and Services
course through the VA Transition Online Learning at tapevents.mil.
During the same period, the VA Benefits and Services Course had a
satisfaction rate of 96.3 percent for in-person instruction and 93.6
percent for virtual classes.
As the needs of transitioning Service members evolve, so must the
delivery of our transition services. To that end, VA has made the
following updates to the 1-day Benefits and Services Course.
VA understands the integral role Veterans Service Organizations
(VSO) have in assisting transitioning Service members. Knowing the
importance of fostering supportive relationships, in January 2024, VA
began inviting accredited VSO representatives (working on or near
military installations) to directly connect with attendees during the
VA Benefits and Services Course. The goal of these interactions is to
increase benefit utilization through information sharing and by
creating lasting connections with VSOs. Since the start of this
initiative, VSOs have connected with over 53,000 transitioning Service
members through the VA Benefits and Services Course. Surveyed course
participants have an overall satisfaction rate of 95.7 percent for
these VSO interactions.
TAP also goes beyond classroom instruction. VA Benefits Advisors
provide one-on-one sessions for transitioning Service members and their
families that are based on each individual's specific or unique needs.
In Fiscal Year 2024, VA conducted more than 54,000 one-on-one sessions.
The most prevalent topics during one-on-one appointments with
Benefits Advisors have been education benefits, disability
compensation, and health care questions. The percentages of each topic
are the following:
42 percent (over 22,800) on claims and application
support;
42 percent (over 22,700) on education and training
program benefits; and
34.5 percent (over 16,000) on health care benefits and
support services.
To increase direct connections for transitioning Service members,
VA modernized the sign-up process for one-on-one appointments. As of
October 2024, Benefits Advisors are using Quick Response (QR) Codes to
enable Service members to connect directly with them via e-mail to ask
questions or to request a one-on-one session. Based on this
enhancement, VA has seen an increase in the number of one--on-one
appointments made, from 33 percent in quarter one of Fiscal Year 2024
to 40 percent in quarter one of Fiscal Year 2025.
VA continues to enhance access to critical information outside of
the Benefits and Services Course. Military Life Cycles are 45-to 60-
minute information sessions that can be accessed anytime throughout a
Service member's career or after separation. Transitioning Service
members and their spouses, who may need to refer to the information
provided during the TAP week, can access information at their leisure.
In 2024, VA added a session for Service members discharged for
Other Than Honorable conditions. Along with this new course, during the
same period, 21,282 Service members, Veterans, and their spouses
utilized Military Life Cycles that covered the following:
Reserve Component Dual Payments;
Social and Emotional Health Resources;
Survivor and Casualty Assistance Resources;
VA Benefits 101;
VA Education Benefits;
VA Home Loan Guaranty Program;
VA Life Insurance Benefits;
Vet Centers;
Community Integration Resources;
VA Education and Training Benefits for Spouses and
Dependents;
Mental Health for Families; and
Disability Compensation.
VA understands that major life transitions, including separation
from the military, can lead to an increased risk of suicide. To address
the increased risk, the Transition Executive Council has created a VA-
DoD-DoL Task Force. Established in December 2024, the Task Force has
been charged with the following:
(1) Identifying and refining the mental health touchpoints
along the transition continuum.
(2) Evaluating the effectiveness of the mental health
touchpoints connection through referral and warm handover
processes to resources and tools for mental health services
during the critical 365 days pre-separation to 365-days post-
separation.
(3) Establishing a standardized referral process between VA and
DoD, which may leverage programs including inTransition,\1\
Military OneSource,\2\ and Solid Start, among others.
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\1\ https://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Centers-of-
Excellence/Psychological-Health-Center-of-Excellence/inTransition
\2\ https://www.militaryonesource.mil/
Further, VBA has been diligently working on updating communication
to Veterans, to include trauma-sensitive written correspondence and
forms. VA made several updates to letters including those addressed to
Veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma. VBA is continuing
to update its letter inventory to ensure a customer-centric approach.
VA's support of transitioning Service members does not end with
separation. VA continues our support during the critical first year
following release from active duty through the VA Solid Start Program.
VA research shows that during the first-year of transition,
Veterans face increased challenges with homelessness, family
reintegration, employment, PTSD, and substance abuse, all of which can
increase the risk for suicide. The VA launched the Solid Start Program
on December 2, 2019, to make early, consistent, and caring contact with
newly separated Service members. On October 17, 2022, Solid Start was
signed into law (P.L. 117-205), permanently authorizing VA to continue
the program with DoD coordination.
In Solid Start, VA calls all eligible, recently separated Service
members, regardless of their character of discharge, at three key
stages (90-, 180-, and 365-days after separation) during their first
year after separation from active duty. Using data provided by DoD,
Solid Start provides priority contact to individuals meeting certain
mental health risk factors, supporting continuity of care, and lowering
any barriers to accessing mental health care treatment and support
through VA. These representatives receive specialized training to
recognize the signs of crisis and, when needed, can provide a warm
transfer to the Veterans and Military Crisis Line for additional
support. Since the launch of Solid Start through January 2025, VA has
reached 57 Veterans who were actively in crisis at the time of the call
and successfully connected them to the crisis line for support.
Solid Start representatives address challenges recently separated
Service members may be facing by connecting the individual with the
appropriate benefits or resources for assistance. Solid Start calls are
not scripted, and they do not have any talk time limitations.
Representatives ask open-ended questions that seek to establish the
individual's status and potential needs. Follow-up materials or
connected resources are also driven by these individualized calls and
are unique to the Veteran's needs. By establishing a personal, one-on-
one relationship with VA in the first critical year post-separation
from active duty, Solid Start aims to increase the likelihood that
transitioning Service members will stay connected to VA and utilize VA
benefits and services, including mental health resources when needed.
Since the launch of the program, Veterans who successfully connected
with Solid Start have shown increased benefit utilization compared to
those with whom Solid Start was unable to successfully connect.
Since its launch, through January 2025, Solid Start has
successfully connected with 556,702 recently separated Service members,
representing a 74.3 percent successful connection rate. In addition to
improving successful connection rates year over year, VA analyzes
benefit utilization rates for Solid Start-eligible, recently separated
Servicemembers. For those who had successful connections, benefit
utilization of compensation, education, health care, home loan, Veteran
Readiness and Employment, and Personalized Career Planning and Guidance
(PCPG) are higher than for those who did not successfully connect with
a VASS representative.
To continue improving connections between active duty and Solid
Start, TAP will be launching one-on-one data sharing with Solid Start
using the Visitor Engagement Reporting Application (VERA) by April
2025. During one-on-one engagements with Benefits Advisors,
transitioning Service members will be able to share information with
Solid Start regarding VA benefits they are interested in or plan to
enroll in or apply for. The goal is to provide Solid Start
representatives with enhanced individualized information that enables
VA to get to know the transitioning Service member and their interests
before they separate.
Part of ensuring transitioning Service members, Veterans, and their
families are cared for and experience a smooth transition into civilian
life involves providing them with access to tools needed to address
their overall economic well-being and enable their success as valuable
community members and leaders. While multiple programs within VA
provide pathways to financial well-being such as Education and Veteran
Readiness and Employment services, two additional programs that help in
this area are highlighted below.
The PCPG program is a critical VA benefit that provides career
counseling, assessment, education planning, and guidance resources.
This service is customized to each Veteran's needs, supporting them in
achieving their personal, career, and education goals. PCPG, also known
as Chapter 36 services, fulfills 38 U.S.C. Sec. 3697A requirements by
providing these services to transitioning Service members, Veterans,
and qualified dependents, who are within 6 months of leaving the
military, to Veterans who have left the military within the past 12
months, or at any time to individuals who are eligible to use a VA
education benefit. PCPG career and education counseling services
include resume support, education and employment planning, detailed
skills assessment, a personalized action plan to achieve education and
career goals, adjustment counseling to successfully transition to
civilian employment, and a direct connection to VA benefits and
services. In Fiscal Year 2024, PCPG processed 14,931 applications
requesting services.
The Veteran and Spouse Transitional Grant Program (VSTAGP) is a new
5-year grant program which was established to provide sustainable
employment transition assistance services to former members of the
Armed Forces who are separated, retired, or discharged from the Armed
Forces and to their spouses. Transition services include resume
assistance, interview training, job recruitment training,
apprenticeships, employment training and education, and employment
referrals, including placement and related services that may contribute
to a successful transition into civilian life. Fiscal Year 2025 is the
first year of performance for VSTAGP, which has 13 geographically
dispersed recipients providing services to former Service members and
spouses. As of January 2025, all grantees are signing up applicants and
providing services, and, while VA expects our first performance data
metrics from grantees to be available in April 2025, we already have
some good news stories to share.
For example, a Veteran believed he was ineligible for VA services.
After experiencing homelessness alongside his wife and two children, he
felt hopeless, struggling to face his family under the weight of their
circumstances. Fortunately, he learned about VSTAGP and connected with
the Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) Southern California. Through their
employment services, he not only regained confidence but also secured a
stable job as a non-emergency ambulance driver, earning $24.22 per
hour. Additionally, JVS was able to leverage other Veteran support
programs to help the family secure permanent housing, providing them
with the fresh start they so desperately needed. This story and many
others like it exemplify the lifelong connection to VA that we are
seeking to build so they know to come to us during the downturns in
life.
VA also recognizes that the full transition to civilian life does
not have a set end date and differs from individual to individual. VA
ensures a Veteran, spouse, family member, or survivor can connect with
VA at any time in their life journey by building positive lasting
relationships with them before and after leaving active service.
Through a robust outreach program, VA provides a variety of
benefits and services that can help reduce risk factors associated with
suicide and promote protective factors for some Veterans. Outreach is
conducted in local and regional areas by VA regional office personnel
through in-person or virtual events. During these events, VA
representatives address VA's benefits and services such as disability
compensation, pension, and education/GI Bill benefits while also
connecting them to healthcare resources. During Fiscal Year 2024, VBA
conducted 62,661 hours of outreach across 18,526 events. Out of these
events, 1,003 were held at military installations, demonstrating VA's
continued dedication to providing access across the transition
continuum.
In addition to the VA-led efforts for outreach, VA supports DoL's
Off-Base Transition Training (OBTT) Program. VA facilitates virtual,
bi-weekly 45-minute VA benefits overview sessions providing active-duty
Service members, Veterans, spouses, survivors, and their families with
the information they need to access their earned benefits. Each session
includes time for questions to be answered and participants receive a
resource list to connect them with more information on the benefits and
topics that were discussed during the session. Since launching the
collaborative effort in June 2024, VA has facilitated 16 VA benefits
overview sessions. VA and DoL will continue to collaborate and improve
the OBTT program.
VA transition support has undergone major enhancements since the
inception of TAP in 1991. Ongoing program modifications ensure VA's
support continues to meet the changing needs of all transitioning
Service members. VA is committed to ensuring that the partnership
between VA and DoD is aligned, enduring and strong, with a shared focus
on putting the needs of Service members, Veterans, and their families
first. We seek continuous improvements, recognizing the driving factors
are the major life events impacting Veterans and their families today.
Conclusion
VA shares Congress' goal of ensuring Service members and their
families are supported as they transition from military to civilian
life and will remain dedicated to strengthening our transition
initiatives. Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Pappas, this concludes
my testimony. I am happy to respond to any questions you or the
Subcommittee members may have.
Prepared Statement of Margarita Devlin
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Prepared Statement of Joy Craig
Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Pappas, and members of the
subcommittee, on behalf of the men and women of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars of the United States (VFW) and its Auxiliary, thank you for the
opportunity to provide our remarks on this important topic.
Background
The all-volunteer force is continually evolving as service members
complete their terms of service and transition to civilian life.
Pentagon data shows that approximately 80 percent of enlisted personnel
separate from the military before reaching retirement eligibility. This
reflects the military's structured approach to force management, which
depends on a steady pipeline of new recruits to sustain operational
readiness and force structure. This ongoing cycle, coupled with the
fact that nearly 200,000 service members exit the force each year,
underscores the importance of ensuring the Department of Defense (DOD)
delivers robust and effective military-to-civilian transition programs.
Recognizing the importance of a strong transition, DOD has taken
steps to support service members as they reintegrate into civilian
life. Just as military training instills discipline, skills, and
resilience, an effective transition process empowers veterans to apply
those strengths in new careers, communities, and personal endeavors. A
well-prepared service member leaving the military can become a
thriving, productive member of society who brings leadership,
adaptability, and experience into the civilian workforce.
The critical nature of military-to-civilian transition cannot be
understated. It is a major life event that, if navigated well, can lead
to the reintegration of productive members of society. But new veterans
who are not fully prepared for the challenges ahead can just as easily
falter and struggle to become stable. However, transitioning out of
service presents unique challenges. Leaving the military is often
complicated by injuries or illnesses, shifts in identity and support
networks, and the need for education or training to embark on a new
career. For those unprepared for these changes, the transition can be
disorienting, leading to struggles with employment, well-being, and
overall security. Tragically, veterans face an increased risk of
suicide during their first year after leaving service, underscoring the
urgent need for focused support during this time.
To ensure the long-term success of veterans, comprehensive and
well-structured transition programs must be a top priority. While the
military invests months and sometimes years indoctrinating civilians
into military service, transitioning service members (TSMs) often
receive only a few days of formal preparation for reintegration.
Strengthening transition resources, ensuring early access to support,
and fostering a culture that prioritizes a successful post-service life
are all essential to maintaining the health and stability of those who
have served.
While DOD's primary mission is national security, supporting
successful transitions is an extension of that mission. The military
builds warriors, but it must also ensure that those warriors are
prepared to succeed beyond their time in uniform. By fully embracing
transition as a critical component of military service, DOD can
solidify its commitment to those who have served by helping them not
only to leave the military, but to thrive in the next chapter of their
lives.
DOD's Legal Obligations
Title 10 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) Sec. 1142 requires DOD
to provide individual pre--separation counseling to all service members
preparing to leave active duty. Additionally, the National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019 (Sec. 552) places the
responsibility for delivering the Transition Assistance Program (TAP)
squarely with DOD. The law mandates that all eligible service members
begin transition support services on time, which should be no later
than 365 days before their expected separation.
Although TAP is a core part of the transition process, Title 10
U.S.C. Sec. 1142 also mandates that DOD connect TSMs with external
support systems in the communities where they will reside. This
includes not only employment assistance but also local health care
options, housing resources, peer support networks, and mental health
services. The Fiscal Year 2020 NDAA requires collaboration between DOD
and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure the most at-risk
service members receive a ``warm handoff''--a process in which TSMs are
directly referred to VA services and connected to veteran-specific
community programs upon discharge.
Despite these mandates, there is a persistent belief within DOD
that any gaps in transition services will be addressed by VA after a
service member has left the military. This assumption that ``VA will
take care of them on the other side'' can lead to critical gaps in
support at a time when service members need it most.
Additionally, junior enlisted service members face significant
challenges post service. Research from The Veterans Metrics Initiative
(TVMI) at The Pennsylvania State University shows that this group
experiences disproportionately high rates of underemployment, financial
instability, substance abuse, housing and food insecurity, and even
suicide.
Alarmingly, only 65 percent of veterans feel fully transitioned 3
years after separation, and 61 percent remain underemployed even six-
and-a-half years later. TVMI researchers also found that within the
first 3 months after leaving the military, veterans struggled most with
employment and financial stability. However, the challenges do not end
there. Up to 78 months after separation, veterans continue to
experience difficulties with social connections, and mental and
physical health.
The Current State of TAP
The benefits of attending TAP courses, both tangible and
intangible, are difficult to measure, but ensuring service members
attend TAP fully and on time is critical to their post-service success.
On January 17, 2025, DOD submitted a report to Congress detailing TAP
participation in 2023. While the report showed progress in attendance
rates from previous years, still just more than half attended on time.
According to DOD's report, nearly 177,000 service members attended
TAP in 2023. Of these, 65 percent began pre-separation counseling at
least 365 days before separation or retirement, as required by law.
However, 35 percent still failed to meet this requirement, leaving them
with less time to prepare for civilian life.
Among those service members with planned separations, only 52
percent met the requirement to begin counseling at least 1 year before
leaving the service. In contrast, 100 percent of service members with
unplanned separations began counseling as soon as possible after
receiving their separation orders. This contrast underscores an
important opportunity for improvement. When required by operational
needs, DOD effectively ensures that service members attend TAP, as seen
with those undergoing unplanned separations. For those with planned
separations--who make up the majority of TSMs--attendance has improved
but remains inconsistent. While the increase in compliance is
encouraging, further progress is needed to ensure all service members
receive the full benefits of early transition preparation.
Under current law--Title 10 U.S.C. Sec. 1144(c)(2)(A)-(B)--service
secretaries have the authority to waive the mandatory TAP instruction
of Two-Day Tracks if a service member is deemed unlikely to face
significant challenges in readjustment, health care, or employment.
Additionally, waivers may be granted for those with specialized skills
who are essential to supporting a unit's imminent deployment due to
unavoidable circumstances. However, in practice, waivers are often
issued for reasons beyond these intended exceptions, frequently tied to
mission requirements or administrative convenience rather than a
service member's actual transition needs.
In October 2023, DOD testified before Congress that commanding
officers frequently waive TAP attendance due to mission requirements,
involuntary separations, or even personal choice. At the same hearing,
the Government Accountability Office testified that 53 percent of all
TAP waiver requests were approved, with 22 percent of Tier-III service
members (those identified as being at the highest risk for transition
challenges) not attending the mandatory 2-day course at all.
DOD's own January 2025 report further highlights the widespread use
of waivers by commanders, showing that 55 percent (74,000 TSMs) who
were eligible for exemptions in 2023 did not attend the 2-day course.
Of the Tier III TSM's who were required to attend the full TAP
curriculum, 17 percent (33,000 service members) did not attend an
employment, education, or entrepreneurship track. Tier III personnel
who miss out on TAP lack the individualized support necessary for a
smooth transition and leave the military without being properly
connected to VA resources. If commanders can prioritize getting every
service member to weapons qualification or other mandatory training,
they must also recognize that preparing them for civilian life and
educating them about their earned benefits is just as mission critical.
VFW Survey Data
The VFW conducts a post-transition survey with service members who
participated in VA's Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) program,
gathering firsthand insights into their experiences with TAP. The
feedback reveals common challenges faced by TSMs and highlights areas
where DOD can improve TAP to better prepare future veterans.
For many, transitioning from military to civilian life is an
overwhelming process. A separating Air Force E-5 described it as
``dealing with a bunch of important life decisions'' without enough
guidance. An Army E-6 from Fort Riley, Kansas, said the unit did not
give enough time to complete a smooth transition. Many reported feeling
rushed through TAP, with one participant describing it as a ``firehose
of information'' with no time to act on what was being taught. Because
most service members must still perform their regular duties while
attending TAP, they often struggle to focus fully on their transition.
Several suggested that TAP should incorporate dedicated time to begin
working on transition tasks rather than just presenting information.
When facing transition out of the military, TSMs share that their
primary concerns are finding employment and living with the impacts of
their service-connected disabilities. They worry about the loss of
their sense of purpose and mission, as well as the camaraderie and
dependable network they have come to know. They are concerned about
paying their living expenses, finding and affording health care, and
housing and food security. It is unwise to assume every service member
has a job waiting or a ready support network.
For National Guard and Reserve members, TAP presents additional
frustrations. An Air Force O-5 noted that ``we need more support for
guardsmen. We're the most complicated group of all, and I don't think
there's enough support for our unique circumstances.'' Additionally,
several TSMs emphasized that the core 3-day TAP course is too short,
recommending either an extension or a second round of participation. A
Navy O-5 in Washington, DC, remarked, ``One should attend TAP twice or
at least have access to review materials more than once. It's too much
information to absorb in 1 week, and some of it becomes more relevant
later in the transition process.'' Others suggested the need for ``pre-
TAP'' at the 18-year service mark to allow for earlier preparation.
Many TSMs also reported significant barriers caused by their parent
commands. A retiring Army E-7 admitted that the workload made it
difficult to focus on transition, saying, ``the 82d keeps on trucking
along, regardless of folks moving on.'' A sailor from Quantico,
Virginia, noted being constantly pulled from TAP classes to assist with
unit operations, making it difficult to focus. Another service member's
TAP experience was rushed due to not being released from deployment in
time to complete the program properly. The common theme was clear--
units prioritize operational readiness over transition, leaving many
service members scrambling. The lack of personalization within TAP was
another frequent concern. Multiple respondents suggested that TAP
should be tailored to separation type, such as retirement, medical
discharge, or end of service contract, so that service members receive
information relevant only to their situation. A soldier from Fort
Bragg, North Carolina, explained, ``TAP could be improved if each
cohort was broken up by separation type so that only relevant info is
provided.'' A Navy E-7 echoed this, saying the program ``lacks the
bandwidth to individualize for non-standard retirees.'' Others
expressed frustration over limited TAP availability, with a sailor from
Naval Support Activity Annapolis, Maryland, struggling to register
because the first open session was not available for 3 months.
Many also highlighted the need for greater spouse and family
involvement. An Army O-5 retiring from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, said,
``They need to encourage family attendance. It wasn't clear when and
where to include them.'' A Navy E-6 agreed, saying, ``Spouses should be
encouraged to attend. It's a wealth of information, and as a team, more
can be retained.'' These insights suggest that better outreach and
flexibility are needed to integrate families into the transition
process. Despite these challenges, some found elements of TAP
effective. A soldier retiring from Fort Cavazos, Texas, praised the
executive TAP course for being ``time-effective and relevant to the
audience.'' However, others found TAP ``surprisingly stressful'' with
one participant stating, ``We reviewed each section of the book, which
I can do on my own. TAP lacked details that would actually benefit my
transition.''
These survey responses underscore the need for DOD to improve TAP
by allowing more time for participation, ensuring units prioritize
transition, tailoring courses to different separation types, expanding
access for Guard and Reserve members, and integrating spouses into the
process. By addressing these gaps, TAP can become a more effective
bridge to civilian life, helping future veterans to be better prepared
for success beyond military service.
Gaps in TAP
While DOD has made significant strides in supporting service
members' transitions, there are still areas for improvement,
particularly for junior enlisted personnel and those at high risk. As
stated earlier, despite legal requirements many service members do not
attend TAP classes on time and commanders can waive attendance for
mission requirements or operational needs. As a result, junior enlisted
personnel, who often benefit the most from early transition
preparation, may not receive the same level of access as their senior
counterparts.
VFW staff have observed disparities in TAP participation. According
to VFW's accredited BDD representatives, senior enlisted personnel and
officers attend TAP at significantly higher rates than junior enlisted
service members. For example, during one particular week at Fort Bragg,
out of 28 disability and compensation claims submitted by VFW's BDD
representative, only six came from junior enlisted service members,
even though they constitute a much larger share of those leaving the
military. This suggests that many junior enlisted personnel are not
receiving the same level of guidance and time to file for their
benefits as their senior counterparts. Addressing this gap would help
ensure that all service members, regardless of rank, receive the full
range of support needed for a smooth and successful transition. TAP has
proven to be effective for senior enlisted personnel and officers, who
often have greater stability, education, and resources. However, junior
enlisted service members--who are statistically more vulnerable to
challenges such as underemployment, homelessness, and mental health
struggles--may require additional outreach and command encouragement to
fully engage in the program. By strengthening engagement efforts for
this population, DOD can enhance TAP's impact and better equip all
service members for life after service.
Additionally, while TAP offers specialized tracks tailored to
different career paths, not all service members receive sufficient
counseling to help them select the most suitable option. Those
uncertain about a post-military path may benefit from more in-depth
guidance to explore available opportunities effectively and make
informed decisions about the future.
Another opportunity for improvement lies in structured post-
separation follow up. While TAP focuses heavily on pre-separation
preparation, many veterans struggle in the critical first six to twelve
months after leaving the military. Expanding follow-up support during
this critical period could further enhance the success of TSMs long
term.
Finally, continued efforts to foster a culture that fully supports
transition preparation will be key. While TAP is a valuable program,
some service members, particularly those leaving involuntarily, may
feel disengaged due to lingering cultural stigma or varying levels of
command emphasis on transition planning. By reinforcing the importance
of TAP across all ranks and ensuring that every service member is
encouraged to participate fully, DOD can further strengthen its
commitment to set up TSMs for long-term success.
Successes of VA's TAP 6.0
With the establishment of TAP 6.0 in January 2024, VA has taken a
proactive approach by ensuring TSMs receive direct, in-person counsel
on navigating the VA benefits system. TAP 6.0 includes accredited
representatives who provide crucial guidance on the complex process of
filing a VA disability and compensation claim through the BDD process.
These accredited representatives assist TSMs in filing claims,
expediting disability ratings, and ensuring continuity of essential
care including mental health services. This access has significantly
increased the number of TSMs receiving benefits upon discharge.
Codifying it into law would secure its long-term impact at no
additional cost.
Since the implementation of TAP 6.0, the VFW has had no difficulty
accessing military installations to support its portion of the VA TAP
day. Although VFW representatives are typically allocated only 15
minutes during the Veterans Service Organization (VSO) briefing, they
prefer to be scheduled at the end of the day to maximize their
opportunity to engage with TSMs. After the briefing, they often remain
available to answer questions, schedule appointments, and discuss
various aspects of VA disability and compensation claims, including
time requirements, necessary documentation, and evidentiary criteria.
Representatives distribute their business cards and encourage TSMs to
contact them for follow-up appointments. When accredited
representatives write their contact information on the classroom
whiteboard, nearly every TSM takes a photo for future reference. It is
important to note that VFW representatives do not file claims or
request TSMs to sign any forms during TAP courses.
During the first year since TAP 6.0 became effective, the VFW
briefed 13,000 more TSM's than the year prior, a 54 percent increase in
contact. This effort resulted in a 25 percent increase in establishing
service connection for VA benefits for service members seeking claims
assistance. The VFW's accredited representatives alone briefed nearly
24,000 TSMs in 2023, and in 2024 they briefed 37,000 TSMs, achieving a
26 percent increase in awards.
The VFW urges Congress to pass the TAP Promotion Act to codify this
practice and ensure that all TSMs have access to this essential
benefits assistance before leaving the military.
Community Connections
As TSMs step away from the structured environment of the military,
they are faced with a multitude of new and often complex challenges.
Connections to local resources are essential for service members'
successful transitions, as they can significantly impact outcomes
including those related to military sexual trauma. However, VFW survey
data indicates that one third of respondents were either unaware of
these resources or reported not being connected to them. While DOD
prioritizes warm handoffs for those identified as most in need of
transition assistance, expanding these connections to all TSMs, as
outlined in the law, would help ensure that every TSM has access to the
support they need to thrive in civilian life.
To address this, the VFW urges Congress to ensure that all service
members are consistently connected to reliable community resources,
especially those specialized transition organizations receiving Federal
grants. The National Resource Directory is a resource for vetted
organizations that could be designated to support these connections.
Additionally, VA's partnership with Onward Ops provides trained
volunteer sponsors to guide approximately 25,000 service members each
year during their first year of civilian reintegration.
While no national transition services exist in every city, many
organizations specialize in specific industries or locations. For
example, TSMs seeking education can be connected with Student Veterans
of America chapters. Those interested in technology jobs in Texas can
connect with VetsinTech, and those pursuing finance in New York City
with can connect with FourBlock. Specialized organizations like The
Honor Foundation serve members from U.S. Special Operations Forces.
These resources cannot be fully effective if they are underutilized or
not well-known to those who need them.
Successful Suicide Prevention Efforts - VA's Veteran Sponsorship
Initiative
Building on DOD's responsibility to connect TSMs with community
resources, VA's Veteran Sponsorship Initiative (VSI) takes a targeted
approach to supporting those at the highest risk for suicide, ensuring
they receive personalized, life-saving assistance during transition.
VSI plays a critical role in linking TSMs at risk to essential
services, including VA medical care, mental health and wellness
support, housing assistance, financial aid, vocational training, and
peer mentorship. A key feature of the program is the DOD STARRS
Practical Risk Calculator for Suicidal Behavior, a predictive analytics
tool designed to identify service members at the highest risk for
suicide. This questionnaire, which has been administered to 18,000
active duty TSMs, has demonstrated remarkable accuracy by identifying
93 percent of potential suicide attempts among the top 30 percent of
at-risk individuals. Those flagged as high risk receive rapid access to
VA health care and peer-certified sponsors through Onward Ops, an
organization that provides structured, veteran-led sponsorship to
ensure a smoother and more supported transition. Results from VSI show
a reduction in suicide attempts after military discharge. By
integrating data--driven risk assessment with personalized support, VSI
and Onward Ops are ensuring that vulnerable TSMs receive the critical
assistance they need. To enhance suicide prevention, the VFW urges DOD
to expand VSI and mandate universal participation by all TSMs in the
STARRS Practical Risk Calculator for Suicidal Behavior risk assessment.
Impact on DOD's Force Readiness
Proper transition support for TSMs is vital to sustaining the long-
term strength and readiness of the force. Ensuring that service members
successfully transition to civilian life not only helps maintain their
well-being but also fosters a culture of support and commitment in the
military. When transitions are well managed, service members are more
likely to remain advocates for military service, whether by rejoining
in the future, supporting the military in civilian roles, or
encouraging their families and communities to consider service.
Data from the Pew Research Center shows that perceptions of
military service are evolving, with younger generations expressing more
concerns about challenges post service. These concerns influence
recruitment efforts, especially among families who have traditionally
been strong supporters of military careers. If potential recruits
perceive gaps in the military's transition support, they may hesitate
to enlist because of uncertainty about long-term benefits, career
options, or challenges after leaving service.
VFW's Recommendations for Improving DOD's Transition Services
To enhance DOD accountability and support TSMs, the VFW recommends
that Congress pass legislation to create an Under Secretary of Defense
for Transition (USD-T) within DOD. This office would oversee and
coordinate all transition programs, ensuring comprehensive and
standardized support for service members as they prepare for life after
military service. The USD-T would enforce compliance with TAP
requirements, hold commanders accountable for participation, and
address cultural stigmas around transition assistance, reinforcing that
it is a key part of career development. The office would also implement
targeted interventions for service members at high risk for post-
transition challenges such as suicide, substance use disorders, and
mental health issues.
The VFW urges Congress to pass the TAP Promotion Act that would
strengthen transition support across all branches of service. To ensure
service members receive the support to which they are entitled, we
recommend that Congress mandate TAP compliance and timeliness by
requiring DOD to create an accountability system. Commanders should be
incentivized to prioritize transition services by establishing
performance metrics and reporting requirements that evaluate their
support for transition preparation. Waivers for TAP attendance should
be granted only in exceptional circumstances, under strict criteria,
rather than for administrative convenience. A cultural shift within the
military is needed to ensure that transition preparation is viewed as
equally mission critical as other mandatory training.
To expand and strengthen transition programs, the VFW recommends
enhancing collaboration with transition service organizations,
especially those receiving Federal grants, and increasing integration
with programs like Veteran Sponsorship Initiative and Onward Ops.
Additionally, the VFW calls for DOD to expand the use of the STARRS
Practical Risk Calculator for Suicidal Behavior throughout the
Department, ensuring all TSMs are screened.
Finally, the VFW recommends integrating transition support early
and at all levels of a service member's career. Transition education
should be expanded beyond TAP and introduced at multiple points,
including a ``Pre-TAP'' program around the 18-year service mark for
those approaching retirement. TAP itself should also be tailored to
different transition paths, ensuring more relevant guidance for each
service member's unique situation. Moreover, increasing family and
spouse involvement in TAP sessions and improving scheduling flexibility
will ensure a smoother transition for the entire family.
The VFW urges Congress and DOD to take decisive action in
establishing the USD-T and implementing these critical reforms. By
embedding transition preparation into military culture, enforcing
accountability for TAP participation, and expanding access to
specialized transition resources, DOD can better equip service members
for life after service. Recognizing transition as a core mission within
DOD will not only improve veterans' well-being but also enhance
recruitment, retention, and the overall quality of life for all who
have served. This approach will ultimately make it easier for every
service member to transition successfully.
Chairman Van Orden and Ranking Member Pappas, this concludes my
testimony. I am prepared to answer any questions you or the
subcommittee members may have.
Information Required by Rule XI2(g)(4) of the House of Representatives
Pursuant to Rule XI2(g)(4) of the House of Representatives, the VFW has
not received any Federal grants in Fiscal Year 2025, nor has it
received any Federal grants in the two previous Fiscal Years.
The VFW has not received payments or contracts from any foreign
governments in the current year or preceding two calendar years.
Prepared Statement of Elizabeth O'Brien
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Prepared Statement of Barbara Carson
Introduction: Our Work and Policy Priorities
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and distinguished Members of the
Committee, thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony today
about transition and the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) on behalf
of the D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families' (IVMF)
at Syracuse University.
About the IVMF
The IVMF was founded in 2011, as higher-education's first
interdisciplinary academic institute singularly focused on advancing
economic, social, and wellness outcomes on behalf of the Nation's
military, veterans, and their families. In support of that mission, the
IVMF team designs and delivers class-leading programs and supportive
services to the military-connected community, positioning them for a
successful transition from military to civilian life. Each year, more
than 20,000 service members, veterans, and family members engage IVMF
programs and services, which are provided at largely no cost to
participants. Our offerings span a variety of categories, from
entrepreneurship and career training to connecting individuals with
local resources in their communities. The IVMF's programs are
underpinned by the Institute's sustained and robust data collection,
applied research on the most pressing issues impacting veteran well-
being, and evaluation services for public and private partners who also
serve the military-connected population.
Accordingly, the IVMF's policy priorities are directly informed by
insights from our programmatic, research, and evaluation efforts, as
well as from engagements with the IVMF's many external partners
including from the public sector, higher education, national and
community nonprofits, philanthropy, and the private sector. We remain
committed to contributing to the effort to knit together the patchwork
of government and non-government support greatly needed to support
successful transition.
Key Message
We commend the Committee's continued dedication and progress to the
improvement of TAP and the broader transition process, including the
attention to measurement and oversight. While important strides have
been made, more must be done to ensure veterans and their families are
equipped to thrive in their post-service lives.
Below, we offer for consideration:
Relevant insights from the available evidence about the
transition experience and associated outcomes, as well as the limits of
what TAP alone can achieve.
Key takeaway: Successful transition is essential to
individual and family well-being and our national security.
Key takeaway: Transition can be difficult, but
preparation and support beyond TAP are associated with better
outcomes.
Recommendations for changes that would optimize TAP given
its role in the overall transition process, based on areas where TAP
currently provides value and where it falls short in its design,
implementation, and results.
Key takeaway: TAP remains an important part of the
transition process and therefore requires greater
accountability through compliance, standards, and evaluation.
Key takeaway: TAP should be part of a broader
connected system of support that includes high quality public,
nonprofit, and private sector programs that align with
transitioning service member needs.
State of Current Evidence
Defining the Problem
Every year, an estimated 200,000 service members transition out of
the military. When we include military spouses, National Guard members,
and reservists, the number of individuals navigating this transition
each year is even higher. Many face challenges during the critical
first 3 years outside the service, and data shows that more than half
of veterans find the transition to civilian life difficult. Researchers
from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have even referred to the
first year after separation as ``the deadly gap'' for transitioning
veterans due to an even more elevated risk for death by suicide. The
ability to establish meaningful employment and financial stability are
critical to a service member's successful transition from active duty
to civilian life, and can help avoid enormous economic, social, and
personal costs.
These costs have broader implications for our national security.
There is evidence to suggest hesitancy to recommend or pursue military
service for the younger generation, which in turn influences our
ability to recruit and sustain a robust All-Volunteer Force. In the
most recent annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey (MFLS) report, a
collaboration with Blue Star Families, we found that while seven in ten
respondents say military service has added value to their family's
life, only one-third would recommend military service to a young family
member.
Additionally, recent data published by Ipsos with Call of Duty
Endowment and Mission Roll Call indicated that 55 percent of adults are
unlikely to recommend military careers to teens, and that 80 percent of
teens are uninterested in military service as a viable career path--
despite positive perceptions of veterans overall. The study also found
that roughly half of adult respondents believed challenges in military
recruitment pose a significant risk to national security.
Transition and the Programmatic Landscape
Data shows that most veterans are seeking employment after service,
even those also interested in school or starting a business. Further,
about 62 percent of veterans are underemployed after 6.5 years. Yet,
per a recent report from RAND, 95 percent of Federal spending on
military-to-civilian transition programs focus on general education
services despite those services being utilized by just 41 percent of
participants.
More broadly, per U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
classifications, there are 45 Federal programs overseen by 11 Federal
agencies that help veterans transition--now 46 with the addition of the
new Veteran and Spouse Transitional Assistance Grant Program--which
RAND estimated collectively represent over $13 billion of expenditures
per year.
Critically, RAND found it difficult to compile dependable budget
information about these programs, and that almost none have been
rigorously or independently evaluated, including 27 programs that serve
few individuals and for which almost no budget or performance data
exists.
RAND's assessment made clear that the current state of Federal
programming includes overlaps across the existing programs, but also
noted that gaps remain, particularly with employment assistance.
Nonprofits have created programs that fill these and other gaps that
TAP and the Federal Government may not be best suited to address. For
example, 8 years ago the IVMF launched the Onward to Opportunity (O2O)
program. O2O provides career exploration and employability skills
training, along with access to industry-recognized certifications to
over 10,000 transitioning service members, veterans, and spouses every
year at no cost. The program operates on 19 military communities,
reaching over 70 installations across the country and provides virtual
training to participants in all 50 states.
Importantly, O2O is the only program that has undergone a rigorous
third-party evaluation to prove its efficacy at helping transitioning
service members--especially those leaving the military from junior
enlisted ranks--secure better salaries. While a second report from RAND
noted challenges nonprofits face with measurement of their employment
services, some are already tracking spending and performance to a fair
extent. This data suggests there are currently organizations that
deliver evidence-based programs more efficiently than the government.
Relatedly, the Ipsos study found there were high levels of support
for enhancing certain services for former service members.
Specifically, despite generally believing veterans are employed in jobs
appropriate for their experience and education, respondents still
overwhelmingly backed the expansion of programs focused on job
placement.
Transition Experience for Individuals in Context
Our programmatic support and advocacy for those who have served
acknowledge that there are differing needs among transitioning service
members. We also recognize that the timeline to military transition can
vary from one individual to another. Specifically, and in reference to
an earlier section of this testimony, we know that even in the best of
circumstances, the military transition process can be difficult. Cross-
sectional annual data from the MFLS demonstrate that year after year,
roughly half of veteran respondents described their transition
experience as ``difficult'' or ``very difficult.'' This finding is
dismaying. Yet, further data supports that ``preparedness'' lessens the
challenges associated with military transition.
There are multiple ways to foster preparation for military
transition. First is through giving transitioning service members more
time for this change. For example, 61 percent of veterans agreed with
the statement ``I needed time to figure out what to do with my life
during my transition.'' Additionally, while many veterans do not get a
lot of lead time before separation, preliminary data also show that 82
percent of veterans who prepared for transition three or more years
before separating felt ``prepared.'' Among those veterans who said they
were not able to prepare for transition, only 21 percent felt prepared.
Another aspect of having enough time for military transition is
recognizing that the transition process can extend beyond the specific
moment of military separation. Additional evidence from The Veteran
Metrics Initiative (TVMI), a national longitudinal study of post-9/11
veterans managed by the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at
Pennsylvania State University, found prevalent utilization of
transition support programs and services from approximately a year
prior to separation through 3 years after separation. Furthermore, even
at 5 years post-service, only 81 percent of veterans say they felt
fully transitioned, demonstrating that military transition can be a
lengthy and uneven process for many service members and veterans.
As outlined above, there is compelling evidence to validate that
transitioning out of the military presents challenges and is more than
a moment in time, which requires us to think more broadly about
military transition. We know that veterans and their families have
varying needs before, during, and after the point of transition. They
also require different levels of support to meet these needs and
struggle to navigate to the right programs at the right time.
Preliminary evidence shows that being prepared for military transition
can pave the way for a smooth transition but at the same time, we must
acknowledge the Department of Defense (DoD) priority of warfighting.
This dichotomy highlights an inherent tension between prioritizing
mission readiness and focusing on preparation for post-service life.
TAP Challenges and Opportunities
Compliance and Evaluation
TAP has significantly changed over the years and will continue to
require adjustment to meet the needs of different generations of
veterans in years to come. This necessary evolution means what is and
is not working will also shift over time. This fact, coupled with TAP
being the transition intervention available to the broadest swath of
transitioning service members, reinforces how vital it is to monitor
compliance and formally evaluate it for effectiveness.
While improving compliance has been a stated focus of DoD and a
priority of this committee, data suggests that many service members
still fail to begin TAP as early as required by law, and that a subset
fail to attend the required portion at all. We know this varies by
service branch and installation, and acknowledge the challenges faced
at smaller or more remote locations. However, GAO reports have
consistently recommended that DoD identify and address reasons for non-
participation, including reducing the reliance on waivers.
In addition to making ongoing monitoring and reporting of key
measures at the installation level more robust, other options should be
explored to better support and hold commanders accountable for
achieving compliance. Options should preserve flexibility to ensure
transition can be prioritized in parallel with mission readiness, but
also be paired with more consequences for noncompliance, such as
integrating TAP participation into performance evaluations.
To date, potentially because of past periods where veteran
unemployment rates were quite high, the bar for a successful transition
was accordingly set quite low: employed vs. not employed and
unemployment compensation spending. We should aspire to more than this
bare minimum. Walking out of the service, veterans should be able to
get jobs that reflect and respect their service and training, without
assuming those jobs should be the same as the ones they did in the
military. That is not to say that the first job out of the service will
or needs to be the perfect long-term fit; it is to say that it's
unacceptable to have to take huge leaps backward or start over, and
it's certainly unacceptable to be underemployed after 6 years.
However, TAP is one of the few transition programs to have
undergone more formal evaluation. Results have generally been mixed,
though there appear to be some important long-term benefits, such as
higher labor force participation. One study found that Department of
Labor (DOL) employment workshop participants comparatively found jobs
more quickly and remained employed longer--but, they had significantly
lower wages. Wages were higher if participants also attended sessions
on VA benefits and completed the workshops earlier, reinforcing ways
TAP might be structured to help with preparation.
Overall, it is time to build on existing evaluations and
standardize metrics for TAP, using measures validated by existing
evidence. As programs outside the government continue to adopt these
measures, this approach will increase oversight, comparability, and
ultimately help us improve the overall system of transition supports.
Value of TAP and Transition Programs
It is important to consider the role TAP plays during the
transition process. There is data to indicate the circumstances under
which it may offer the most value, as well as how it can be augmented
to offer further value.
One way TAP has value for preparedness is through provision of
necessary resources. MFLS data shows that veteran respondents tend to
turn to multiple sources (e.g., word of mouth, TAP, engagement with
veteran-and military-serving organizations) to gather information about
military transition. And among those veterans who used these needed
resources during military separation, 41 percent indicated that the
resources were shared with them at TAP. However, despite the broad
availability of transition resources, data from TVMI also showed that
of the 19 percent who did not feel fully transitioned, many were not
using services, specifically citing lack of awareness of what was
available and confusion about their eligibility.
TVMI findings also show that during the first 3 months after
transition, 66 percent of veterans use at least one program aside from
TAP and 33 percent of veterans use multiple programs and services.
These additional programs include both public and private offerings,
and veterans who utilized more programs experienced better outcomes.
Empowering family members, such as spouses, to be part of the
process of military transition through TAP can also create more
capacity to tackle the transition process. Unpublished data from the
2024 MFLS showed that among veteran spouses who have experienced
military transition, 32 percent are already engaging with resources
through TAP and found it helpful.
At the same time, 17 percent of veteran spouses said they used TAP
but found it unhelpful, and 51 percent said that they did not engage
with TAP during their family's military transition. Anecdotally,
spouses of veterans and separating service members have cited numerous
reasons for not engaging with TAP, including scheduling difficulties,
lack of understanding about what TAP is, and/or little to no knowledge
that their attendance is encouraged.
Additionally, among those spouses who had been through this
process, 36 percent indicated that they found the varying sets of
transition resources they used through information given to them at
TAP. So, while families deploy many informal networks (such as friends,
coworkers, neighbors, etc.) in their transition information-seeking
process, formal channels such as TAP remain important and relevant,
particularly for those who may not necessarily have a robust informal
network of supports.
To provide tailored and more useful support, Congress might explore
options to work with MSOs and VSOs to develop a separate or targeted
transition program for spouses and family members. A program
specifically for this population--not a duplication of TAP--would
improve awareness of and connection to resources, both at the point of
separation and beyond. Congress might also consider legislative
solutions that make it easier for military spouses to navigate to TAP
and other resources, as they are often the ones managing household
finances and their children's education goals. In general, providing
opportunities for spouses may distribute responsibility and resources
across the family unit in ways that help with preparation.
Taken together, these insights underscore that TAP can be an
essential component for both veterans and their families, but they also
demonstrate the clear need for additional and complementary supports.
Connections Outside DoD
Given the importance of connecting transitioning service members
and their families to public and private offerings alongside TAP and
after separation, we need to make warm handoffs easier between DoD, VA,
and DOL, as well as between the Federal Government to states, counties
and communities--the places where individuals in fact transition into
civilian life.
These linkages can be integral to crisis prevention. When they are
unaware of a veteran's presence, government and community services
cannot effectively address needs in a timely manner. We encourage
Congress to come to an agreement on recent legislative proposals that
would support data sharing and enrollment in benefits and services at
the VA, DOL, State, and local levels for those that choose to do so
once they officially separate from the military. To do this efficiently
and effectively, we need to decrease barriers for the individual to
move between the DoD and new systems of care. Doing so has the added
benefit of empowering better oversight and evaluation long-term.
Conclusion
In light of the available evidence, our collective approach to
transition requires us to consider interventions further upstream and
downstream, moving beyond TAP and government alone. We must also
implement more oversight to set veterans and their families up for
success during what we know is a critical time.
Finally, setting measurement standards and evaluating TAP and other
Federal programs against these standards will help us restructure and
enact holistic, systemwide reforms that put resources to their first
best use. This system should also include stronger connective tissue
between agencies and with the nonprofit sector, including ways to
empower allocation of resources to effective, evidence-based nonprofit
programs that deliver positive outcomes.
The ability of veterans and their families to thrive in their post-
service lives depends on getting transition right. Doing so not only
impacts their well-being. Successful transitions benefit our
communities, preserve our All-Volunteer Force, and ultimately
strengthen our national security.
We thank the Committee again for the opportunity to provide
testimony on this topic, and for your enduring commitment to improve
transition. We stand ready to continue sharing insights from our
research and programs in support of this vital goal.
Prepared Statement of Brian Lewis
Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Pappas, and Members of the
Subcommittee, thank you for devoting time to the discussion of
essential programs that provide economic opportunity for veterans and
thank you for the opportunity to testify about the critical role
employers, like Consumers Energy, can play in helping veterans as they
move from military to civilian life including ways to leverage industry
partnerships through the Transition Assistance Program and SkillBridge
Program. My name is Brian Lewis, and I am Executive Director of
Customer Operations at Consumers Energy.
I've worked at Consumers Energy for 12 years, serving in a variety
of customer centric roles. As the leader of our customer operations
team, I oversee our contact centers, complaints resolution, revenue
operations, energy assistance and our digital channels. I am also a
proud veteran having served as a Combat Medical Specialist and Medical
Laboratory Specialist in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve from 1994 to
2002. During my years of service, the Army entrusted me with the lives
of my fellow soldiers. However, despite having been trained to provide
life-saving support, operate a blood bank or even oversee a
microbiology bench, when I transitioned to a civilian life I found my
Army training had limited transferability to the civilian medical field
and my job prospects were extremely limited. While I'm grateful for the
time spent serving my country, I felt underprepared and under resourced
to navigate the transition from military to civilian life and I
ultimately abandoned my medical aspirations. My experience led me to
seek out other ways to serve and contributed to my desire to advocate
on behalf of other veterans, helping them navigate the transition to
civilian roles. I know firsthand the challenges that veterans can face
entering a new career path after national service. It Is because I know
those challenges firsthand that I helped found the Consumers Energy's
Veterans Advisory Panel and served as a past co-chair of this employee
resource group.
Our company--Consumers Energy--provides natural gas and electric
service to nearly 7 million Michigan residents. We are the state's
largest utility with customers in every county within the Lower
Peninsula. My Consumers Energy colleagues and I take pride in serving
our customers each and every day. This pride of service beyond self is
something I, along with the over 800 other military veterans employed
by Consumers Energy, have carried with us from our time serving our
Nation into our new civilian mission to provide essential heat and
light to our fellow Michiganders. Serving our customers can sometimes
demand personal sacrifice as they count on us to keep power on around
the clock and respond to emergencies during nights, weekends, or
holidays, a similar sacrifice that our military men and women are
accustomed to as well.
Consumers Energy has a longstanding commitment to provide
opportunities for our military veterans. This commitment to veterans is
backed up by the numbers. Our workforce is made up of 12 percent
military veterans--far greater than the national average of 7 percent.
The company has also partnered with the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund to
support energy vulnerable Veterans, giving nearly $550,000 to that
organization since 2020. Through our efforts to support veterans
Consumers Energy has been recognized by the Michigan Veterans Affairs
Agency as a gold-level ``Veteran-friendly Employer'' for 9 years
running. This designation recognizes our Company's efforts to recruit,
train, and retain veteran employees, helping us fill critical positions
across our electric and gas operations.
Our efforts to support veterans have been further recognized by the
Department of Defense. In 2023 Consumers Energy received the Secretary
of Defense Freedom Award in recognition of our support for employees
serving in the National Guard and Reserve capacities. This award is the
Department of Defense's highest recognition for a civilian employer and
demonstrates the Company's efforts to support our employees that
transition from active duty to a reserve capacity by providing
stability that helps them balance their continued national service with
career aspirations and other aspects of civilian life.
The Company's efforts to support our veterans is about more than
awards or accolades, it is about our earnest desire to help ease, what
can often be, the difficult transition out of the military by providing
a welcoming environment for colleagues with different backgrounds or
experiences. Our Veteran's Advisory Panel Business Employee Resource
Group is one way we continuously seek input from our veteran employees
to help drive policy change within our organization and with external
partners. Today the Veteran's Advisory Panel is one the Company's
largest resource groups with over 500 members. The group provides
essential support for employees and in recruiting and retaining
veterans.
Consumers Energy employees are also active in Veterans in Energy--a
national organization founded by veterans for the purpose of providing
professional support for veterans working in the energy industry.
Employee engagement through Veterans in Energy includes annual
leadership trainings, peer-to-peer networking, benchmarking and best
practices sharing, and advocacy on behalf of veterans' issues. Through
engagement with Veterans in Energy, Consumers Energy employees have
been instrumental in advocating for policy changes that have improve
Department of Labor apprenticeship programs and demystifying the self-
identification process for veterans so employers can have a better
understanding of veterans in the workforce.
Consumers Energy has also recognized the importance of providing
training and technical skills programs to help develop the highly
skilled workforce needed for careers in energy. In partnership with the
U.S. Department of Labor, the Company has registered seven different
job roles to ensure that veterans can use their GI bill benefits toward
apprenticeships that prepare them to work in gas or electric fields.
One way the Company has recruited potential, new apprentices is
through electric and gas worker boot camp programs at our training
center in Potterville, Michigan. In partnership with the Utility
Workers Union of America and Power for America, these training programs
have, to date, helped prepare over 300 veterans for careers in electric
and natural gas fields. Not only do these boot camp programs help
connect graduates with high starting wage jobs, they also provide a
pathway to placement in apprenticeship programs that can ultimately
lead to careers in the energy sector with even higher earning
potential. Each time we open a new boot camp the demand from applicants
is significantly higher than the number of spaces we have to fill. We
believe, and the demand for the programs affirms, that training
programs are a win-win for veterans and Consumers Energy because the
programs make the Company more attractive for job seekers while
providing future employees with a pathway to essential and rewarding
career opportunities.
Building a skilled, dedicated energy workforce isn't just in
Consumers Energy's best interest, its vital to America's national
interest. The demand for energy is growing at rate not seen in decades.
Whether its increasing energy demands from data centers to power
artificial intelligence or to support an American manufacturing
renaissance, the Nation's gas and electric utilities are making
significant investments in our energy systems to ensure businesses have
the energy supplies they can rely on to thrive. Meeting this moment is
going to require more and more lineworkers and gas construction
crewmembers. We believe that fostering the talent pipeline from the
Nation's military to careers in energy will be an essential strategy to
fill these critical roles.
Even with all our past efforts and success, Consumers Energy
recognizes there is more to be done to help serve the roughly 200,000
service members who transition out of military service each year.
Through our past partnerships with State and Federal agencies we've
found many ways to help ease this transition, however we acknowledge
there is always opportunity for continuous improvement. We believe that
more can be done to strengthen the connection between Transition
Assistance Program offices and companies in states that don't have the
same proximity to our nations active-duty military installations.
Because Michigan does not have large numbers of active-duty personnel
it's been more challenging to make connections with the TAP offices.
Additionally, we see more potential with the Department of Defense's
SkillBridge program to make more direct connections between employers
and prospective employees. However, SkillBridge is not accessible to
all veterans and coordination with Transition Assistance Program needs
to be improved. We believe that further funding for SkillBridge and
making this platform more accessible for veterans will vastly improve
engagement between veterans and prospective employers.
Thank you again for the opportunity to participate in this
discussion. Consumers Energy stands ready, willing, and able to support
policymakers in improving economic opportunity for our Nation's
veterans.
Prepared Statement of Kandi Tillman
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Statements for the Record
----------
Prepared Statement of Hire Heroes USA
Introduction
Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Pappas, and distinguished
members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to submit a
written statement for the record regarding the Transition Assistance
Program (TAP) on behalf of Hire Heroes USA.
Hire Heroes USA is one of the leading veteran employment nonprofit
organizations in the Nation. Founded in 2005, we have secured
employment for more than 100,000 transitioning service members,
veterans, and military spouses. We provide comprehensive, one-on-one
employment services in all 50 states to 20,000 individuals annually at
no cost to our clients. With nearly 40 percent of our staff, including
our CEO, being veterans, we understand the unique strengths, values,
and insights inherent in our veteran, transitioning service member, and
military spouse clients.
The transition to civilian life is more than just the point-in-time
marked by separation from the military--it is, at times, a years-long
process of adjusting to a new way of life. To meet and overcome our
clients' challenges, Hire Heroes USA implements a highly individualized
one-on-one approach, pairing each client with a Transition Specialist
who walks with the client on the road to employment. The relationship
between client and Transition Specialist often extends beyond the point
in time when a client is employed, providing ongoing and continued
support as the service member adjusts to the civilian workplace. Hire
Heroes USA is focused not only on the quantity of clients served, but
on the quality of the service they receive.
A 2022 Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found that
nearly 25 percent of service members who need maximum transition
support did not attend TAP's mandatory 2-day class, and many did not
enroll in TAP the requisite year before separation.\1\ While there is a
need to strengthen and improve the rates at which transitioning service
members participate in TAP, there is a simultaneous need to strengthen
programs where individuals are currently receiving services.
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\1\ Government Accountability Office. Servicemembers Transitioning
to Civilian Life: DOD Could Enhance the Transition Assistance Program
by Better Leveraging Performance Information. May 17, 2023. https://
www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-106793.
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Employment Navigator and Partnership Program
The Employment Navigator & Partnership Program (ENPP) was initially
created in response to transitioning service members' feedback
regarding TAP's lack of personalized services. ENPP addresses this gap
by connecting transitioning service members to employment service
providers to assist with career preparation and job placement services.
Available at 40 installations and with over 70 private and nonprofit
partners, ENPP takes a critical first step in addressing the need for
continuity of services beyond the point of separation from the
military.
In its short tenure, the ENPP has successfully complemented TAP:
initial Department of Labor (DOL) data show high satisfaction and
strong employment outcomes among ENPP participants. ENPP's one-on-one
career services, offered by DOL staff and partnering organizations,
directly address transitioning service members' needs and have
demonstrated strong employment outcomes. DOL data show high
satisfaction and strong employment outcomes among ENPP participants. In
Fiscal Year 2024, 99 percent of program participants reported
satisfaction with their Employment Navigators and said they would
recommend the program to a friend. Furthermore, 96 percent of
participants reported that ENPP partners met or exceeded employment-
related expectations. The DOL Veterans' Employment and Training Service
(VETS) also reports that compared to their counterparts who do not
participate in ENPP, transitioning service members who participate in
ENPP experience a time from military separation to employment that is
63 days faster. Additionally, these same service members earn 11
percent higher wages than those who do not participate in ENPP on
average.
ENPP's success lies in the one-on-one career services, offered by
DOL staff and high-performing, nonprofit partners, that directly
address transition issues and have demonstrated stronger employment
outcomes. An original partner of the ENPP program, Hire Heroes USA
fills a critical gap in service provision for veterans and
transitioning service members. Top requests from ENPP clients--
including mentoring, industry-specific training, webinars, and virtual
career fairs--reflect this.
Hire Heroes USA has supported over 2,400 client referrals from the
program since 2021. Of these referrals, Hire Heroes USA provided
services to over 1,900, resulting in over 1,100 confirmed hires. For
Hire Heroes USA's ENPP referrals, the 2024 average salary upon hire was
$64,485. According to DOL VETS, ENPP served more than 17,700
individuals as of June 2024.\2\ These numbers demonstrate that through
referrals, Hire Heroes USA is serving nearly 11 percent of the total
ENPP participants. These services are provided free of charge to the
client because Hire Heroes USA incurs the cost, without compensation
from the Federal Government. At a cost of approximately $1,500 per
participant placed, Hire Heroes USA commits significant financial
resources to serving ENPP clients.
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\2\ Department of Labor Veterans' Employment and Training Service.
``Employment Navigator and Partnership Program (ENPP) Factsheet,''
August 5, 2024. https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/VETS/files/ENPP-
Factsheet-2024-08--05.pdf.
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Opportunities for Improvement
While the program has early indicators of positive success, there
are concerns regarding program sustainability and evaluation of its
effectiveness. Without standardized performance metrics to evaluate
outcomes, public and private leaders and decision makers cannot
adequately determine the efficiency of the program. ENPP, as well as
other Federal programs like TAP and SkillBridge (a DOD program to
jumpstart transitioning service members' civilian career through
internships, trainings, and apprenticeships with private sector
companies), requires increased emphasis on standardized outcomes
metrics over outputs and volume of clients served.
The RAND Corporation's recent investigation of the Federal and
nonprofit landscape of transition programs demonstrates these problems.
A June 2024 report found that the Federal Government spends over $13
billion on 45 different programs across 11 agencies to support military
transition each year. Approximately 97 percent of these funds are spent
on education services rather than employment services.\3\ Upon further
investigation into the role of nonprofit organizations in the
transition process, RAND found that these organizations fill a critical
gap to supplement Federal transition programs and initiatives,
particularly in providing individualized employment services.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ RAND Corporation. Federal Programs to Assist Military-to-
Civilian Employment Transitions: Limited Scrutiny and Substantial
Investment in Education Programs, 2024. https://doi.org/10.7249/
RRA1363-12.
\4\ RAND Corporation. The Role, Effectiveness, and Sustainability
of Nonprofit Organizations That Provide Employment Support for
Veterans, 2024. https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA1363-10.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hire Heroes USA recommends examining the key takeaways from these
reports-including standardizing reporting requirements, outcomes, and
metrics in both the public and privatesectors-to improve ENPP and other
government military-to-civilian transition programs. Such
standardization would increase transparency and improve oversight by
allowing for more rigorous program evaluation to determine
effectiveness. Furthermore, there is a need for increased public-
private partnerships to grow effective transition programs. Rather than
risk duplicity by creating new programs, the government should
strengthen existing programs by partnering with nonprofit organizations
that are already producing positive outcomes for those they serve. In
these partnerships, RAND cites the need for nonprofit partners to be
appropriately funded to do this work. Private organizations, relying on
philanthropic support, have mitigated TAP's shortcomings, but declining
resources jeopardize the private sector's continued sustainment of
ENPP.
ENPP's continued success depends on the involvement of non-
governmental partners that have dedicated and experienced staff, data-
backed best practices, and local relationships that the government
cannot provide. The ENPP partnership model should include compensation
for private sector nonprofits providing the highest impact on
transitioning service members. All ENPP partners participating in the
program ought to continue doing so, but those organizations devoting
significant operational resources to supplanting DOL's mission in TAP
cannot continue an unsustainable and uncompensated business model.
A limited number of veteran employment organizations are currently
positioned to provide high-quality services at a national or
international scale. The sustainability of the current model relies on
nonprofit partners' continued, voluntary participation funded through
limited, private resources.
For veterans and their families, the military-to-civilian
transition is not merely a career or lifestyle change; it represents a
fundamental challenge that they should not face alone. For many of our
clients, this is the first time they've navigated the civilian
workforce, including searching for jobs, creating a resume,
interviewing for a role, negotiating compensation, and adjusting to the
workplace after securing employment. ENPP partners provide effective
resources and support to help veterans and transitioning service
members navigate transition; however, without compensation to referral
partners and evaluation of program outcomes, the longevity and impact
of ENPP is at risk.
Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this important
discussion. Hire Heroes USA looks forward to working with the
government to improve services and outcomes for all who have served our
country.
Prepared Statement of Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals
Chairman, Ranking Member, and Members of the Committee:
On behalf of the Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals
(VAREP), we appreciate the opportunity to submit this Statement for the
Record on H.R. 1814 and its impact on veteran homeownership and
foreclosure prevention. As the only HUD-approved Veteran Service
Organization (VSO) dedicated to housing and financial stability, VAREP
supports stronger foreclosure prevention measures, including HUD-
approved counseling, a Partial Claim Program, and structured borrower
engagement--initiatives that align with industry leaders such as the
Mortgage Bankers Association and Freedom Mortgage.
Support and Enhancing H.R. 1814 to Better Serve Veterans
While H.R. 1814 is a positive step forward, additional provisions
would strengthen its impact and ensure more effective foreclosure
prevention:
Require servicers to refer delinquent VA borrowers to
HUD-approved housing counselors by the 31st day of missed payment to
prevent further hardship.
Implement structured action plans that help struggling
borrowers actively resolve delinquencies with professional support.
Enhance coordination between the VA and HUD-approved
housing counselors to align foreclosure prevention strategies with
veterans' financial realities.
Establish third-party VSO representation for VA loan
default cases to provide case management and borrower advocacy.
The Absence of VSO Advocacy for Veteran Borrowers
At the March 11, 2025, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
Hearing, no Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) addressed H.R. 1814,
VA loan defaults, or foreclosure prevention. Similarly, at the March 4,
2025, Joint House and Senate VSO Hearing, multiple VSOs testified, yet
none focused on veteran financial security, home retention, or loss
mitigation.
Unlike VA healthcare and benefits claims, where VSOs play a
critical advocacy role, veterans facing foreclosure have no dedicated
representation. This gap leaves them vulnerable to financial
uncertainty, predatory servicing practices, and unnecessary
foreclosures.
Closing the Advocacy Gap: A HUD-Certified VSO for Veteran Borrowers
To address this critical issue, VAREP urges the Committee to
establish a federally chartered, HUD-certified VSO dedicated to veteran
housing stability, foreclosure prevention, and financial security.
Purpose--Serve as the official advocate and resource for
veterans struggling with mortgage challenges.
Responsibilities--
Provide direct financial counseling and foreclosure
prevention assistance.
Act as a liaison between VA, servicers, and veteran
borrowers to ensure fair servicing practices.
Monitor and report servicer performance to Congress
for greater oversight and accountability.
Ensure veteran borrowers have a permanent voice in
legislative discussions impacting VA housing policies.
By integrating these crucial improvements, H.R. 1814 can deliver
real, lasting solutions for veteran homeowners at risk of foreclosure.
Prepared Statement of The American Legion
Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Pappas, and distinguished
members of this subcommittee, on behalf of National Commander Jim
LaCoursiere Jr., and more than 1.6 million dues-paying members of The
American Legion, we thank you for the opportunity to offer our
statement for the record on the Transition Assistance Program (TAP).
The American Legion is guided by active Legionnaires who dedicate their
time and resources to serve veterans, service members, their families,
and caregivers. As a resolutions-based organization, our positions are
directed by more than 106 years of advocacy and resolutions that
originate at the post level of our organization. Every time The
American Legion testifies, we offer a direct voice from the veteran
community to Congress.
Through its founding principles, The American Legion offers a
unique perspective on this issue--especially as TAP straddles both the
service member and veteran community. As Congress knows, the TAP is
critical to ensuring that those leaving the military have the proper
tools and resources to transition back into civilian life. Military
Commanders are responsible for a full range of tasks that are paramount
to the success of units across the globe. Unfortunately, operational
requirements frequently overshadow a service members' transition needs
as they enter their final phase of military service.
As our Nation's technology capabilities and data collection
improves, it is imperative that the TAP program is continuously
modernized and streamlined. Transition is not a one-size-fits-all
journey. Addressing the innumerable needs of transitioning service
members requires the program to impart all available information to
them ahead of their unique journey. Additionally, the experience and
requirements for active-duty service members are vastly different than
those in the National Guard or the Military Reserves. The American
Legion believes that TAP must meet service members and their families
where they are to provide the most effective information for their
unique needs, which will require change.
To ensure the success of our service members transitioning back to
civilian life, TAP must continue to improve to better serve those who
are embarking on this major life shift. As The American Legion is a
resolution-based organization, the following resolutions support and
inform the recommendations below: Resolution No. 100: Accountability of
the Department of Defense's Transition Assistance Program (TAP),\1\
Resolution No. 13: Transition Assistance Program App,\2\ and Resolution
No. 81: Transition Assistance Program Employment Workshops for National
Guard and Reserve Members.\3\ The American Legion looks forward to
continuing to work on improvements with both the veterans and armed
services committees.
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\1\ ``Resolution No. 100: Accountability of the Department of
Defense's Transition Assistance Program (TAP).'' Resolution No. 100:
Accountability of the Department of Defense's Transition Assistance
Program (TAP) - Digital Archive, n.d. https://archive.legion.org/node/
586.
\2\ ``Resolution No. 13: Transition Assistance Program App.''
Resolution No. 13: Transition Assistance Program App - Digital Archive,
n.d. https://archive.legion.org/node/15147.
\3\ ``Resolution No. 81: Transition Assistance Program Employment
Workshops for National Guard and Reserve Members.'' Resolution No. 81:
Transition Assistance Program Employment Workshops for National Guard
and Reserve Members - Digital Archive, n.d. https://archive.legion.org/
node/328.
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Background on TAP
According to the congressional Research Service, the U.S.
Department of Defense (DOD) estimates that more than 200,000 service
members (both the active and reserve component) transition to civilian
life each year--joining the more than 18 million veterans
nationwide.\4\ This transition to civilian life is not the first major
life transition that the service member has faced, but for many it can
be the most difficult. Often, a service member's transition is filled
with financial instability, lack or loss of purpose, food insecurity,
familial and marital hardship, all while struggling to navigate the
Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the Veterans Benefits
Administration (VBA).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Military transition assistance program (TAP): Background and
issues for Congress - Congress.gov - library of Congress, n.d. https://
www.Congress.gov/crs-product/R48114.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAP was established through the Fiscal Year (FY) 1991 National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). At its inception, TAP was designed to
be a cooperative Federal interagency effort led by the DOD, the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Labor (DOL), The
Department of Education, the Department of Homeland Security, and the
Office of Personnel Management to provide assistance, resources, and
training to retiring or separating active duty service members,
National Guard and Reserve members, and their spouses.\5\ TAP is
governed by both the Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Under
Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness who co-chair the
Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive
Committee (JEC). The JEC oversees the Transition Assistance Program
Executive Council (TAP-EC), which is responsible for the oversight of
the TAP course curriculum, performance management, communication,
supportive services, and data sharing with input from various working
groups.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ Text--H.R. 4739--101st Congress (1989-1990): National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991 - Congress.gov - library of
Congress, n.d. https://www.Congress.gov/bill/101st-congress/house-bill/
4739/text.
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The most significant recent changes to the TAP took place in the
Fiscal Year 2019 NDAA with the requirement that service members need to
begin the TAP curriculum no later than 365 days before their
anticipated separation or release from active duty, or 24 months prior
to their retirement date.\6\ The updated program was comprised of the
following mandatory days of instruction: DOD Transition Day, VA
Benefits and Services Day, and the DOL Employment Fundamentals Day.
Once these 3 days are completed, service members are then required to
complete the final 2 days known as career tracks, covering
entrepreneurship, employment, educational, and vocational pathways. The
Fiscal Year 2019 NDAA also required inclusion of immigration status on
pre-separation checklists, and authorized Federal agency participation
in Skillbridge, a program later codified in the Fiscal Year 2023 NDAA.
The TAP's most recent updates came from the Fiscal Year 2024 NDAA in
which the counseling pathways and requirements for the Skillbridge
program were amended.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ Text--H.R. 5515--115th Congress (2017-2018): An Act to
authorize appropriations for Fiscal Year 2019 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes -
Congress.gov - library of Congress, n.d. https://www.Congress.gov/bill/
115th-congress/house-bill/5515/text.
\7\ Military transition assistance program (TAP): Background and
issues for Congress - Congress.gov - library of Congress, n.d. https://
www.Congress.gov/crs-product/R48114.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Service members are assigned to one of three tiers based on their
preparedness level for transition as identified in their pre-TAP
counseling. Factors for the tiers include rank, time in service,
disability, health, military occupational specialty, and previous
employment history. Service members who are placed in tier one requires
minimal support and only need to attend the first 3 days of TAP. Those
placed in tier two are also only required to take the first 3 days of
TAP but are encouraged to participate in the career track portion.
However, service members assigned to tier three are required to
complete the TAP curriculum in full. Following the completion of the
required curriculum, all service members must complete the Capstone
certification showing that they have a verified individual transition
plan approved by the commander at least 90 days prior to separation.
Force Readiness and Accessibility Challenges
The American Legion holds a unique position and perspective, in
that our advocacy is not simply rooted in veterans' issues. As an
organization, we advocate for our veterans, service members, their
families, America's youth, and on occasion, the general public. Because
of our position and perspective, we understand that the highest
priority for the DOD is to ensure our country's security needs are met,
but without proper recruiting and retention within the department,
security needs cannot be accomplished. Additionally, to ensure DOD can
accomplish its mission, military leaders must ensure that service
members return to society as successful citizens. To achieve this,
service members must be permitted to complete the necessary TAP
training activities to be best prepared for their transition back to
the civilian world. Frequently, force readiness requirements create
competing priorities for commanders, leading to service members being
prevented from completing the entire TAP program. Lack of participation
in TAP leads to an ill-prepared veteran and future challenges.
In December 2022, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
released a report on TAP that found 22 percent of service members in
tier three did not attend or did not complete the required 2-day career
track portion of the curriculum. Further, GAO found that 70 percent of
servicemembers failed to meet the statutory requirement to initiate TAP
counseling at least 1 year in advance of separation. GAO brought forth
recommendations for the DOD to remediate the identified
deficiencies.\8\ However, GAO has not determined if DOD implemented
said recommendations, nor have they been able to measure the
recommendation's impact. By delaying TAP participation, the window in
which service members have to participate in or learn about post-
service programs, apply for earned benefits, or prepare for their
transition properly is drastically reduced. Systemic delays must be
remedied to ensure service members thrive rather than struggle in life
post military service.
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\8\ Office, U.S. Government Accountability. ``Servicemembers
Transitioning to Civilian Life: DOD Could Enhance the Transition
Assistance Program by Better Leveraging Performance Information.''
Servicemembers Transitioning to Civilian Life: DOD Could Enhance the
Transition Assistance Program by Better Leveraging Performance
Information - U.S. GAO, November 9, 2023. https://www.gao.gov/products/
gao-23-106793.
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The American Legion believes that as long as a service member is
operationally ready in their primary occupational specialty or who is
deployed or on temporary duty during the transition phase, the
challenges GAO noted will not be resolved. If service members are not
in an operationally ready status during their transition phase,
participation and compliance in the TAP as codified in law can be
ensured. Similarly, participation in the Skillbridge program is less
likely as service members must remain operationally ready and employed
in their primary duties. Far too often, we have heard from veterans
that they simply could not participate or plan for life after service
because they were needed for training, field operations, exercises, or
because they were deployed until weeks or months prior to the end of
their service. With these factors in mind, military leaders must ensure
that service members have all the training they need before deployments
that are close to the end of a service member's career. Veterans who
experience a turbulent transition will surely influence how friends,
family, and siblings view service in the military. The American Legion
supports legislation that would identify service members who express an
intent to complete their current contract and separate from the
military. Once said service member has been identified, they will only
report to their respective command to ensure that military operations
do not interfere with the transition process.
TAP Modernization Through Technology
Beyond the TAP curriculum, there are a wide array of resources
available to separating service members and veterans, but the most
common hurdle lies in finding resources that are reliable. The VA
currently offers Military Life Cycle (MLC) modules that centralize
reliable information for separating service members and their families.
The MLC's robust modules, which consist of 14 distinct sessions,
address a wide range of topics in-depth, including VA Education
Benefits, the VA Home Loan Guaranty Program, Community Integration
Resources, and other critical areas that support service members'
transition from military to civilian life.\9\ The modules are offered
in-person or online--allowing users to access information at their own
pace.
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\9\ ``TAP ONLINE COURSES.'' Tapevents.mil, n.d. https://
tapevents.mil/courses.
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The MLC module's structure, while currently underutilized, appears
to be the most promising approach in reaching a wider audience in a
faster and more efficient manner. MLC modules offer a promising model
for government agencies involved in military transition to promote
easily accessible micro-learning opportunities and increase awareness
of benefits long before military separation. Simply creating
educational content is insufficient if the intended recipients are not
fully aware of its availability or relevance to their needs.
With the ever-evolving landscape of media and artificial
intelligence, Congress should take advantage of emerging technologies
to make TAP more accessible. The American Legion believes that the
creation of a mobile application would serve as a powerful alternative
to existing virtual offerings--providing servicemembers with an
extensive toolkit of on demand, easily accessible, transition-related
content. By making TAP resources available on smartphones and tablets,
the application would enable the military-connected community to access
critical information any time and place, facilitating consistent
engagement with the material. Moreover, the application would offer
personalized features, allowing users to tailor their career and
transition plans to their unique circumstances--ensuring the
information they receive is relevant to their specific needs. Finally,
the application would ideally incorporate offline capabilities so that
personnel deployed in remote or low-connectivity areas could still
access essential resources without interruption.
The American Legion cautions that the development of such an
application must be done thoughtfully, ensuring it is user-friendly,
effective, and accessible. The application should not be rushed into
design but rather implemented with careful consideration of the diverse
needs of servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Last, it is
critical that interagency partners, community resource groups, and
veterans service organizations, such as The American Legion, be
actively involved in the design process to provide feedback and suggest
potential improvements to ensure that the final product meets the needs
of its users and maximizes its impact on transition readiness.
Establishing Separate Pathways for Active Duty, National Guard, and
Reserve
Currently the benefits earned for military service to this country
are varied based on the component in which an individual served. The
requirements and ability to use the Post 9/11 GI Bill differ based on
whether the service member was active duty, National Guard, or Reserve.
Additionally, the transition process for active-duty service members is
different than those in the Guard and Reserves.
In 2023, GAO identified that information disseminated through TAP
was applicable for active duty members but not the National Guard and
Reserves--leading to numerous TAP managers and counselors raising
concerns regarding how the program meets their unique needs.\10\
Because of the identified gap, there is a need for an alternative
pathway for National Guard and Reserve service members to complete TAP
so that they have the best information possible when pursuing their
transition back to civilian life.
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\10\ Office, U.S. Government Accountability. ``Servicemembers
Transitioning to Civilian Life: DOD Could Enhance the Transition
Assistance Program by Better Leveraging Performance Information.''
Servicemembers Transitioning to Civilian Life: DOD Could Enhance the
Transition Assistance Program by Better Leveraging Performance
Information - U.S. GAO, November 9, 2023. https://www.gao.gov/products/
gao-23-106793.
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Challenges faced by National Guard and Reserve component service
members do not mirror those faced by active-duty service members.
Members who serve in the National Guard or Reserves have a civilian
profession and have utilized the Uniformed Services Employment and
Reemployment Rights Act while activated, therefore not requiring as
much in-depth training on seeking employment. Occasionally, some
service members need additional services to enter a new occupation due
to injuries sustained while activated. Within the National Guard and
Reserve pathway, the objective is to clarify which VHA, VBA, and
retirement benefits are available to the National Guard and Reserves in
comparison to their active-duty counterparts.
The unique experience of being deployed 1 day and then returning to
a civilian job the next is a transition that needs to be facilitated
with resources and a potential warm handoff to one or multiple Federal
agencies, which will assist in the process of assimilating back into
the general public. Recently, there has been a wave of confusion
regarding the benefits available to service members who are activated
under Title 32 versus Title 10 orders. The American Legion has
previously supported legislation that would improve TAP by specifically
tailoring the program for National Guard and Reserve members, such as
The Improving TAP for Guard and Reserve Servicemembers Act.\11\ The
modification of the TAP program through this bill would ensure all
service members, regardless of component, receive quality and
informative transitional assistance.
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\11\ H.R. 8336--118th Congress (2023-2024): To amend title 10,
United s Code, to establish a counseling pathway in the Transition
Assistance Program for members of the reserve components of the Armed
Forces., n.d. https://www.Congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/
10545/text.
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Conclusion
Chairman Van Orden, Ranking Member Pappas, and distinguished
members of the subcommittee, The American Legion thanks you for your
leadership and for allowing us the opportunity to provide our insight
on the Transition Assistance Program.
The American Legion stands ready to work with the subcommittee on
changes as they develop, and we look forward to sharing the feedback we
receive from our membership. For 106 years, The American Legion has
never shied away from the responsibility of being a voice for veterans,
and we will not start now.
Questions concerning this testimony can be directed to Eric C.
Johnson, Legislative Associate, at [email protected].
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