Military Transition Assistance Program (TAP): An Overview

Military Transition Assistance Program (TAP): An Overview

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Updated July 12, 2018
Military Transition Assistance Program (TAP): An Overview
Background
Table 1. Statutory TAP Counseling Requirements
The military Transition Assistance Program (TAP) was
Creation of a transition plan for educational, training,
established by Congress in the National Defense
employment, and financial objectives of the member and spouse.
Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 1991 (P.L. 101-
Educational assistance benefits.
510). The original purpose of the program was to help ease
Availability of relocation assistance services and other benefits
the transition to civilian life for military servicemembers
and services available to persons leaving military service.
who were involuntarily separated as part of the force
structure drawdowns of the late 1980s. From 1991 to 2011,
VA compensation and vocational rehabilitation benefits if
Congressional interest in the program remained high,
member is being medically separated or is receiving a disability
particularly in regard to troops who served in combat in
retirement.
Iraq and Afghanistan.
Health-related topics:

Availability of medical and dental coverage following
In 2011, Congress passed the VOW (Veterans Opportunity
separation from active duty, including the opportunity to
to Work) to Hire Heroes Act (Title II of P.L. 112-56),
elect into the conversion health policy.
which made a pre-separation counseling program

mandatory for all servicemembers with at least 180

Effect of career change on individuals and their families and
continuous days of active duty. Current law requires
availability of suicide prevention resources (member and
servicemembers to begin participating in TAP as soon as
dependents).
possible during the 24-month period preceding an

Availability of mental health services and treatment of post-
anticipated retirement date or 12-month period preceding
traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, depression,
the anticipated separation date. It also specifies that pre-
suicidal ideations, or other mental health conditions
separation counseling should commence no later than 90
associated with service in the armed forces.
days before the date of discharge or release unless

A description of VA health care and other benefits.
precluded by unanticipated circumstances or operational
requirements.
Financial planning topics:

Financial planning assistance, including information on
In 2011 the Obama Administration established the
budgeting, saving, credit, loans, and taxes.
Veterans’ Employment Initiative Task Force with the

VA home loan services and housing assistance benefits and
Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA)
counseling on responsible borrowing practices.
and charged the task force with redesigning TAP. The
redesigned Transition GPS (Goals, Plans, Success) program
Career and employment topics*:
includes a Military Life Cycle component that starts

Civilian occupations and related assistance programs.
preparing the service member for civilian transition at the

Procedure for affiliating with Selected Reserve.
beginning of his or her military career and at certain

milestones (e.g., promotion, deployment) throughout that

Priority of service for veterans in the receipt of
career. At each of these milestones, servicemembers are
employment, training, and placement services provided
made aware of Career Readiness Standards (CRSs) and are
under qualified job training programs of the DOL.
given opportunities to review and adjust personal financial

Veterans small business ownership and entrepreneurship
planning objectives and individual development plans. Over
programs of the SBA.
time, Congress has also increased the number and scope of

Veterans preference in Federal employment and Federal
required TAP counseling topics (see Table 1).
procurement opportunities.
Program Administration

Employment and reemployment rights and obligations.
Spouse and caregiver topics:
DOD administers TAP in cooperation with the Departments
of Veterans Affairs (VA), Labor (DOL), Education,

Job placement counseling for member’s spouse, and
Homeland Security (DHS), Small Business Administration
information on survivor benefits.
(SBA), and Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Assistance and support services for family caregivers.
Officials from these agencies participate in TAP Executive
Source: 10 U.S.C. §1142
Council and Senior Steering Group meetings on a regular
Note: *Additional employment-related topics under the DOL
basis. DOD’s Transition to Veterans Program Office
portion of the program are specified in 10 U.S.C. §1144.
(TVPO) within the Office of the Secretary of Defense is the

principal oversight body for the military departments and
components in the development, management oversight,
and strategic planning of TAP.
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link to page 2 Military Transition Assistance Program (TAP): An Overview
Transition GPS Components
In the 2017 GAO study (GAO-18-23), top reasons affecting
TAP participation included instances where members were
The current TAP includes the development of Career
separated on short notice, and mission- or duty-related
Readiness Standards (CRSs), four hours of pre-separation
requirements that interfered with ability to attend the
counseling, and five days of classroom-based instruction
course. DOD reports that efforts are underway to improve
which includes core curricula and a Capstone event.
data collection for monitoring purposes.
Members may also select to participate in additional 2-day
Transition GPS tracks (see Table 2). Topics for these
Program Costs
optional tracks are specified in 10 U.S.C. §1144(f), and the
Program costs are split between the partner agencies.
Secretary of Defense has the authority to offer other
Aggregate program cost for all agencies is not reported, and
additional training options.
TAP is not a single budget line item.
Table 2. Transition GPS Components
DOD has estimated that its total annual cost for the program
Components
Description
is approximately $100 million, including service-level
programs and operation of the TVPO office. Within the
DOD administered workshops (8-10 hrs):
DOD budget, the TVPO is included as a line item in the
 Transition Overview
Operation and Maintenance budget for the Defense Human
 Resilient Transitions
Resource Activity. The military departments subsume TAP
Core
 Military Occupational Code Crosswalk
funding into broader budget categories for reporting
Curricula
 Personal Financial Planning
purposes. The SBA portion of TAP is typically funded at
 Individual Transition Plan Review
about $8 million and the DOL portion at $14 million. The
VA Benefits Briefings I & II (6 hours)
VA spends approximately $60 million on its portion of
DOL Employment Workshop (3 days)
TAP.
Optional
Accessing Higher Education (DOD)
Off-Base Transition Training (OBTT)
Transition
GPS Tracks
Career Technical Training (VA)
In 2012, some veterans groups pushed for expansion of
TAP to those who had already separated from service. In
(2 days each)
Entrepreneurship (SBA)
response, Congress authorized an Off-Base Transition
Verifies that service members have met Career
Training (OBTT) pilot program (P.L. 112-260, Section 301)
Capstone
Readiness Standards. (DOD)
that extended the TAP programs to veterans and their
spouses in a community-based setting. DOL ultimately
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Veterans’ Employment and
conducted 21, three-day workshops in Georgia,
Training Service, Transition Assistance Program Operations Manual;
Washington, and West Virginia. Average attendance was
U.S. Government Accountability Office, Transitioning Veterans: DOD
12 participants per workshop, and overall course ratings
Needs to Improve Performance Reporting and Monitoring for the Transition
were high. The OBTT pilot program expired in January of
Assistance Program, GAO-18-23, November 2017.
2015.
Population Served
Issues for Congress
There are approximately 1.3 million servicemembers in the
Many in Congress are concerned about whether TAP is
Active Component (AC) and 800,000 in the Reserve
helping to improve veteran outcomes as they relate to
Component (RC). Approximately 200,000 transition
employment, education, financial health, and general well-
annually. Separating members depart with varying skills,
being. Issues that have been raised include:
education, and experience levels. There are also individual
factors that affect the ease of transition, including, level of
 Participation compliance and monitoring;
disability (if any), family status (e.g., spouse employment,
 Interagency coordinating (e.g., data-sharing, “warm
dependent children), and preferences.
handover”);
 Potential involvement by other federal, state, and/or
U.S. Coast Guard personnel are permitted to participate in
local agencies;
portions of DOD’s TAP as availability of resources and
 Potential involvement by private organizations and
classroom space permits. Spouses of military service
employers;
members are authorized to attend certain portions of the
 Tailored information for population subgroups (e.g.,
classroom-based TAP. The Transition GPS curriculum is
female veterans, veterans with disabilities);
also available virtually on Joint Knowledge Online.
 Timing and venue for program delivery; and

Compliance with TAP Requirements
Long-term outcomes for participants.
Congress may consider these and other questions in its
DOD has publicly reported 92%-97% compliance rates
oversight role.
with mandated TAP elements. However, a 2017 GAO
report found that actual TAP participation rates based on
Kristy N. Kamarck, Analyst in Military Manpower
DOD internal monitoring reports for eligible
servicemembers are lower, particularly for Reserve
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Component members (approximately 47% compliance).
14.1% of transitioning service members participated
in one or more of the optional 2-day transition tracks.
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Military Transition Assistance Program (TAP): An Overview

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