U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

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A REVIEW OF THE INTERAGENCY TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND THE NEED FOR ENHANCED OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC 

OPPORTUNITY 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017 

Serial No. 115–37 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

( 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov 

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(II) 

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS 

DAVID P. ROE, Tennessee, Chairman 

GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida, Vice-Chairman 

MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado 

BRAD R. WENSTRUP, Ohio 

AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN, American 

Samoa 

MIKE BOST, Illinois 

BRUCE POLIQUIN, Maine 

NEAL DUNN, Florida 

JODEY ARRINGTON, Texas 

JOHN RUTHERFORD, Florida 

CLAY HIGGINS, Louisiana 

JACK BERGMAN, Michigan 

JIM BANKS, Indiana 

JENNIFFER GONZALEZ-COLON, Puerto 

Rico 

TIM WALZ, Minnesota, Ranking Member 

MARK TAKANO, California 

JULIA BROWNLEY, California 

ANN M. KUSTER, New Hampshire 

BETO O’ROURKE, Texas 

KATHLEEN RICE, New York 

J. LUIS CORREA, California 

KILILI SABLAN, Northern Mariana Islands 

ELIZABETH ESTY, Connecticut 

SCOTT PETERS, California 

JON TOWERS, Staff Director 

RAY KELLEY, Democratic Staff Director 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY 

JODEY ARRINGTON, Texas, Chairman 

GUS BILIRAKIS, Florida 

BRAD WENSTRUP, Ohio 

JOHN RUTHERFORD, Florida 

JIM BANKS, Indiana 

BETO O’ROURKE, Texas, Ranking Member 

MARK TAKANO, California 

LUIS CORREA, California 

KATHLEEN RICE, 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. 

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C O N T E N T S 

Wednesday, November 8, 2017 

Page 

A Review Of The Interagency Transition Assistance Program And The Need 

For Enhanced Outcome Measurements ............................................................. 1 

OPENING STATEMENTS 

Honorable Jodey Arrington, Chairman .................................................................. 1 

Honorable Beto O’Rourke, Ranking Member ........................................................ 3 

WITNESSES 

Ms. Cindy Brown Barnes, Director, Education, Workforce and Income Security, U.S. Government Accountability Office ..................................................... 4 

Prepared Statement ......................................................................................... 36 

Ms. Margarita Devlin, Executive Director, Benefits Assistance Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department Of Veterans Affairs ........... 6 

Prepared Statement ......................................................................................... 43 

Mr. Ivan E. Denton, Director, Office of National Programs, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, U.S. Department of Labor .................................... 7 

Prepared Statement ......................................................................................... 46 

Mr. Judd H. Lyons, Director, Defense Personnel and Family Support Center, 

Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, 

U.S. Department of Defense ................................................................................ 9 

Prepared Statement ......................................................................................... 52 

Brigadier General Robert Bennett, Adjutant General, United States Army ...... 22 

Prepared Statement ......................................................................................... 59 

Rear Admiral Karl O. Thomas, Director, 21st Century Sailor Office, Office 

of the Chief of Naval Operations, United States Navy ..................................... 23 

Prepared Statement ......................................................................................... 62 

Brigadier General Kathleen A. Cook, Director, Air Force Services, Manpower, 

Personnel and Services, United States Air Force .............................................. 24 

Prepared Statement ......................................................................................... 67 

Brigadier General Kurt W. Stein, Director, Marine and Family Programs, 

United States Marine Corps ............................................................................... 26 

Prepared Statement ......................................................................................... 69 

STATEMENTS FOR THE RECORD 

Acceleron Learning .................................................................................................. 71 

Veterans Education Success (VES) ........................................................................ 72 

QUESTIONS FOR THE RECORD 

U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service ........... 73 

Questions Full Committee Ranking Member Timothy J. Walz to U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) ......................................................................................... 75 

Requestors - Full Committee Ranking Member Timothy J. Walz ....................... 77 

GAO Response to Full Committee Ranking Member Timothy J. Walz .............. 91 

Full Committee Ranking Member Timothy J. Walz to U.S. Department of 

Veterans Affairs ................................................................................................... 92 

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A REVIEW OF THE INTERAGENCY TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND THE 

NEED FOR ENHANCED OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS 

Wednesday, November 8, 2017 

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS, 

U. S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

Washington, D.C. 

The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:03 p.m., in Room 

334, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Jodey Arrington [Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding. 

Present: Representatives Arrington, Wenstrup, Rutherford, 

Banks, O’Rourke, Takano, and Correa. 

STATEMENT OF JODEY ARRINGTON, CHAIRMAN 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Good afternoon, everyone. I want to thank everybody for being here, joining us at the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity’s hearing today entitled ‘‘A Review of the Interagency Transition Assistance Program and the Need for Enhanced 

Outcome Measurements.’’ 

As we approach Veterans Day this weekend, today’s hearing is 

timely, as today, we will discuss the critical period in a 

servicemember’s career where they go down the path from Active 

Duty to civilian. The goals of today’s hearing are to discuss the administration of the Transition Assistance Program, also known as 

TAP, as well as transitioning servicemember’s ability and flexibility 

to attend TAP in an appropriate time prior to their separation from 

the military. 

TAP is a critically important—rather, is critically important for 

today’s servicemembers, because if we can get it right at the outset 

of a servicemember’s transition from Active Duty, then I believe we 

can mitigate—I am sorry. I am having like an allergen reaction 

here and so I may be calling on somebody to help me. I will try 

to make it through this. I am really not just choked up. I do care 

a lot about the TAP program, but I am not getting carried away. 

We are prone to theatrics from time to time, but not that good. So 

bear with me. I apologize. 

TAP is critically important for today’s servicemembers. We have 

got to get it right. If we do, we mitigate many issues that have 

plagued and continue to plague previous generations of American 

veterans. 

The information on financial management, job search skills, and 

veterans’ benefits are much improved from what was being proLeonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

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vided to servicemembers under previous versions of TAP, which 

many referred to as, quote, death by PowerPoint. And while TAP’s 

structure and curriculum have been greatly improved over the 

years, we can and should do more to prioritize the successful transition of our servicemen and -women into their civilian lives. 

Before I turn this over to my Ranking Member, I want to briefly 

make a few points. The GAO report that is being released today 

provides great information on how the Department of Defense is 

tracking the participation rate of servicemembers attending the 

TAP program. DoD’s publicly released data for fiscal year 2016 

shows that 94 percent of National Guard and Reserve members 

completed pre-separation counseling and TAP. 

However, the real figures reported by GAO found that DoD was 

missing data for some of the TAP-eligible national guardsmen and 

reservists and that the actual percentage could be as low as 47 percent. And GAO also found that while DoD talked about a 97 percent attendance by Active duty members, that number did not account for all TAP-eligible servicemembers and, therefore, the percentage could be much lower. 

While DoD may say that that is just because forms were lost, 

that doesn’t mean that servicemembers didn’t actually attend the 

training. It is important to make sure we track every 

servicemember. And in the year of 2017, saying that we lost data 

is unacceptable. I want to thank GAO for uncovering this problem, 

and I do trust the DoD will work to ensure all servicemembers are 

being tracked, regardless of whether or not they are Active or Reserve component. 

I also want to echo the comments from the past three chairmen 

of this Subcommittee by saying that I believe DoD is missing the 

mark by not placing more emphasis on higher education and other 

2-day tracks that are part of TAP. Several years ago, Congress 

made it mandatory for DoD to allow the participation in this training for those servicemembers who wish to do so. And I will be honest that in light of this requirement, I am more puzzled as to why 

DoD would reject a recommendation from GAO that they do a better job of tracking this participation. Why would the Department 

reject an effort to track the compliance with the law? 

These tracks are critically important because, under the right 

circumstances, the post-9/11 GI Bill can provide upwards of 

$300,000 in benefits to our veteran. And with the thousands of 

schools and training programs clamoring for student veterans, we 

must do everything we can to make sure that our servicemembers 

are provided with all the information and tools they need to make 

an informed choice on the right school and how to use their educational benefits. 

Another issue that I hope to hear more about today is how the 

Department of Veterans Affairs, Labor, and Defense are measuring 

and tracking performance and the long-term outcomes of TAP. 

That is, is it working? Do we know it is working? How do we know 

it is working? Where is the data? I have always been a proponent 

of the need to measure outcomes for any program. Without measurable outcomes, it is impossible to know for certain if the curriculum 

is working, if the servicemembers are receiving the adequate resources and training for transition of Active Duty. 

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I wanted to take a moment to commend DoD, VA, and DOL for 

working together to transform TAP over the past 2 years. I know 

it is a challenge to get this right, and I think a lot of strides have 

been made. The report, the GAO report stated, while unemployment rates for veterans continue to remain low, over half of post9/11 veterans will face a period of unemployment upon transition. 

It is our job to continue to work together to improve the process 

and facilitate a smooth transition to address the unemployment 

gap. 

I look forward to hearing from our panelists, and I appreciate all 

of you guys for being here today. 

I now yield to the Ranking Member, Mr. O’Rourke, for any opening remarks he may have. 

STATEMENT OF BETO O’ROURKE, RANKING MEMBER 

Mr. O’ROURKE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I think we all on this Committee agree that it is critically important that we get this transition between life in service to country 

in our Armed Forces and life as a civilian as a veteran right and 

that we don’t have it right today. When we look at access to health 

care, to housing, the ability to integrate in the workforce or in 

higher education, we are still falling far short of the mark.7 

Yesterday, we were able to celebrate passage of a bill that improves access to mental health care for veterans who have an other 

than honorable discharge, improving their likelihood of successfully 

transitioning and, frankly, of living, since they have twice as high 

a suicide rate as veterans who have a higher level of discharge. 

I want to make sure that we are paying close and careful attention to the TAP program, that we understand, as the Chairman has 

said, what it is that we are investing in it and how we can measure 

its performance, the outcomes, the help that it should be delivering 

to those servicemembers who are transitioning into civilian life. 

Perhaps the two most important powerful hearings that I have 

been in, one I know Dr. Wenstrup was in with us because I think 

it was our first term in Congress and on this Committee, was with 

family members who had lost a son or daughter to suicide. And 

they gave us incredibly powerful, helpful testimony in how we can 

improve the transition process from Active Duty into civilian life, 

where we had failed before, and how we could improve upon it. 

I especially think of the Somers family, Howard and Jean, parents of Daniel Somers, who took his life, who have, every single 

day since Daniel’s passing, been working with me and my colleagues and the administration, whether it was President Obama 

or President Trump, to improve this period of transition, and have 

even offered a specific policy idea in a reverse boot camp that I 

think merits more study and discussion and perhaps moving forward on. 

The other was one that we had this year with a panel that was 

talking about some of the consequences of untreated post-traumatic 

stress disorder. And I remember Sebastian Junger, who Dr. 

Wenstrup really turned me on to and gave me a copy of his book, 

talking about the crisis that transitioning servicemembers face as 

they try to integrate into civilian life, far too often unsuccessfully, 

unable to get to work, to transition into academic life, to transition 

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into family life, and the very real mortal toll that is taking on our 

population of veterans in this country as long as we do not figure 

this out and have a more effective, seamless transition. 

So I am very interested in the answers to the questions that the 

Chairman raised and that I am sure other Members of this Committee are going to raise. I am very much looking forward to the 

testimony from GAO, my favorite agency in government, which 

keeps us all accountable, Department of Defense, Department of 

Labor, Veterans Affairs, and the different representatives of the 

service branches. 

So grateful to you, Mr. Chairman, for bringing this hearing together, very much looking forward to the answers we are going to 

get today. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Thank you, Ranking Member. 

And now let’s welcome our first panel to the witness table. Joining us today, Ms. Cindy Brown Barnes, Director of Education, 

Workforce, and Income Security for the U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO; Ms. Margarita Devlin, Executive Director of 

the Benefits Assistance Services at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; General Ivan Denton, Director of the Office of National Programs for the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service at the U.S. Department of Labor; and Mr. Judd Lyons, Director 

of the Defense Personnel and Family Support Center for the Office 

of Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the 

U.S. Department of Defense. 

Thanks again for your time and insights. 

Ms. Brown Barnes, you are now recognized for 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF CINDY BROWN BARNES 

Ms. BROWN BARNES. Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member 

O’Rourke, and Members of the Subcommittee, I am pleased to be 

here to discuss the report we are issuing today on the Transition 

Assistance Program, or TAP. 

Since 2015, hundreds of thousands of servicemembers have left 

the military and transitioned into civilian life, with many more to 

follow. To help them, the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 mandates that DoD require all eligible separating servicemembers participate in TAP to get the support they need in landing a job, going 

back to school, starting their own business, or retiring. 

Today, I will cover, one, how DoD publicly reports its TAP performance goals; two, how many servicemembers went through TAP; 

three, how many were deemed to be career-ready; and finally, four, 

how well DoD monitors key areas of program implementation. 

In summary, we found that DoD needs to improve performance 

reporting and monitoring of TAP requirements. The figure shown 

on the monitor is a comparison of DoD’s public and internal reports. We found that DoD’s public reporting may have misstated 

TAP performance, because DoD did not disclose the data 

we[C1][HL2]re missing for 48 percent of National Guard and Reserves and 12 percent of Active-duty servicemembers in fiscal year 

2016. When DoD publicly reported that it had exceeded its performance goals, it excluded these individuals, even though they 

were eligible for TAP. 

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However, DoD’s internal reports tell a different story. The top 

two blue bars show that publicly, DoD reported that over 90 percent of Guard and Reserves attended TAP’s required courses were 

deemed career-ready or were referred to partner agencies. Had all 

eligible Guard and Reserves been included in the calculation, their 

percentage could have been as low as about 46 percent instead of 

94 percent—this is shown in the two beige or lighter color bars immediately below—in which case DoD would not have met its performance goals. 

Turning to the third and fourth blue bars, DoD’s public reports 

show that a higher percentage of Active Duty servicemembers met 

the agency’s performance goals. But the percentage is lower, according to DoD’s internal reports, again, because the calculations 

were not based on the entire TAP-eligible population. 

We recommended that DoD’s public reports either be based on all 

TAP-eligible servicemembers or else clarify the extent of the missing data. DoD agreed to include the disclosures for the missing 

data in all of its public reports for fiscal year 2018 and beyond. 

With regard to participation, DoD met its goal. Eighty-five percent of Active-duty servicemembers took required TAP courses, 

while 3 percent did not. We do not know about the remaining 12 

percent due to missing data. 

As far as the additional 2-day classes, we found that fewer than 

15 percent of servicemembers participated and that assessing higher education was the most frequently taken class. DoD also met its 

85 percent goal for the proportion of servicemembers who were 

deemed career-ready, and if they did not, they were referred to 

partner agencies for additional support services as required. 

In terms of when TAP should be taken, the law requires 

servicemembers to begin the process at least 90 days before they 

leave the military. While nearly three-quarters started TAP on 

time, TAP staff told us that those who did not may find it difficult 

to complete the program or take advantage of additional transition 

resources. Similarly, servicemembers are required to complete TAP 

no later than 90 days before leaving the military, but over 53 percent of them did not finish TAP on time. 

In terms of monitoring, we found that DoD does not currently 

monitor compliance with three requirements: Timeliness of TAP 

participation, whether servicemembers are able to take additional 

2-day classes if they want, and whether they take the online 

version of TAP under appropriate circumstances. We recommended 

monitoring and reporting for all three areas and that the reports 

should be shared with unit commanders to ensure compliance. 

DoD generally agreed with our recommendations, except for 

tracking access to the 2-day classes. DoD said these classes are 

part of attaining career readiness standards, a measure which is 

already being tracked. We continue to believe that DoD needs to 

separately track access to the additional classes and not just attendance to ensure compliance with the relevant law. 

Thank you. I would be happy to respond to any questions you 

may have. 

[THE PREPARED STATEMENT OF CINDY BROWN BARNES APPEARS IN

THE APPENDIX]

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Mr. ARRINGTON. Thank you, Ms. Barnes. 

Ms. Devlin, you are now recognized for 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF MARGARITA DEVLIN 

Ms. DEVLIN. Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member O’Rourke, 

thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Department of Veterans Affairs contribution to the Transition Assistance Program, or 

TAP. 

With Veterans Day rapidly approaching, this is an opportune 

time for this hearing to take stock of our efforts to help our 

transitioning servicemembers and their families and how VA can 

continue to improve these services. 

As a result of the VOW Act passed by Congress in 2011, TAP 

was redesigned as a cohesive, modular, outcomes-based program 

that standardized services to better prepare servicemembers to 

achieve their post-military career goals. The VOW Act also mandated participation in TAP, with a few limited exceptions. 

Outcomes from the increased focus and emphasis on education 

and career development by both VA and DOL content can be seen 

reflected in the dramatic reduction in veteran unemployment, 

which has steadily decreased to a low of 2.7 percent in October 

2017. 

VA’s portion of TAP is delivered at over 300 military installations worldwide, through the support of approximately 300 trained 

VA benefit advisors, and is also available online via DoD’s Joint 

Knowledge Online portal. 

VA is collaborating with DoD to align TAP offerings within the 

military life-cycle framework, which embeds transition planning 

and preparation throughout the servicemember’s military career. 

For example, as part of accession and onboarding, servicemembers 

are required to establish a self-service logon and create an e-Benefits account, which gives them and their family member’s self-service capabilities for VA and military benefits. 

VA benefit advisors deliver the mandatory Benefits I and II 

courses, which provide education on VA benefits, such as health 

care, education, vocational rehabilitation and employment, disability compensation, life insurance, home loans. They also assist 

with capstone events, provide military life-cycle briefings, and provide individual assistance to transitioning servicemembers upon 

their request. 

In fiscal year 2017, approximately 95 percent of our benefits advisors were either veterans themselves or were spouses of veterans 

or servicemembers. In fiscal year 2017, through August, VA provided more than 63,000 events to more than 500,000 transitioning 

servicemembers and their families. 

VA regularly updates the TAP curriculum to ensure that it 

aligns with current laws on eligibility, entitlement, and VA benefits 

and services. VA also designed a new curriculum designed specifically for members of the National Guard and Reserve, as they have 

unique needs due to their missions and mobilizations, and eligibility for VA programs is often more complex to adjudicate. 

VA consistently receives high evaluations from servicemembers 

who attend Benefits I and II briefings. We average satisfaction 

rates of 96 percent on information learned, 96 percent also on effecLeonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

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tiveness of the facilitators, and 94 percent on confidence gained 

from the material. 

Despite high satisfaction rates, anecdotal information from stakeholders and veterans suggests that a more holistic view, including 

the psychosocial aspects of the transition to the civilian life, would 

give VA’s TAP program more real-life relevance and would increase 

the quality of the overall experience. To address this, VA is currently redesigning our TAP curriculum into a more interactive 

course that addresses the overall transition journey. 

VA is leveraging instructional design, based on adult learning 

principles, to focus on transition decisions and actions that 

transitioning servicemembers need to consider with respect to their 

available VA services and benefits. VA also plans to include classroom time for facilitated enrollment and submission of applications 

for health care and other benefits. VA is scheduled to pilot the new 

curriculum in January of 2018[C3], with worldwide deployment 

planned for later this spring of 2018. 

To further understand the needs of transitioning 

servicemembers, VA is working with interagency partners to collect 

feedback on post-separation outcomes. In 2017, VA awarded a contract to develop a post-separation survey protocol, which will be 

submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for review in 

2018. VA is also collaborating with our VSO partners, veteran peer 

groups, and other thought leaders to obtain outside input based on 

the feedback they hear from transitioning servicemembers. 

VA is strongly committed to working with DoD and interagency 

partners to improve TAP by strengthening the curriculum, fully integrating TAP objectives into the military life cycle, and analyzing 

post-transition survey data. Through these efforts, VA is poised to 

have greater access to all those in uniform, both Active Duty and 

National Guard and Reserve, and dramatically reduce the stress of 

transition. 

Thank you for allowing me to address the Committee. Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement, and I welcome any questions. 

[THE PREPARED STATEMENT OF MARGARITA DEVLIN APPEARS IN

THE APPENDIX]

Mr. ARRINGTON. Thank you, Ms. Devlin. 

General Denton, you are now recognized for 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF IVAN E. DENTON 

Mr. DENTON. Thank you. 

Good afternoon, Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member 

O’Rourke, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee. Thank 

you for the opportunity to participate in today’s hearing so that Department of Labor can discuss how we are working with both DoD 

and VA to improve TAP. 

As the director of the Office of National Programs in the Veterans’ Employment Training Service, my office is responsible for 

managing the Employment Workshop and the Career Technical 

Training Track, which we now commonly refer to as CTTT. 

Prior to discussing TAP employment-related improvements, I 

would like to highlight three relevant points to this testimony. 

First, the American economy is improving. As of October, veteran 

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unemployment rate is down 2.7. Additionally, unemployment compensation claims and participant numbers have dropped to a third 

of what they were 5 years ago. While there are still approximately 

280,000 veterans without jobs that are unemployed, there are 6.1 

million job openings. Transitioning servicemembers and veterans 

can help fill these jobs, and employers are eager to hire them. 

Second, the Department proudly served over 1 million veterans, 

guardsmen and reservists last year. DOL provides funds to the 

States to operate over 2,400 American Job Centers, which provided 

employment, training, and support services to over 13 million 

Americans last year. Over 850,000 of those Americans were veterans, guardsmen, or reservists. Additionally, the Department, of 

course, provided the employment workshop to over 180,000 last 

year, which includes, of course, the Guard and Reserve. 

Third, Secretary Acosta recently stated four employment goals to 

assist our veterans, which include: Creating clear career pathways; 

second, eliminating barriers to employment; third, enabling and 

promoting apprenticeship opportunities that lead to meaningful careers, as also emphasized in the President’s executive order, which 

is titled ‘‘Expanding Apprenticeships in America’’; and then finally, 

increasing the portability of licenses and credentials for both those 

transitioning, to include spouses. 

As it relates to employment improvements that align with the 

TAP GAO report, I would like to highlight four goals: First, the Department is working with the interagency partners to improve TAP 

timeliness rates. We assess, in line with both the law and DoD’s 

policy, a transitioning servicemember should begin TAP as early as 

possible. This allows the servicemember adequate time to participate in one or more of the transition tracks and to include a DoD 

Skill Bridge, which is growing in its popularity. 

Second, the Department continues to improve the Employment 

Workshop. While the Employment Workshop has consistently received high marks from the participants, we recognize the need for 

continuous improvement. This is why we have been collaborating 

over the last year with employers, HR professionals, Veteran Service Organizations, and others to refine their curriculum as part of 

a regular, deliberate TAP curriculum working group review process. 

Major revisions to the DOL EW include: Shifting from a job 

search approach to a career search approach; and second, highlighting the importance of the three supplemental career tracks 

and how each can positively impact long-term wage outcomes. 

Third, the Department will improve the training available to individuals interested in the apprenticeship and technical careers, 

and will work with our interagency partners to increase the CTTT 

participation rates. 

In April 2017, DOL assumed responsibility for what we call 

CTTT, the Career Technical Training Track, which is one of the 

three tracks. CTTT focuses on apprenticeships and industry recognized credentials. The Department is currently conducting a comprehensive review and will have a revised curriculum out in 2018. 

Fourth and finally, the Department will leverage the Veterans’ 

Data Exchange Initiative to improve employment outcomes. In November 2016, the Department began a data transfer process from 

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the Defense Manpower Data Center. This initiative allows us to 

gain a better understanding for characteristics of transitioning 

servicemembers and proactively reach out to them via email to connect them with employment training resources. We are also 

partnering with our Chief Evaluation Office within DOL to do this. 

In conclusion, our long-term TAP strategic goal is for the Nation 

as a whole to recognize military service as a path to a high-quality 

civilian career. The future of our country’s all-volunteer force depends upon this recognition, and the Department is proud to support this national effort and looks forward to working with the Subcommittee. 

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, thank you for allowing me to 

be here today, and look forward to questions. 

[THE PREPARED STATEMENT OF IVAN DENTON APPEARS IN THE APPENDIX]

Mr. ARRINGTON. Thank you, General Denton. 

Finally, Mr. Lyons, you are recognized also for 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF JUDD H. LYONS 

Mr. LYONS. Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member O’Rourke, 

distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you this afternoon. 

As director of the Defense Personnel and Family Support Center, 

I am responsible for policy and program oversight of the Transition 

Assistance Program, or TAP. In that capacity, I work with a group 

of professionals who develop effective and clear policy for the Department to issue to the military services for their execution. We 

also believe that the TAP interagency collaboration is effective, responsive, and committed to advancing the ongoing implementation, 

assessment, and enhancement of TAP. 

Since 2015, we have improved several areas of TAP, and I would 

like to address a few. We have updated the TAP evaluation plan 

twice, with both enhancements approved by the Office of Management and Budget, and we have annually updated our curriculum. 

To improve accountability, we have charged the military departments to have their service inspectors general conduct inspections 

of TAP. Their first report is due in 2018. 

Last November, the Department deployed a new TAP IT Enterprise System and electronic form, which further streamlined our 

data collection processes. This system precludes commanders from 

signing partially completed forms, thus increasing the completeness of servicemember documentation. 

Finally, the Department has energized our private and public engagements. Our collaboration raises awareness of the value 

transitioning of servicemembers and veterans. Since August 2016, 

we have completed over 200 public and private engagements. In 

addition to these actions since 2015, we are committed to continuously improving the program to the benefit of the servicemember. 

The Department greatly appreciates the importance placed on 

TAP by Congress and the GAO. We view the recent GAO study on 

TAP as an opportunity to receive external feedback to further advance this important program. 

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Generally, we concur with GAO’s recommendations. We acknowledge that in 2016, our performance measures provided via public 

reporting did not provide a clear explanation of the extent of missing data. We have since made adjustments to address this, and will 

work even harder with the services to reduce the extent of missing 

data, particularly for our Reserve component servicemembers. 

The Department agrees with GAO’s recommendation to monitor 

and report timeliness of TAP participation, and we will work with 

the services to identify and implement the best solutions to improve in this area. We appreciate GAO’s recommendation that DoD 

monitor and report which servicemembers request attendance to 

supplementary 2-day tracks and are able to attend the training. 

We will continue to actively promote and encourage participation 

in these tracks and research potential barriers to servicemembers 

accessing them. 

The Department agrees with GAO’s recommendation that DoD 

needs to monitor and report which servicemembers participated in 

TAP in a classroom setting or online. Based on availability of resources, we anticipate having the ability to accomplish this task, 

and we appreciate GAO’s recommendation highlighting the need 

for commanders to access additional data on TAP. The services currently have procedures in place to make this new suggested information available to commanders. We will strengthen our efforts, 

working with the services, so the commanders will have access to 

this information. 

Finally, the Department supports GAO’s recommendation to minimize subjectivity involved with some of the career readiness standards, such as the quality of a resume. We will work with the services and Department of Labor to identify ways to mitigate such 

subjectivity by the end of fiscal year 2018. 

Again, let me thank GAO for their comprehensive and insightful 

report and their recommendations to further advance TAP for the 

Nation. The Department recognizes that preparing servicemembers 

throughout their military life cycle to be career-ready upon transition is essential to the sustainment of the all-volunteer force. We 

cannot do this alone. We need the continued strong collaboration 

with our interagency partners, the support and hard work of our 

military services, especially at the installation level, and continued 

engagement with external stakeholders. 

In closing, Mr. Chairman, I thank you, the Ranking Member, 

and the Members of this Subcommittee, for your outstanding and 

continuing support of the men and women who proudly wear the 

uniform in defense of our great Nation. As we pause to celebrate 

Veterans Day this weekend, let us never forget to all honor Americans who served in the Armed Forces, both in times of war and 

peace, and I look forward to your questions. 

[THE PREPARED STATEMENT OF JUDD LYONS APPEARS IN THE APPENDIX]

Mr. ARRINGTON. Thank you, Mr. Lyons. 

I will now yield myself 5 minutes for questions. 

I don’t imagine that there is anybody on the panel or here on the 

dais that would not think it would be a good idea to help our 

servicemembers transition from Active Duty to civilian life in the 

Leonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

11 

smoothest, most effective manner. Can I get a head nod that we 

all agree that is a good thing? 

So now what we have to do is make sure our actions line up with 

our agreement that this is a good endeavor, and then we have to 

have data to know whether or not what we have decided as a program to do that is actually working or not. Otherwise, it is just a 

bunch of words from here and from you. 

And so what are we doing to determine whether or not the programs that are offered are the right programs, that the folks that 

go through the programs, the tracks, are actually benefiting, and 

that long term, they are getting better and quicker employment 

rates, and engaging in education and training opportunities? 

And I would like everybody to answer that, but I will start with 

you, Ms. Devlin. 

Ms. DEVLIN. Thank you for the question. We do measure outcomes. We can’t always attribute all of the outcomes directly to 

participation in the Transition Assistance Program. But I think the 

biggest effort that we are undertaking, which will give us I think 

what you are looking for, is that post-transition survey. Because 

what I hear sometimes is, when you are going through the Transition Assistance Program, you don’t know what you don’t know yet 

until you actually become a civilian and start that actual transition 

on the other side. 

Getting the survey data from veterans who have recently 

transitioned at the 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month mark will 

give us data that is from their voices themselves about how the 

program influenced their ability to successfully transition and what 

they are going through in their life at those stages post-transition. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. So you said you have some outcome data. What 

is the outcome data that you have today that we can link back to 

these programs and whether or not they are successful? 

Ms. DEVLIN. Again, we can’t always attribute these outcomes directly to participation in TAP, but, we through the senior steering 

group and executive committee, we track outcomes, such as graduation rates, unemployment rates. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. That could have little, a lot, or nothing to do 

with these programs— 

Ms. DEVLIN. Correct. 

Mr. ARRINGTON [correct].—that we spend, what is it, hundreds of 

millions of dollars. So that is frustrating to me because, all too 

often, we don’t have this sort of data. It is just activity. You report 

activity. I heard a lot of activity. We are doing this, we are doing 

that. Then we have timeframes, and sometimes they are followed. 

And we have requirements for reporting. Sometimes it is followed. 

Sometimes people don’t care to follow that, even though that is 

part of the law. 

But what we need more than anything is, are these programs 

working, so we can tell the taxpayers, your investment is actually 

supporting our veterans or not, and we can look the veterans in the 

eyes and say, this is a meaningful program for you. 

So you mentioned this post-transition survey. Is that in the 

works? Are we going to implement that? Is that something that you 

guys are planning on implementing, and when are you going to implement it? 

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12 

Ms. DEVLIN. Yes, we are. We are in the drafting process for the 

survey questions with our contractor. The interagency group is 

working on this together, although VA awarded the contract for the 

development. And we should be sending it to—we will definitely be 

implementing in 2018. And as soon as the draft is ready for submission to OMB, we will submit it for that review process so that 

we can start fielding the survey. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Sure. How long has this program been going— 

in existence, I should say? 

Ms. DEVLIN. It is a brand-new effort. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. No, I mean this program, the TAP program, as 

administered by the VA, your component of it. 

Ms. DEVLIN. The TAP program, in its current state, it was postVOW Act. The VA started administering the program in its current 

state in 2013. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Okay. At least 4 years without knowing whether 

or not it is working. 

What about you, General Denton, where are your outcome measures, and how do you know your part of the program is working? 

Mr. DENTON. First of all, that is a great question. Having just 

transitioned last year myself—I know you don’t want to hear 

anecdotally—I think it works. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. I think that is valuable. 

Mr. DENTON. But I will tell you, actually, Judd and I went 

through TAP together last year and it was very helpful. And I will 

tell you, whether you are a sergeant or whether you are a general, 

that challenging question of ‘‘what are you going to do for your second career’’ is not an easy one. So I will tell you that my personal 

passion for this program has to do with—I left last December and 

was fortunate to get a job with Labor. 

But to answer your first question, we are blessed at the Department of Labor to have an office called the Chief Evaluation Office. 

And it is led by a brilliant doctor who is an expert on long-term 

impact studies, which when I was in DoD, I didn’t even know what 

that word meant. But I will tell you that we are about to do a contract to do a 36-month study on the long-term impacts, and I can 

get you the exact language of that. But we think it is going to be 

pretty landmark in nature, and we are going to be able to prove 

to you and the taxpayers that it is in the interests of TSMs and 

the American taxpayer for this program to continue. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. My time has expired. I will have more questions 

in follow-up to your comments. I appreciate that. 

And so, Mr. Ranking Member, I am going to turn it over to you 

for 5 minutes. 

Mr. O’ROURKE. Mr. Lyons, what is the total cost of TAP, annually? 

Mr. LYONS. Congressman, for fiscal year 2016, the Department 

executed approximately $117 million for TAP. That includes our 

headquarters and the services across the spectrum. We are collating the fiscal year 2017 data from the comptroller, from OSD. 

So I would like to take that for the record and come back to you 

with that. That data is not available yet. But for fiscal year 2016, 

it was about $117 million. 

Leonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

13 

Mr. O’ROURKE. So for the last year, we have data. It is, you said, 

2016, 117, all in? 

Mr. LYONS. That includes the elements of the program execution, 

along with the civilian pay associated with administering and executing the program. 

Mr. O’ROURKE. And to the Chairman’s line of questioning, can 

you give me a succinct answer on how we can get better measurable outcomes, not so much who attended class and when they attended it and whether they attended it online or in person, although those could be important measures, but what the value of 

that attendance was, but for participating in a TAP program they 

would not have achieved X, Y, or Z? 

Mr. LYONS. Thank you, Congressman. I would offer that our output measures for the Department of Defense center around VOW 

compliance, career readiness standard attainment, but we are constantly looking at data points that help us improve the program. 

So we have a series of assessments, participant assessments that 

a servicemember going through TAP takes, and that gives us some 

valuable feedback in terms of customer satisfaction and the impact 

that TAP had on the transitioning servicemember. 

So, for example, in fiscal year 2017, in quarter three, the last 

quarter we have data for, 91 percent of our participants that went 

through TAP said that they gained valuable information and skills 

to plan their transition. An additional 91 percent said that the 

training they received in TAP enhanced their confidence in their 

transition planning, and 91 percent said that they would use what 

they know— 

Mr. O’ROURKE. Sorry to interrupt you. Are those boxes you can 

check or are those things that people took the time to write out? 

Mr. LYONS. So it is a combination. The participant assessment is 

both, you know, selections to questions as well as free data input. 

Mr. O’ROURKE. Got you. Here is what I am trying to get at. It 

is not clear to me how seriously we take TAP, you know, all of us 

included. We have the oversight responsibility. You all have responsibility for execution. You are supposed to complete that program before you reach the 90-day point, before you are 90 days 

away from separation. Fifty-three percent of those participating are 

doing it with less than 90 days. We have reports in this GAO study 

that officers are asking that the members of their unit not have to 

go to class and be able to do this online. We hear anecdotally from 

separating servicemembers and veterans that it was just something 

they had to go through, get out of the way. They want to get on 

with their civilian life, whatever they are doing next. 

I don’t know that we have a compelling articulation of the value 

of TAP, what we can tell that separating servicemember that they 

are going to find in this that is going to help them in their lives, 

beyond the fact that they have to do this or they are supposed to 

do this. Same for the officer. Same for the Member of Congress. 

Same for the taxpayer who fronts the $117 million annually. 

Without that measure, this is not going to get better, and I agree 

with the Chairman on this. The fact that you all couldn’t report on 

a majority or near majority of Guard and Reserve servicemembers 

because it was recorded in paper and you didn’t transition adeLeonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

14 

quately to digital, I mean, that just to me sounds like it is not 

something that we take very seriously. 

So maybe I am able to identify some of the symptoms of the 

problems. I would really like to work together with you and with 

the Chairman on how we get some defined measurable outcomes 

that demonstrate the value of this, because I think all of us get the 

concept. We want it to work. It is not clear that it is or that we 

are getting a return for the investment or that this is valuable for 

the participating servicemember. 

And one question that I have perhaps for the next panel, and I 

would love either in this panel or offline with Dr. Wenstrup and 

Mr. Banks, I would love to know if there is some way to have the 

leaders of those units, the officers, have some level of accountability through separation and post separation. 

I know anecdotally, there are officers who come up to me and 

say, hey, a guy who was in my unit, veteran now, one of your constituents, Beto, can’t get a mental health care appointment, and it 

really bothers me and I feel accountable and responsible for that, 

I want you to do something about it. Is there some way to give 

those commanders more control or power or accountability or responsibility to help these servicemembers see through this transition in a more effective way? 

Anyhow, more questions that I think are going to take a while 

to answer, but I appreciate it, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Thank you, Ranking Member. A great line of 

questions. 

I now want to recognize our colleague Mr. Banks for 5 minutes. 

Mr. BANKS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Ms. Brown Barnes, during GAO’s assessment of TAP, did it seem 

as if the servicemembers were being encouraged and allowed to attend the additional optional tracks if they wanted to? 

Ms. BROWN BARNES. They were, from the people that we talked 

to, they were allowed to. In terms of being encouraged, sometimes 

the timing didn’t allow for them to do it, but usually they had some 

opportunities to do that. 

Mr. BANKS. So anecdotally, you believe that they were— 

Ms. BROWN BARNES. Yes. 

Mr. Banks [continued].—encouraged to if there was time to do 

so? 

Ms. BROWN BARNES. If there was time to do so. I mean, we had 

also heard different things about sometimes they weren’t or mission type activities took priority, so we did hear some of that as 

well. 

Mr. BANKS. Okay. Thank you. 

Mr. Lyons and General Denton, how are the Departments tracking whether a servicemember who doesn’t meet the career readiness standards for employment, how do we know that they are receiving that, quote, warm handover? And is this warm handover effective and truly what the servicemember needs to be career-ready? 

Mr. Lyons? 

Mr. LYONS. Congressman, thank you. So in 2016, the Department issued two memorandums, one that specifically focused in on 

an at-risk population of veterans for homelessness. And we issued 

guidance to the services to ensure that commanders understand 

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15 

their responsibility to ensure that warm handover happens to the 

appropriate agency. It could be Veterans Affairs, it could be Department of Labor. It could be both, in the case of homelessness. 

We did the same thing for those that separate for an Other Than 

Honorable Discharge, recognizing that that population could also 

be at risk, and the need to have a warm handover. 

So we continue to engage with our interagency partners to provide input. With the deployment of our electronic form this last 

year, we are actually getting servicemember-level data on when 

they opt in to receive follow-on services from a partner agency. And 

we provide that data then to Department of Labor or Veterans Affairs so that we can more accurately track and deliver those services. So I defer to my colleagues for further on that. 

Mr. BANKS. Colonel? 

Mr. DENTON. That is a great question. Thanks, Judd. 

The employment warm handoff process is working. We have a 

process in place. We don’t nationally track it and monitor it. In the 

last 6 months, the Army has asked us to do that with them. So we 

think with BDI and the e-Form, we eventually may be able to look 

at that macro number on employment and be able to see if we are 

making a mark. 

So we are definitely looking forward to working with DoD on 

that, especially since the Army has reached out and said, we would 

like your help on this. 

Mr. BANKS. I am not sure why I called you a colonel, but I apologize, General, for that. 

With that, I yield back. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Thank you, Mr. Banks. 

And I now want to recognize Mr. Takano for 5 minutes. 

Mr. TAKANO. Ms. Brown—thank you, Mr. Chairman—you know, 

I was a high school teacher for over two decades and a community 

college trustee for about the same amount of time, and I saw many 

students struggle with their transition into postsecondary education because they needed remedial education, developmental education. And while I know this wasn’t the focus of this report, I am 

curious to know if we have any data on servicemembers’ educational background before they entered military service. 

Ms. BROWN BARNES. Yeah. That was outside of what we did for 

this review. We could submit that for the record, but I don’t have 

any— 

Mr. TAKANO. I don’t know if you collect that data. I mean, I have 

always wondered whether or not we knew about our 

servicemembers’ educational background, because that has a lot to 

do with whether or not they are going to be able to utilize their 

post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, right? I mean, we recruit them on the 

basis of these benefits. And I believe the military, because we do 

recruit them on that basis, has some responsibility to making sure 

that these benefits are not hollow. And they are hollow if we don’t 

do anything to help these servicemembers attain the ability to attend the higher education during their time in the military. 

So I would be curious to see that data, but you really can’t tell 

me much about that data now. 

Ms. BROWN ‘. No. 

Mr. TAKANO. I will have more questions once you do submit it. 

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16 

Ms. BROWN BARNES. Okay. 

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Secretary, the GAO study found very low rates 

of attendance for the supplemental TAP courses on accessing higher education, career and technical training, and entrepreneurship. 

While, obviously, not every one of these supplemental classes will 

be applicable to servicemembers, chances are one of them will be 

relevant to whatever post-service path a servicemember has 

planned. And as these classes have a direct impact on how veterans use their benefits, such as the GI Bill, and have the potential 

to help servicemembers take their core TAP program and turn it 

into actual job opportunities after separation, the low participation 

rate seems to indicate, to me, missed opportunities to help 

servicemembers successfully transition. 

So how has OSD thought about—well, I want to know, has OSD 

thought about mandating that servicemembers attend at least one 

of these currently supplemental programs? 

Mr. LYONS. Thank you, Congressman. We have approached, with 

our revamped TAP enterprise, an adoption of career readiness 

standards. How career-ready is the transitioning servicemember to 

transition to a civilian career? And we have adopted, as part of 

that, an engagement earlier in their military life cycle on topics 

such as this, higher education being one. 

So we deployed a higher education prep module that is a virtual 

module that actually explores a transitioning servicemember earlier in their career. What are their goals; what are the education 

requirements to help them achieve those goals; and what resources 

are available to them, such as tuition assistance. So we are interested in the aspirations of the servicemember and providing resources to them. 

With respect to the additional tracks, one of the reasons we developed those additional 2-day tracks and designed them to be delivered both in a brick-and-mortar classroom environment and online was to make them available to whatever servicemember has 

that particular career goal in mind. And we think we have been 

successful in that. We found that servicemembers that attend a 

brick-and-mortar classroom may revisit a particular topic online, 

such as the higher education prep module. 

Mr. TAKANO. Okay. But are you looking at mandating that they 

take one of those supplemental courses? 

Mr. LYONS. I think, Congressman that adopting a one-size-fitsall approach of mandating attendance at the 2-day track may not 

apply to a servicemember that doesn’t have that particular goal in 

mind. So we are going to continue. If they espouse that desire for 

higher education, we are going to actively and constantly promote 

attendance at those 2-day— 

Mr. TAKANO. I am glad that you all are taking an interest in the 

educational and career goals of the servicemember. That is really 

good to hear. But are they assessed? Is there any point—when do 

you assess them, if they are assessed, for, you know, their educational goals? I mean, how appropriately? 

Mr. LYONS. So, again, back to the military life cycle, we engage 

with them earlier in their career, beginning at their first duty station and at certain touch points throughout their career—proLeonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

17 

motions, reenlistments—and revisit their individual development 

plan that they have put together. 

Mr. TAKANO. But are they assessed? 

Mr. LYONS. When it comes time to transition, during pre-separation counseling, they will sit down with a TAP counselor, who will 

review their individual development plan and change it into an individual transition plan. At that point, as they sit down and have 

that conversation, the counselor will encourage and promote the attendance at the appropriate 2-day track with the servicemember. 

Mr. TAKANO. My point is that the military does not assess the 

servicemember earlier, at the point of, you know, induction or any 

earlier point. There is no way for you to help guide and hold accountable that servicemember for the goals they set without that 

assessment as a baseline. 

Mr. LYONS. Yeah. I think that in a servicemember’s life cycle, 

you know, things change over the course of their life cycle. So, 

again, our objective is to, in their capstone event, prior to actually 

separating, assess whether they are career-ready to transition. 

Mr. TAKANO. You assess them at the end of when they are ready 

to leave, but not toward the beginning. And there is no way for you 

to intervene if that servicemember is really unprepared to pursue 

a certain educational path or career path. 

Anyway, my time is up. I am sorry. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Wenstrup. 

Mr. WENSTRUP. Thank you. 

Thank you all for being here. I appreciate the conversation, and 

I think we are headed in the right direction, but I think there is 

a lot more we can do. 

And so let me just start with you, Mr. Lyons. Per troop, what is 

mission complete for the DoD when it comes to the Transition Assistance Program? When do you say like we have done our job? 

What does that look like? 

Mr. LYONS. I think, Congressman, you know, first and foremost, 

I don’t think we are ever mission complete. I don’t think we can 

ever rest on, you know, 100 percent of completion in terms of transition assistance. I think it is an evolving program. The nature of— 

Mr. WENSTRUP. I am talking about—excuse me, I am sorry to interrupt. But I am talking about like per troop. Is it mission complete when you say, look, this troop knows where he is going? He/ 

she is going to school. They know what they want to major in. They 

have got it mapped out. That to me, before they take their uniform 

off, if they know what they are doing, they are enrolled in school, 

to me that would be mission complete. That is a success. We have 

done our job, you know. 

Because I think in the big picture, you know, the big aerial picture of what it means to join the military, we are going to do a 

whole lot better if the military is seen as a place where any young 

American can enter and it is a path to success. 

And so I agree with Mr. Takano’s comment like, when do we 

start engaging that troop? You know, from day one do you say, is 

military your career, is that what you have in mind, do you want 

to do something afterwards? Because let’s face it, you start at 18, 

you got plenty of time for another career after that, right? So get 

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18 

them thinking in that way. Are we asking those questions early 

on? 

Because to me, for VA—and it is good that you are all here, because you all have a role to play in this. And to me, success means 

that before you take that uniform off, you know where you are 

going. You think of the college graduate that gets their diploma, 

and they already know where they are going to be working in 2 

weeks. That is a whole lot better day than one who walks up, gets 

that degree, and has no idea what lies ahead. And I think we will 

recruit better and the military will be transformed in so many 

ways. You say like, that is the path to success in America, if you 

choose that, you serve your country, and they are going to make 

sure that you are on a path to success. 

So to me, we have to engage early. Because for the VA, for example, the VA then is strapped with being reactive too often. Because 

if you think about some of the problems that we face with suicide 

and depression and stress, listen, when you come out and you don’t 

feel necessary when you have felt necessary for a long time being 

in uniform, that is when it spirals downward. 

So I am going to propose, and I think you probably all would 

agree, and I know that my friends here that are both on Armed 

Services and on this Committee, we need to come together on this. 

I don’t think this should just be VA committee-driven. I think we 

need to reach back and go back a little bit further, and I think we 

can do a whole lot better. But let’s define what success really looks 

like and in this program. And to me, it would be when you leave 

here, you know exactly where you are going. And that our success 

in what we do should be based on how many people actually know 

where they are going and what they are doing and have a plan and 

leave with confidence. 

So anyone can engage in that conversation with me, but I hope 

that is where we are headed, and I think we are at the beginnings 

of that. 

Mr. LYONS. Congressman, thank you. And just real quickly here. 

I would offer that, again, we are engaging with servicemembers 

earlier in the process to talk about those issues that you have described. So I talked about that individual development plan that 

begins at their first duty station, where, again, we have a discussion about their goals. What is the training and education requirements? We talk about apprenticeship information, resume prep information, financial preparedness information. This is early on. So 

that, again, our culture changes across the Department so that the 

first time they are thinking about transition is not their last action 

leaving the service. 

And so we think that military life-cycle culture that we are undergoing through early engagement and at critical points in a 

servicemember’s career will help us to get there, but I acknowledge 

your comments. 

Mr. WENSTRUP. I appreciate it. We can keep talking about that. 

If anyone else cares to— 

Mr. DENTON. Sir, we have looked at that hard at Labor. Having 

gone through the Employment Workshop last year, I will tell you 

that we have kind of taken a look at what is our end state. We 

think it should be meaningful career. That is in line with earlier 

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19 

documents of why TAP was started. We think for a TSM to get that 

meaningful career, our Secretary has talked about the pathways. 

We really think that higher Ed, career technical training, and entrepreneur provides for those three paths. So that is why we are 

really looking forward to working with our interagency partners toward helping those TSMs get into that path, which now we call 

track. Whether we call it a track or a path that is really what we 

are talking about. Thank you. 

Mr. BANKS. [Presiding.] Mr. Correa? 

Mr. CORREA. Thank you, Mr. Chair. 

I just wanted to follow up with what Dr. Wenstrup said and Mr. 

Takano. I am looking at this data and this information and, again, 

issues with the supplemental TAP, 15 percent participation; those 

that left the military with less than an honorable discharge, 5 percent participation. And to me, it kind of signals in my mind that 

maybe the value given by our men and women in uniform is not 

that high. If you come back and your participation is 15 percent, 

it tells me that there is a disconnect between what they really are 

looking for and what they are really getting. 

And I think we can mandate these men and women in uniform 

to do these supplemental—this TAP program, but yet when they 

come back and use it at such a low rate, it is telling me something 

about the value. And I guess if I went back and talked to those 

folks that are leaving the military and asked them, what do you 

want to do before you leave, and probably most of them would say, 

I just want to get home. And so you try to force feed some of these 

folks this information. I am not sure what the value is. 

I think this is good information, but I am trying to figure out if 

this is more of an issue you try to catch up with these folks, not 

only before they leave, but after they leave. I mean, one of the 

issues we have been looking at is deported veterans, veterans that 

are residents that should have become citizens before they left the 

military. Those are some of the things that I think would really 

add value, if you, you know, you said, you know, you guys got to 

become U.S. citizens before you leave. 

The other area, of course, is, you know, I hate to bring it up, but, 

you know, this tragedy in Texas. You have an individual that had 

serious mental issues. There were indicators there and there was 

no follow-up. There was no—somewhere it didn’t—all the dots were 

not aligned, were not connected. 

And, you know, again, you have an evolving program. You have 

investments, aspirations of service officers. I am trying to figure 

out in my mind where we go with this program that could be a tremendous value. But to me, in my mind, I have got to figure let’s 

go back and ask these men and women in uniform, where is it that 

we can help you the most? Maybe we come back and talk to them 

6 months after, a year to the discharge, and see how they are 

doing. How you doing? Are we having issues at home? Did you get 

the jobs you were looking for? Were you able to connect with that 

apprentice program that is paying $60,000 a year to start, or are 

you not there yet? 

I have a lot of questions. Open it up for statements or comments 

from the panel. 

Leonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

20 

Mr. LYONS. Congressman, thank you. You know, I think that in 

terms of pulsing the needs of our members, both Active component 

and Reserve component, again I harken back to our participant assessments where they can give us direct feedback on these issues, 

and— 

Mr. CORREA. Let me interrupt you. I don’t have much time. I 

have a minute and a half. But that was the other point I had, 

which is having somebody fill out a questionnaire or a form saying 

was this good or bad versus coming back to them in a year and 

saying was this good or bad I think will give you a different outcome. You know, it is like when I get asked did I do a good service 

or not, I usually give people the five, the best, but, you know, it 

is just a number. 

So, again, I think we have got to come back and look at that 

data, kick it around to try to figure out another way to look at the 

data. 

And finally, in terms of the—you know, we are looking at academics here, other things that will make you successful in life. I 

would say we have to come back and look at the veterans as a holistic, you know, psychological, family, career, everything to make 

sure that we get these men and women that gave so much for our 

country, that they are actually on the right path to be successful 

citizens. 

I would say I got 30 seconds, if you would like to comment. 

Mr. LYONS. I think that assessing effectiveness after the 

servicemember has already left the service is a challenge. We do 

have existing surveys and research studies that we use. We annually survey, through a status of forces survey, both Active and Reserve component members about their perceptions of TAP, their 

needs within TAP. We also have recently commissioned a RAND 

study on the needs assessment of Reserve component member transitions. We are looking forward to the results of that to help us inform our program to deliver in the most efficient and effective manner these services to them. 

So I think assessments, surveys, research studies are helpful to 

us. Getting to servicemembers after they have transitioned to get 

that feedback is perhaps a challenge. 

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Chair, before I give up my time here, I just 

want to say it is good you are doing the RAND studies. I would 

rather you invest that money, not only in the RAND studies, but 

going out to ask the veterans directly what is it that they need. 

Mr. Chair, I yield. 

Mr. BANKS. [Presiding.] Mr. Rutherford. 

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, 

panel. 

Mr. Lyons, if you could, one of the most common complaints the 

Subcommittee receives from servicemembers about TAP is their 

local commanders and senior noncommissioned officers are somewhat less enthusiastic than they would hope in allowing them in 

working toward them attending the classes. If that is true, what 

portion of that do you think might be related to the fact that these 

senior members don’t believe TAPs is providing what they really 

should provide and it is not, quote, ‘‘worth the time’’? 

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Mr. LYONS. Thank you, Congressman. You know, I would offer 

that, in terms of servicemembers and their commander support for 

them to attend TAP, you know, I acknowledge the discussions that 

GAO had at the various post camps and stations that they visited 

where that was relayed, and we are taking that onboard. We want 

to explore and remove, if there are barriers to a servicemember attending TAP, we want to remove those barriers. We have very clear 

and effective policy to the services on implementing TAP and the 

importance of TAP and continuing to reinforce, as commanders go 

through their life cycle of professional military education, of reinforcing that message with them about the importance of TAP. 

It is interesting to note, in our last participant assessment, that 

88 percent of our servicemembers that participated in TAP reported that their leaders, their most immediate leaders were supportive of their transition to civilian life, and that 88 percent of 

them reported that the leaders provided them time to attend and 

participate in TAP. 

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Exactly, which is why they were there. 

Mr. LYONS. Correct. 

Mr. RUTHERFORD. And why they were counted in your numbers. 

Mr. LYONS. Right. 

Mr. RUTHERFORD. But it makes me then beg the question, why 

do you believe that missing data shouldn’t be taken into account 

when assessing TAP performance? Because those folks aren’t there 

for some reason, and don’t you think we should get to the bottom 

of that? 

Mr. LYONS. Congressman, we do feel that it is important, as we 

assess data, that it is based on known and complete data. So we 

view that in the old legacy system that we had as a completed 

paper form for completion of TAP, and we can assess then whether 

that servicemember has met the requirements and is career-ready. 

With the deployment of our electronic form and our TAP IT Enterprise, we think that we have significantly improved our capability 

to collect that data and assess those data points. 

We are going to continue to pursue removal of any barriers to attendance at TAP and increase the perception of the value of TAP, 

and we are going work with our service partners to do that. 

Mr. RUTHERFORD. And, Ms. Devlin, isn’t there an effort under 

way now to go back and talk to some of those individuals that did 

not attend and find out why? 

Ms. DEVLIN. We are actually in the process of creating a posttransition survey that will go out to servicemembers who became 

veterans at the 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month point post discharge. That will give us an opportunity to ask them, did you attend TAP? If so, now that you are actually a civilian and you are 

a veteran, do you feel now that you know what you didn’t know 

back then, that it met your needs? And if not, how could we improve it? 

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. 

Mr. BANKS. Thank you, Mr. Rutherford. 

At this point, we would like to thank each of you for being here 

today and answering our questions. You are now excused. 

Mr. BANKS. Our second and final panel will include General Robert Bennett, the Adjutant General of the United States Army; AdLeonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

22 

miral Karl Thomas, director of the 21st Century Sailor Office of the 

Office of the Chief of Naval Operations for the United States Navy; 

General Kathleen Cook, director of Air Force Services, Manpower, 

Personnel, and Services for the United States Air Force; and General Kurt Stein, director of Marine and Family Programs for the 

United States Marine Corps. 

Thank you to each of you for being here today. We will give you 

a moment to get seated before we will start. 

With that, General Bennett, you are now recognized for 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF BRIGADIER GENERAL ROBERT BENNETT 

General BENNETT. Thank you. 

Chairman Arrington, Representative O’Rourke, Members of the 

Committee, I would like to thank and express my appreciation for 

the opportunity to appear before you to discuss the Army’s Soldier 

for Life-Transition Assistance Program, or SFL-TAP. 

SFL-TAP is, first and foremost, a commander’s program. SFLTAP mandates several courses based on the VOW Act, and also includes other required courses or career readiness standards, or 

CRS, that helps prepare soldiers for their transition from Active 

Duty. 

In fall of 2017, the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, 

provided a draft review of the transitioning veterans: DoD needs to 

improve performance reporting and monitoring for the Transition 

Assistance Program. Army concurs with all six recommendations 

found in the draft report. 

While the Army is proud of being a part of the myriad of major 

enhancements to TAP since the passing of the VOW Act, along 

with our DoD sister service and interagency partners, the Army believes that there is one important area in which TAP could and 

should continue to evolve. The Army would appreciate the ability 

to receive key post-transition outcome data from our interagency 

partners, which is vital to the future improvements. 

The Army strongly feels that receiving feedback from our interagency partners on both the type of assistance provided as well as 

the outcome and results of such assistance is critical to our ability 

to accurately gauge and assess the overall long-term efficiency of 

our efforts. The Army will closely collaborate with our partners on 

developing a strategy to enable us to receive this key data in the 

future. 

In addition to DoD TAP’s reporting system, the Army uses a 

TAP-XXI, which is the key Army system of record, in order to provide commanders at the lowest level information and reports to fulfill their responsibilities under SFL-TAP policy and law. TAP-XXI 

reporting consolidates key transition data from several Army HR 

systems of record, which allows company commanders to correctly 

identify soldiers required to complete the TAP curriculum. These 

reports help ensure the soldier is career-ready and prepared for the 

civilian transition. The Army closed out fiscal year 2016 with the 

lowest amount of unemployment compensation for exservicemembers in 13 years, $172.8 million, according to the Department of Labor. 

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Soldier for Life-TAP has several initiatives to further support soldiers in their transition, including a transition pilot program to 

evaluate tailored transition assistance for the soldiers, the career 

skills program, which offers soldiers the opportunity to participate 

in the employment skills training, and the virtual center, which is 

the only virtual online platform to complete transition services. 

To conclude, I thank you for your continued support. Chairman 

and Members of the Subcommittee, I thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you, and I look forward to your questions. Thank you. 

[THE PREPARED STATEMENT OF GENERAL ROBERT BENNETT APPEARS IN THE APPENDIX]

Mr. BANKS. Thank you. 

Admiral Thomas. 

STATEMENT OF REAR ADMIRAL KARL O. THOMAS 

Admiral THOMAS. Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member O’Rourke, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee. 

Thank you for the opportunity to appear today to update you on 

the Navy’s Transition Assistance Program. 

As the director of the Navy’s 21st Century Sailor Office, I am responsible for sailor and family support and resilience programs. 

The Navy concurs with the recommendations of the General Accountability Office report on transitioning veterans. The Navy testified in 2015 that we were developing a transition information system to give commanders better visibility into compliance. We now 

have that system in place and have seen significant improvement 

in our metrics. 

We have put many other process improvements in place, to include unit level compliance reports linking transition compliance to 

our prestigious Golden Anchor retention award, adding transition 

compliance to our Navy Inspector General’s checklist, and our 

Chief of Naval Operations Tone of the Force Report. Our network 

of Navy career counselors continue to stress that transition should 

be planned throughout a sailor’s career to ensure sailors document 

skills, certifications, and qualifications, and thus, commence preparation early for their eventual transition. 

We remain committed to providing in-person instructor-led training as the primary means of delivery, and are working to drive earlier completion of transition requirements. We also have an ongoing 

Naval audit service study to assist us in our compliance efforts. 

Beyond preparing our sailors for employment and advising them 

on the veteran benefits that they have earned, we recognize the importance of returning sailors to society so they continue to serve 

our country as solid productive citizens who are examples and recruiters for our all-volunteer force. 

We recognize there is more to be done, and look forward to participating in further refining the transition process and cooperation 

with Congress and this Committee in particular, as well as our 

DoD and interagency partners. Our sailors deserve our steadfast 

commitment to provide them the most effective tools to position 

them for long-term success as they transition to serve our Nation 

as honored and distinguished veterans. It is vital to the all-volunLeonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

24 

teer force that our successful veterans encourage the youth use of 

our Nation to serve in our Nation’s Armed Forces. 

On behalf of the Chief of Naval Operations, I thank you for your 

unwavering support for the men and the women of the United 

States Navy, and I look forward to your questions. 

[THE PREPARED STATEMENT OF GENERAL KARL THOMAS APPEARS

IN THE APPENDIX]

Mr. BANKS. Thank you, Admiral. 

General Cook, you are recognized for 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF BRIGADIER GENERAL KATHLEEN A. COOK 

General COOK. Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member O’Rourke, 

distinguished Members of this Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today regarding the transition assistance our Air Force provides to our total force airmen and their families. 

Before I begin, let me state up front, I fully acknowledge our 

VOW compliance is not 100 percent, and there is more work to be 

done refining our processes to ensure not only by-law compliance, 

but a strong continuum of care, especially within our Guard and 

Reserve components. 

We recognize how critically important being prepared to successfully transition out of the military is to the welfare of our airmen 

and their families. From senior Air Force leadership to our installation commanders, supervisors, and transition experts, we remain 

resolute in executing requirements of the VOW Act. 

What I would like you to take away from my testimony today is 

twofold. First, we value our collaborative partnerships with the Departments of Defense, our sister services, Veterans Affairs, Labor 

and Education, and the Small Business Administration, recognizing that successfully transitioning servicemembers requires the 

support and information of the collective. 

Second, my goal is to leave you with confidence in our commitment to generate a cultural shift to viewing transition preparation 

as a military life-cycle experience. It is important to note unique 

service characteristics that influence the development of our airmen and affect transition readiness. Based on our mission requirements, our airmen have more technical skills. Fifty-two percent of 

our NCOs and 92 percent of our senior NCO’s have at least an associate’s degree. We are the only service with a technical associate 

degree program, our Community College of the Air Force, which 

translates education, training, and experience into accredited college credits. 

Since 1972, nearly 500,000 degrees have been awarded. In fiscal 

year 2017 alone, the Community College of the Air Force awarded 

over 2 million semester hours of collegiate credit to over 268,000 

students. The Air Force Military Tuition Assistance program totaled $154 million, and our Air Force certification program provided 397 unique and transferable certifications for career fields 

such as cyber systems operations and civil engineering. 

I reference this to illustrate that our airmen, generally speaking, 

have the opportunity to get a jump-start on transition. That said, 

deliberately embracing a culture of transition readiness throughout 

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25 

the military life cycle is consistent with and would strengthen our 

wingman culture. 

As we work to implement 2017 GAO recommendations, we are 

currently performing comprehensive upgrades to our TAP processes 

based on our challenges with VOW compliance. From providing exception to policies so our Guard and Reserve members complete 

pre-separation counseling only once every 5 years or attend VA 

briefings once every 3 years, if activated under the same authority, 

to annual training sessions for all readiness NCOs, to working with 

DMDC to validate eligibility, data, and data-based accuracy, and 

seeking IT solutions to add a flag notification to the system, all the 

way to changing out processing checklists, messaging our Active 

Duty and Guard Reserve force support squadrons, briefing commanders for sergeants and chiefs at our professional military education leadership courses, and mandating airmen and family readiness center directors brief incoming commanders on VOW compliance within 30 days, or even adding text to airmen monthly leave 

and earning pay statements, to highlight TAP requirements. 

Our total force commanders are inspected for compliance, and we 

have updated our Air Force instruction to stress commander responsibility and accountability. And specifically to the Reserve component, should all this still result in someone missing the opportunity to complete TAP, Air Force Reserve Command is tracking 

every member and will bring them back on active status to complete the process. Across the board, we are focused on attaining 100 

percent compliance. 

I just highlighted what we are doing today to fine tune the current process, but I am even more optimistic about the future. Given 

the synergy available to us when we proactively align our TAP 

military life cycle touch points with our blended retirement financial literacy training touch points, much like an individual development plan, financial planning requires continual evaluation. Merging the two programs touch point requirements over the course of 

one’s career, however long or short, allows the member to take full 

advantage of the capabilities provided. 

General Goldfein, our Chief of Staff, is keenly focused on revitalizing squadrons. He believes squadrons are the heartbeat of the Air 

Force, and we succeed or fail in our mission based on that squadron experience. Translated, the well-being, resiliency, and readiness of our airmen and their families is directly tied to the squadron and its leadership. Successfully transitioning our airmen also 

depends on the informed and engaged leadership. 

In my opinion, there are two overarching components to improving VOW compliance. First, ensuring all airmen are fully educated 

on the requirement for TAP, and second, ensuring commanders understand their critical role, and that they are held accountable for 

their airmen being transition-ready. 

Mr. Chairman, I thank you for the opportunity to testify today, 

and I look forward to answering your questions. 

[THE PREPARED STATEMENT OF GENERAL KATHLEEN COOK APPEARS IN THE APPENDIX]

Mr. BANKS. Thank you. 

And finally, General Stein, you are recognized for 5 minutes. 

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STATEMENT OF BRIGADIER GENERAL KURT W. STEIN 

General STEIN. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member O’Rourke, and 

distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, it is my privilege to 

appear before you today to discuss the transition readiness of your 

Marines. 

Marines are the foundation of our Corps. They are the Corps’ 

most critical resource, and they always will be. Most of your Marines, by design, are young fighters who plan to separate after one 

or two tours. Everything we do in the Marine Corps must contribute to their readiness, including their transition readiness. 

To this end, our transition readiness program begins very early 

in a Marine’s career. Our framework, the Marine for Life Cycle, includes several major action points beginning right after boot camp 

and completing within months before separation with the capstone 

event. In this way, our Marines are learning and thinking early 

and often about their eventual transition to civilian life. 

Our transition readiness program has evolved significantly over 

time, and we continuously seek ways to improve it. We recently implemented the DoD TAP e-Form Enterprise database, and believe 

that it will help us better capture and manage our transition data 

and increase compliance. We are also incorporating transition readiness into our inspector general evaluation programs, which we believe will help increase timeliness. 

The draft GAO report identified some gaps in our current program, especially in regard to VOW compliance and timeliness, and 

particularly within the Reserves. We appreciate their findings and 

recommendations and believe they will help us further improve our 

programs. 

An overarching theme for the Marine Corps as an institution has 

always been that we make Marines, we win battles, and we return 

those Marines back to civilian capacity as better citizens. 

I look forward to answering your questions. Thank you. 

[THE PREPARED STATEMENT OF GENERAL KURT STEIN APPEARS IN

THE APPENDIX]

Mr. BANKS. Thank you to each of you. 

With that, I will reserve the 5 minutes of time, if I can, for the 

Chairman when he returns, and will yield to my friend and Ranking Member O’Rourke for his 5 minutes. 

Mr. O’ROURKE. Thank you. 

I will start with General Bennett. I am trying to figure out the 

best way to phrase this question, but I am trying to get from fulfilling a PE credit before you graduate or checking a box, or I have 

heard the phrase ‘‘compliance’’ come up very often, to getting to the 

spirit of the VOW Act and what we want to do for those 

transitioning servicemembers. And I wonder if the onus is not on 

us in Congress to improve that legislation to explicitly define success measurements that we have been looking for on this Committee. 

If you are fulfilling the requirement to get that soldier in the 

seat and, hopefully, to do a better job of having that happen before 

they hit the 90-day mark, and perhaps encouraging more of them 

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pared for that transition, you may have fulfilled the requirements 

of the VOW Act and you are in compliance. 

I don’t know if this is for me to ask you and for you to answer, 

but can you suggest ways that we can improve the legislation to 

get at what, hopefully, we have been able to articulate in terms of 

measurable outcomes that show us whether or not this is a value 

beyond the compliance? 

General BENNETT. Yes, sir. We invest the Army vast amounts of 

resources, $80 million a year, to take care of our soldiers. And my 

personal goal is I do not want to have a battle of warm handover 

to a Department of Labor-VA. I want to take care of the Army family here within the Army. And I agree in the discussion earlier. We 

discussed about outputs as it relates to career readiness standards. 

We are doing pretty good in outputs and measuring did they get 

the job done. Yes, we need to work on timeliness, and that is the 

next stage of getting after ensuring the soldiers are properly taken 

care of at the appropriate time. 

But the outcomes, did they get a job, that is where we do need 

some help, because I see them from the time they receive a 214, 

but I don’t know what happens after that soldier departs my organization. And I need to know, the Army needs to know, so that 

then I can, if need be, with that feedback, I can adjust my program 

so that it is a better program for the soldiers that are following 

those after their departure so we can get it right. 

So where I could use some help from the Army is a warm 

handover follow-up from the Department of Labor and VA, data 

from the Department of Labor and VA on success of transitioning 

soldiers after they leave Soldier for Life-TAP, and then the flexibility to tailor Soldier for Life-TAP to the needs of the individual 

soldier; i.e., a 20-year soldier who is getting ready to retire, probably you want to tailor the program differently from someone who 

is in the service for 4 years and getting ready to depart. It is usually an 18- to 24-year old. Some of them are probably high risk 

when it means to unemployment. From the Army’s perspective, 

that was where I would ask for your help. 

Mr. O’ROURKE. Yes. And I really liked the way General Denton 

on the previous panel put it in terms of one of the goals being to 

see military service as the best possible path to a high-quality career afterwards. 

If that is the goal, which I can’t argue with, we need to measure 

that. So how much are you earning? How fulfilled are you in the 

work or career that you have following military service? Got to be 

way to do that, but again, maybe that is on us to legislate that, 

require that, not on you to add more compliance measures that 

Congress hasn’t mandated. 

Mr. Chairman, I see some of our friends in the audience who 

have been here for conversations about the post-9/11 GI Bill, and 

I feel like we have had a very similar conversation where we are 

measuring seats in chairs and attendance and graduation, but not 

the success that those veterans have in their careers or, you know, 

in their life. And that really has to be, I think, the measure that 

we are able to describe and define, and then I think everyone is 

going to see more value in the program. 

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Those commanders right now who are grudgingly allowing their 

servicemembers to attend the classes are trying to get them out of 

it by asking for an online course. We are going to see more 

servicemembers availing themselves of the 2-day supplemental 

course. We are going to be better stewards of the taxpayer dollar. 

I wonder if this Committee can’t work on—just a thought—what 

some of those additional measures are, and maybe amend the legislation to include those going forward and give these service 

branches something to perform to. 

So that is just a suggestion to work on going forward, and I will 

yield back to you. 

Thank you for your answers, General Bennett. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. [Presiding.] Thank you, Mr. Ranking Member, 

and I agree with you, I think—if I may yield myself 5 minutes, and 

I apologize for having to step out. And I won’t take all 5 minutes, 

Mr. Rutherford. I will option the ball to you here. 

But to me, that is the heart of my concerns and the crux of the 

matter on programs like this and any other program that, you 

know, philosophically and in theory is an excellent objective. But 

in practice, we don’t know if it is working, and we don’t know how 

to make the changes to make it better, until we are constantly 

measuring not just the input or output, the outcomes. So, you 

know, really that is about the sum of my thoughts and comments, 

and I agree with the Ranking Member. 

I heard a couple of the panelists prior to you guys talk about 

doing a survey or trying to come up with some instrument to do 

what we are talking about. I think—I think we need to get a group 

together, and it should be driven by the stakeholders. You guys 

ought to know what your customers need, want, and what are the 

right questions to get at whether this is working. And we ought to 

have you guys present that to us. We can be involved in some way. 

We ought to do it in short order, because I understood a couple of 

the folks—I can’t remember who it was—were already working on 

this. 

The other thing that concerns me, is when you have too many 

agencies, too many hands involved, I worry that it gets convoluted 

and more complicated. And if too many people are responsible, nobody is responsible sort of thing. 

So—and I recognize you have different agency jurisdiction and 

all that, but, you know, if there was a way to consolidate the contract, for example, or—I don’t know the answer, but I would like 

your feedback on having too many cooks in the kitchen on this and 

that making things more complicated. 

And then the other piece is just making sure it is a priority at 

DoD, because it does not sound like it is a priority when they are 

not measuring. This was a point the Ranking Member made in the 

last panel. If you are not measuring outcomes and if you are not 

actually making sure that everybody is complying with that 90-day 

prior to the 90-day law, then that just tells me that something is 

broken at DoD in terms of ensuring it is being done. 

And is this a priority in the Department of Defense? Do you 

think it is? I know you guys are responsible within the bureaucracy 

of the Pentagon. Tell me, do you think it is a priority? Do you think 

the DoD believes it is a priority? 

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I will just go down the line. I mean, do you really think it is a 

priority for them? 

General BENNETT. Sir, absolutely. I wholeheartedly agree in that 

we teach this, we preach this at the first sergeant course, the commander’s course, at the pre-command course for our battalion and 

brigade commanders. It is a requirement. And it is funny that you 

mention about consolidating contracts. We are looking at that in 

the Army right now. I have seven different contracts within my 

TAP. I am trying to have one bellybutton, that is what we are 

working on right now, and we are trying to get there, and we are 

actually on our third meeting right now. 

But, sir, totally agree with you. And I know dealing with the governors committee, they are onboard as well, but this will help in 

getting one step further where we need to be. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Thank you. 

Other comments? 

Admiral THOMAS. Mr. Chairman, I would also agree that is a priority in the Navy. We have really taken onboard the military lifecycle concept where we bring in the concept of transitioning early 

on in the career development boards. We train up our career counselors so that they can start talking and preparing our sailors 

early. And we really have taken onboard the idea of getting 

credentialing and trying to give sailors items that will translate to 

the civil sector. 

I like Representative Rutherford’s comments that the measure of, 

you know, having that letter that says you are accepted to a college, that is fairly easy, and I have seen it myself when I have been 

in command. The job one is a little bit more challenging in ensuring that person has that job offer before they leave. But if we can 

get to that point, that is a great measure of success. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Let me just assume everybody thinks it is a 

good deal. Let’s demonstrate that you believe that to the taxpayers 

are paying $500 million for these programs because they love their 

men and women in service, and our veterans as you do, as well, 

and I know you do. Let’s demonstrate it by coming back with a 

plan to consolidate things for accountability and clarity in terms of 

roles, and make it less complicated and convoluted. And let’s come 

back with a plan on how to measure the outcomes. And let’s apply 

that across the board, and let’s find out if it is working and how 

we need to improve it. Because everybody fundamentally knows 

this is a good thing. And so let’s put our money where our mouth 

is and let’s go invest the time and resources to get this thing done. 

You guys can tell us—and I don’t want to pass a law if we don’t 

have to pass a law. Sometimes, you know—my last—my first bill 

made it through the House floor, and I was honored to do this legislative reform with my colleague from Texas and friend, but I have 

to say, you know, moving this disabled home—I mean, home adaptation for disabled veterans from one part of the VA bureaucracy 

to another where they actually have the core competency, where 

this group didn’t—I mean, it is actually called specially adapted 

housing over here. Over here it is about vocational rehab. And, I 

mean, I am having to tell my newspaper, look, I am just going to 

be honest with you. This should be done without Congress having 

to act. 

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Will it help the veteran? Yes. Will it help the disabled community? Yes. Will it save taxpayer money? I believe it will. But my 

goodness, please help us help our veterans and come up with these 

ideas and make presentations. And then if you need the law to 

change, I guarantee you, you will have the support of this Committee. 

I have gone way over my time. 

Mr. Takano, I yield the balance of my 10 minutes that I took. I 

recognize you for 5 minutes. 

Mr. TAKANO. Now you are overstating things here. Thank you, 

Mr. Chairman. 

Let me say that I was very pleased to hear from the Office of the 

Under Secretary, the director, Mr. Lyons, indicate that the military 

was interested in engaging with the servicemember much earlier in 

the servicemember’s life cycle. But my sense was, was that even 

though the military is engaging the servicemembers in establishing 

career and educational goals early, and counseling, that there really wasn’t assessment happening and determining whether that 

servicemember had all the skills and knowledge, or whether there 

was any need to remediate their skills so that servicemembers are 

ready before they leave. 

So let me just state what I believe simply ought to be happening. 

What ought to be happening is that on day one of their induction 

in the military, there should be an assessment of the 

servicemember and a determination, initially, of what their goals 

are career-wise and education-wise, knowing that that 18-year-old 

is not necessarily going to exactly know who they are at that moment, and we can expect those goals to change. But we should at 

least know whether or not that servicemember needs to be doing 

some work to improve their math skills, their communication skills, 

their English skills. And I believe the military should be holding 

them accountable for that, because they were recruited on the basis 

of GI Bill benefits. And the taxpayer has an interest in making 

sure that those benefits aren’t wasted, that they are not squandered, that they are not put into debt after they spend down those 

benefits and so forth and so on. 

I would like to see also, is there a sense—given that context I 

have laid out to you, I believe it is in the best interest of our country that we see a strategic use of tuition assistance while they are 

in the military for those young people to be acquiring whatever remediation they need and/or gaining course credit so that they can 

transfer into a degree program rather seamlessly. 

Can you give me some background idea of how well you think 

tuition assistance is being used in each branch, each of the 

branches of the military, how well your—you know, how well spent 

is that tuition assistance money, and how well do you help our 

servicemembers use that opportunity? 

General BENNETT. Tuition assistance is one of the many areas 

that I do own, and it is quite popular with the senior leaders of the 

Army, and we are finding many different ways of getting after ensuring from a strategic message that— 

Mr. TAKANO. You said the senior leaders, the senior leaders of 

the— 

General BENNETT. Of the Army, sir. 

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Mr. TAKANO. Yes. 

General BENNETT. Yes, sir. I mean, this has special attention of 

the Sergeant Major of the Army, who is getting after tuition assistance and getting after credentialing with the soldiers, the career 

skills program. All this is encompassing under, maybe not the tuition assistance pot of money, but we are getting after ensuring 

that, you are correct, sir, way before the transitioning process 

starts from the active Army, that they are educated and they are 

prepared for the civilian sector. 

So it is quite popular, and I am actually going for the POM cycle 

requesting for additional money for next year, and it is getting bigger and better and growing steam as it relates to the soldiers acquiring tuition assistance. 

Mr. TAKANO. Thank you. Thank you. 

Anyone else care to comment? 

Admiral THOMAS. Yes, sir. We had 46,000 sailors in 2016 use the 

tuition assistance program and take over 131,000 classes, and we 

bring instructors out to our ships so they can take them even when 

they are deployed. So it is a very popular program and utilized by 

many of our sailors. 

Mr. TAKANO. And is it used by not just the senior officers? 

Admiral THOMAS. It actually tends to be used more by the junior 

people. 

Mr. TAKANO. More by junior. Yes, great. Thanks. 

General COOK. Sir, thank you. I would like to also mention that 

as I mentioned in my opening remarks, tuition assistance for the 

Air Force is extremely important. In fiscal year 2017, we expended 

$154 million in tuition assistance leading to the percentages of 52 

percent of our NCOs and 92 percent of our senior NCOs obtaining 

at least a 2-year degree. So we begin to discuss this path forward 

with our young enlisted at about the 4- to 6- to 8-year mark after 

they have finished their technical skill training. So from day one, 

we are having a conversation with them. 

And if I could, I would also like to address your earlier question 

about assessing individuals. 

Mr. TAKANO. Oh, thank you. 

General COOK. Yes, sir. So for the Air Force specifically, and I 

know for the other services there is an entry exam that indicates 

where they are successful, efficient, and then deficient as well. So 

the initial exam, we take a look at and then it is followed through 

with our basic training. We have constant assessment through 

basic training, followed through our technical skills, and all along 

the way, if there is remedial work required, we will ensure that 

they reach that. And then after all of the technical training, once 

they get to their first base location in our, what we call First-Term 

Airmen’s program, we also have conversations about the financial, 

educational programs available to them. So we get them from the 

very beginning and consistently through. 

And in my opening remarks, as I mentioned, with the military 

life cycle of combining the touch points for our financial literacy, 

as well as our TAP programs, this creates touch points consistently 

throughout in the high points of an airmen’s career. Career change, 

promotion, family, childbirth, et cetera. So we absolutely believe 

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that education is important, and we are hitting it from beginning 

to end. 

Mr. TAKANO. Might I continue with the question, Mr. Chairman? 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Sure. 

Mr. TAKANO. So you are talking about from the lowest rank of 

airmen all the way up, this is a—what you apply the assessments. 

General COOK. Yes, sir. So for our enlisted, they will come in and 

they get their test at the beginning and they go to technical school, 

and then we push them toward our Community College of the Air 

Force beginning about their 4-year mark. For our officers, obviously, they come in with a degree in order to become an officer, so 

they are already assessed at a certain level. 

And then what I would also like to offer is, even in our 

feedbacks, which happen when you report to a unit that first feedback, the initial, we discuss the financial and educational assessments. Then 6 months later, it is in our feedback. And in our annual assessment, we also have those conversations for both enlisted 

and officers. 

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chairman, could the Marines answer the same 

question? 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Yes. 

General STEIN. Yes, Congressman, we have the same model that 

the Air Force has, specifically as far as assessing the individual 

Marine prior to assessing the tuition assistance program. Our TA 

program is really focused and geared towards the junior enlisted 

Marines with a high school diploma basically. And when they— 

prior to being given the tuition assistance dollars, they take an assessment, a test, to identify any deficiencies academically in any 

certain vertical of academia, whether it is mathematics or whatever, and then they are given remedial education in that space 

prior to going on and spending taxpayer dollars, Marine Corps dollars for tuition assistance for undergraduate credits under a 

credentialed institution. 

Mr. TAKANO. Well, I certainly learned something new, and I 

want to know more about what you are doing. 

Mr. Chairman, I yield back. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Thank you, Mr. Takano. 

Mr. Rutherford, I recognize you for 5 minutes. 

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, 

panel, for your lengthy testimony and for your service to our country. 

You know, there is an old adage, don’t beat a dead horse, but 

after we say that, we always beat a dead horse, so that is what I 

want to do very briefly. So I will keep this short. 

There was something very interesting that General Stein and 

General Bennett mentioned. 

General Bennett, you talked about TAP-XXI and how in that follow-up, one of the matrices that you actually looked at was low unemployment payouts. I thought that is incredible. It makes me beg 

the question, what other matrixes do you have that you are looking 

at? And then General Stein mentioned that they have similar assessments with the Air Force, and makes me wonder, do you also 

have similar outcome matrices for all four services? General? 

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General BENNETT. So, yes. As I alluded to earlier, we do measure, and I know unemployment compensation will change every 

year, but that is one of our biggest measurement that we use right 

now. And again, we are below the $200 million mark first time in 

13 years, 172.8, and that you will see— 

Mr. RUTHERFORD. That is excellent. Yes. 

General BENNETT. Yes, sir. And you will see that, this year, once 

the report comes out, I think we do even better. At the end of third 

quarter, fiscal year 2017, we are at $101 million. So I think we are 

on the mark. 

What I am finding out within the Reserve component, if we want 

to delineate between the components, Reserve—when I say Reserve, that is National Guard and the Army Reserve that is 12 percent. Twelve percent is the unemployment compensation rate. And 

for regular Army Active Duty, 34 percent. So we are on the road 

to improvement, but again, where I could use the help, as you alluded to, sir, on measurements, that is, once a soldier departs the 

Active Duty, the outcome piece, did they get a job? That is what 

I need to know to better piece is my program doing what it is supposed to do? 

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Right. And so the other—the other branches, 

can you comment? Do you have such a matrices as that or no? 

Admiral THOMAS. Sir, the Navy does have unemployment numbers as well, and we are down at the lowest that we have been 

since 2011. We are at 67 million. So the right trajectory. 

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Very good. 

General COOK. So I am certain the Air Force does have the numbers, but I don’t have them with me, so I would be happy to get 

those back to you. 

Mr. RUTHERFORD. General? 

General STEIN. Yes, sir. We know that our trend line is decreasing in the unemployment numbers. I don’t have the specific data, 

though, before me, but I can get back to you on that. 

Mr. RUTHERFORD. What other matrices do you have on the outcomes, besides unemployment? Is there actually a list? Does anybody share outcomes or— 

General STEIN. Admiral Thomas and I, you know, being with the 

Department of the Navy, there is a lot of programs that he and I 

work together on, suicide prevention, sexual assault, behavioral 

health issues, things like that. So the being able to track them and, 

you know, finding metrics is kind of difficult. 

So in this scenario, a measurement of performance would be how 

many people do we get into the classroom for the transition readiness seminar and complete the capstone event with a counselor? 

But the measurement of effectiveness is the second part of the 

story that, once they separate from the service, we really don’t 

have situational awareness on them. Even their willingness to sign 

up with the VA during separation is optional. So it is a tough—it 

is a tough landscape to be able to actually get measurements of effectiveness on, well, how did that translate into how well you did 

academically, how well you did as a young entrepreneur in that 

space, the Boots to Business program, for example. 

We do know there are certain programs that we have, like the 

Skill Bridge program, which is a great new story for all of the servLeonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

34 

ices, where there is one partner that we work with that has a 94 

percent placement after they are done with the program, and they 

still do that while they are on Active-duty. And that is a command—the commanders allow them to participate in that program 

without it negatively affecting the operational readiness of the 

unit. 

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Right. We have a community-based program in 

northeast Florida, Operation New Uniform, which we are now 

going to try to replicate across the country, which has a tremendous placement rate after graduation from their program. And so 

I thank all of you. 

And I think, Mr. Chairman that may be an area that we can actually assist through some of the interagency relationships to try 

to get some of that information available for you for those evaluations of effectiveness, which we currently lack. 

Thank you. And I yield back, Mr. Chair. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Thank you, Mr. Rutherford. 

And we will just conclude with one question for each service represented on the panel. 

Sir, what would the one thing you would do, if you were king of 

this program and in control of the program from start to finish, 

what is the one thing you would do to make it work better for our 

veterans? 

General BENNETT. We alluded to this many times, sir, Mr. Rutherford, you just talked about it, the outcome piece, once they depart. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Okay. Sir? 

Admiral THOMAS. I would agree, and I think that we are doing 

a great job of bringing folks, hiring fairs, bringing those outreach. 

There is a sea of goodwill out there that people want to help us, 

and getting them to the bases to have those fairs be fruitful and 

getting the word out. I think the American public wants to hire 

veterans, which is a good thing. The landscape is rich. We just 

have to take advantage of it. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. And I think the question is—I agree, I think 

people want to hire veterans. The question is, how does this program help them achieve that? Because you have got the demand 

side, and as we supply the material of folks transitioning from active to civilian, are we better preparing them to make that a higher 

achievement, a higher rate of achievement? 

I will just keep going. One thing, one thing. 

General COOK. I believe continued partnership with the interagencies as we try to more accurately define, for example, certifications. And Department of Labor is doing some excellent work in 

defining for us what are the key certifications that a member 

would need to get a job in cyber or get a job in civil engineering, 

because there are so many certifications out there. So we find great 

value in the partnerships with our inter-agencies. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Sir? 

General STEIN. Yes. Mr. Chairman, I concur with my fellow 

panel Members here. I think it is connecting the dots and having 

a conduit with the audience. The demand signal is there. They 

want to hire veterans. A lot of times they don’t know what door to 

open up. They don’t know how to access in the process and the line 

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of effort, if you will, to make that happen and make it a more mature program, if you will, as connecting the dots with the interagency, with the VSOs, with all the partnerships and, for example, 

the Marine Corps League in my case, the VFW, the Chamber of 

Commerce, all those entities that are out there. The demand signal 

is high. They want to help. It is just a matter of us cracking the 

code on how to allow those conduits to open up. 

Mr. ARRINGTON. Thank you guys for your time. Thank you for 

your service to our country and for your help in this process to improve this important program. 

What I would like to do, Mr. Rutherford, is ask, in relatively 

short order, Ms. Devlin, are you still here? 

I would like Ms. Devlin from the VA, and I know there are lots 

of components to this, but to get the stakeholders together from 

that interagency working group, that mean somebody from VA, 

somebody from Labor, somebody from DoD, and I want these folks 

here on the panel that are front line with this program and the 

customers of the program to be a part of that. And I would like for 

you guys to come back by the end of the year and define what success is. That is, what are the desired outcomes. Real clear. What 

are the success metrics? How do we measure that we are achieving 

those desired outcomes? And then lastly, any other recommendations for operational efficiency like Mr. Bennett said about taking— 

consolidating seven contracts into one. Other ways recommendations to make this program run more effectively, efficiently, and 

with greater accountability. 

That is for the next close to 60 days the charge that I give you 

on behalf of this Committee, because I think you guys have the answers. And then if we can help through law writing, we will do 

that. If we don’t need that, then let’s just fix the problem and do 

right by our veterans and our taxpayers. God bless you guys. 

I now ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material. Without objection, so ordered. 

We are adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 3:54 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.] 

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(36) 

1 VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, Pub. L. No. 112-56, Title II, 125 Stat. 711, 713-733. 

2GAO, Transitioning Veterans: DOD Needs to Improve Performance Reporting and Monitoring for the Transition Assistance Program.GAO 18 23 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 8, 2017).With 

respect to DOD’s public reporting on TAP performance, DOD is required by federal law to prepare (1) strategic plans with long-term, outcome-oriented agency priority goals and objectives, 

(2) annual performance plans with goals linked to achieving the long-term priority goals in the 

strategic plan and indicators to measure performance against the goals, and (3) annual reports 

on the results achieved toward the goals in the performance plan. In fiscal year 2014, DOD 

named one of its six agency priority goals the Transition to Veterans. Since that time, DOD has 

monitored TAP performance indicators and reported them in each of its annual performance 

plans. These requirements stem from the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 

(GPRA) which was significantly enhanced by the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA). 

A P P E N D I X 

Prepared Statement of Cindy S. Brown Barnes 

TRANSITIONING VETERANS 

IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED IN DOD’S PERFORMANCE REPORTING AND MONITORING OF

THE TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member O’Rourke, and Members of the Subcommittee: 

I am pleased to be here to discuss the report we are issuing today on the Transition Assistance Program (TAP). Over the past several years, hundreds of thousands 

of servicemembers have left the military with nearly as many more soon to follow. 

Some of these new veterans may face significant challenges as they transition to civilian life, such as finding and maintaining employment. To help them, the VOW 

to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 (VOW Act) mandates the Department of Defense (DOD) 

to require that all eligible separating servicemembers participate in TAP to receive 

counseling, employment assistance, and information on federal veteran benefits, 

among other supports. 1 Concurrently with implementing the VOW Act, an interagency task force led a redesign of TAP which, among other things, (1) developed 

a new, standardized TAP curriculum, (2) established an interagency governance 

structure, and (3) established Career Readiness Standards (CRS) and associated 

tasks to demonstrate servicemembers’ readiness for civilian life. 

My statement summarizes the findings from the report we issued today, which 

addresses: (1) the extent to which DOD is transparent in its public performance reporting, (2) how many servicemembers participated in TAP and what factors affected participation, (3) how many servicemembers met CRS or received referrals to 

partner agencies for additional services, and (4) the extent to which DOD monitors 

key areas of TAP implementation and how well TAP’s performance measures inform 

these monitoring efforts. 2 In summary, we found: 

• DOD lacked data on nearly half of National Guard and Reserve Members and 

its public reporting may have misstated TAP performance; • At least 85 percent of servicemembers participated in required courses but not 

always on time, and several factors were reported to affect participation; • While most servicemembers were deemed career ready or referred for additional 

services, just over half may not have completed this process on time; and • While DOD monitors many areas of TAP implementation, it does not monitor 

several important requirements. 

We made six recommendations. DOD agreed with three of our recommendations, 

partially agreed to two others, and did not agree with our recommendation on access 

to additional 2-day classes. GAO believes this recommendation is still valid as discussed in the report. 

For our report, we surveyed 181 DOD installations that conduct TAP full time 

and achieved a 100 percent response rate; analyzed DOD participation data for fisLeonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

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3 In GAO 18 23 and the referenced analysis, we included the number and percentage of National Guard and Reserve members DOD reported to have participated in TAP to illustrate the 

extent to which DOD is missing data for this population, but we excluded these populations 

from our participant-level analyses. Consequently, the scope of this testimony is generally relevant to active-duty servicemembers who are not members of the National Guard and Reserve, 

unless otherwise noted. 4Though federal law mandates that DOD require eligible servicemembers to participate in 

TAP, with some exceptions, DOD set performance goals below 100 percent participation among 

the population of servicemembers required to participate. 10 U.S.C. a 1144(c). DOD officials told 

us they assess performance goals each year and establish attainable but challenging performance goals. 5GAO, Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, GAO 14 704G (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 2014). 6The exact participation rate cannot be determined due to missing data. If none of the members of the National Guard and Reserve for whom data were missing completed TAP, the participation rate would be 47 percent. If the participation of members of the National Guard and 

Reserve with missing data mirrored the rate for members with available data, the rate would 

be 94 percent. If every member of the National Guard and Reserve with missing data completed 

TAP, the actual rate would be even higher-97 percent. 7The exact rate cannot be determined due to missing data. 

cal year 2016; reviewed TAP data reports and performance measures; interviewed 

officials from DOD and its partner agencies; and reviewed relevant federal laws, 

regulations, and policies. We also visited 7 installations (2 each for the Army, Navy, 

Air Force, and 1 for the Marine Corps) from July through December, 2016. We 

found DOD data on TAP participation and CRS attainment to be reliable for regular 

active duty servicemembers, but not for National Guard and Reserve members due 

to the high percentage of missing data. 3 A more detailed explanation of our methodology is available in our November 2017 report. The work upon which this statement is based was conducted in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

DOD Lacked Data on Nearly Half of National Guard and Reserve Members 

and Its Public Reporting May Have Misstated TAP Performance, Particularly for the National Guard and Reserve 

DOD lacked TAP data for 48 percent of eligible National Guard and Reserve 

members and 12 percent of servicemembers who were not members of the National 

Guard and Reserve, based upon our analysis of DOD data for fiscal year 2016. According to DOD officials, DOD launched the TAP–IT Enterprise System in November 2016 to standardize data collection across the Services and improve data completeness and accuracy. DOD officials anticipate the system’s reporting capabilities 

will be fully operational by October 2018. 

In fiscal year 2016, DOD’s public reporting on the four performance measures 

under its Transition to Veterans agency priority goal may have misstated the extent 

to which underlying TAP requirements were met for National Guard and Reserve 

members and all other TAP- eligible servicemembers. 4 According to federal internal 

control standards, management should use quality information to achieve the entity’s objectives and to communicate quality information to external parties. 5 However, DOD’s public reporting of TAP’s performance did not disclose that the method 

it used to calculate the measures excluded the percent of TAP-eligible 

servicemembers for whom it was missing data. For example, DOD publicly reported 

that 94 percent of National Guard and Reserve members attended pre-separation 

counseling and the three required courses of TAP’s core curriculum (mandatory elements). Had the reported measure included all TAP-eligible members of the National Guard and Reserve for whom data were missing, the percentage might have 

been substantially lower-possibly as low as 47 percent-and DOD might not have met 

its performance goal of 85 percent. 6 Similarly, DOD publicly reported that nearly 

97 percent of active duty servicemembers attended the mandatory elements of TAP. 

However, had that measure included all TAP-eligible active duty servicemembers, 

the percentage may have been as low as about 87 percent. 7 In contrast, DOD’s internal reports to monitor TAP performance are more complete and transparent than 

its public reports since the internal reports include data for the entire TAP-eligible 

population and also quantify the extent of missing data (see fig. 1). 

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(b) DOD’s definition notes that the calculation is in accordance with statutory requirements that allowed exemptions determined by the Secretary of Defense in consultation with Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, 

and Department of Labor. 

(c) DOD’s internal reports present rates of VOW compliance and CRS attainment 

separately for members of the National Guard and Reserve. To make it easier to compare DOD’s two methods for calculating performance outcomes, GAO used DOD’s reported numbers and methodology to calculate a combined measure that includes 

members of both the National Guard and Reserve. 

(d) Actual participation rates may have differed from what available records show 

because DOD lacked participation data for 12 percent of eligible servicemembers and 

48 percent of eligible members of the National Guard and Reserve. If the proportion 

of servicemembers or members of the National Guard or Reserve for whom data were 

missing completed TAP at the same rate as those for whom data were available, the 

percentage reported internally would likely parallel the percentage publicly reported. 

DOD officials said it is not accurate to calculate participation rates for 

servicemembers for whom data were missing because it is unknown whether those 

servicemembers met the performance criteria. However, we report this number to illustrate the discrepancy between what is known about performance for the entire 

TAP-eligible population and what DOD publicly reported. 

(e) This rate differs slightly from the rate GAO calculated using the participant 

level data provided by DOD, as shown in figure 1. DOD officials explained that 

GAO’s calculation differs from the published rates because additional data were entered after the official performance measure calculation was completed. 

We recommended that the Secretary of Defense publicly report DOD’s performance regarding participation and CRS attainment for all TAP-eligible 

servicemembers and members of the National Guard and Reserve rather than exclude those for whom data are missing, or DOD should clarify the extent of missing 

data. DOD partially concurred with this recommendation, saying that compliance 

should be computed based only on known data, but said that in fiscal year 2018 all 

reports will describe the extent of missing data and DOD will continue working to 

reduce the extent of missing data. 

At Least 85 Percent of Servicemembers Participated in Required Courses 

but Not Always on Time, and Several Factors Were Reported to Affect 

Participation 

At least 85 percent of servicemembers participated in TAP’s required courses-the 

Employment Workshop and VA Benefits I and II-according to our analysis of DOD 

data for fiscal year 2016 (see fig. 2). 

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8More specifically, this performance goal’s underlying performance indicator measures all 

servicemembers who met all three of the following requirements: 1) participated in pre-separation counseling, 2) either completed the employment workshop or were exempt from the requirement to participate in that course, and 3) completed VA Benefits I and II courses. Our analysis 

of DOD data also showed that 85 percent of eligible servicemembers met all three of these requirements. Actual participation rates may have differed from what available records showed 

because DOD lacked participation data for 12 percent of eligible servicemembers. Federal law 

requires the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to require participation in TAP for members eligible for assistance, with some exceptions. 10 U.S.C. a 1144. DOD’s 

GPRAMA priority goal performance goal for fiscal years 2016 and 2017 is set at 85 percent. The 

goal includes both servicemembers and members of the National Guard and Reserve. This performance goal is not a statutory requirement. 9See 10 U.S.C. a 1142(a)(3). In cases of unanticipated separations or retirements when there 

are 90 days or fewer before discharge or release from active duty, servicemembers are required 

to begin as soon as possible within the remaining period of service. 

Note: The participation rate is a measure of all servicemembers who met the following requirements: 1) either completed the employment workshop or were exempt 

from the requirement to participate in that course, and 2) completed VA Benefits I 

and II courses. Thus, our participation rate differs slightly from DOD’s VOW compliance rate, which also included mandatory pre-separation counseling. Because GAO 

determined participation data were reliable for servicemembers but not for National 

Guard and Reserve members, this figure does not include the latter. Actual participation rates may have differed from what available records show because DOD lacked 

participation data for 12 percent of eligible servicemembers. Percentages are rounded 

to the nearest whole number. 

Therefore, DOD achieved its 85 percent performance goal for servicemember participation in mandatory portions of TAP. 8 However, fewer than 15 percent of 

servicemembers participated in one or more of TAP’s additional 2-day classes, which 

DOD does not consider mandatory unless the servicemember needs to attend to 

meet CRS. Those who participated in these additional 2-day classes primarily participated in the one on Accessing Higher Education. 

Our analysis found that most servicemembers started TAP on time-90 days or 

more before their date of separation (see fig. 3). 9 Specifically, we found that in fiscal 

year 2016, 74 percent of servicemembers started TAP on time. However, according 

to TAP staff at five of the seven installations we visited, servicemembers who start 

TAP less than 90 days before separating may face challenges completing TAP requirements or accessing additional transition resources. 

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10DOD officials noted that an ongoing DOD initiative to incorporate transition preparation 

throughout servicemembers careers-called the Military Lifecycle Transition Model-should help 

address this concern. 11For fiscal years 2016 and 2017, DOD set an 85 percent target for this agency priority goal. 

Notes: Because GAO determined timeliness data were reliable for servicemembers 

but not National Guard and Reserve members, this figure does not include members 

of the National Guard or Reserve. Actual timeliness rates may have differed from 

what available records show because DOD lacked data on the timeliness of beginning 

TAP for 10.1 percent of eligible servicemembers. Percentages do not add to 100 due 

to the missing data. The 90-day statutory timeliness threshold does not apply when 

servicemembers undergo unanticipated, rapid separations. Therefore, in some cases 

timeliness standards may have been met although the servicemember started TAP 

less than 90 days before separating. 

Several factors affected servicemember participation in TAP, according to our survey. The two most frequently cited factors were servicemembers going through rapid 

separations or starting the transition process too late to attend TAP. Other oftencited factors were servicemembers believing they could not leave their duties to attend training, or not being released from duties due to mission critical skills. To a 

lesser degree, lack of support from direct supervisors and unit commanders was a 

factor that reportedly affected participation. 

Despite such challenges, we generally heard positive feedback. TAP staff at all of 

the installations we visited said the redesigned program offered critical information 

and guidance and mandating participation had improved the program, such as by 

expanding awareness about the importance of transition preparation. 

Servicemembers also praised course facilitators and TAP staff, noting they were 

knowledgeable, dedicated, and supportive. Nonetheless, many servicemembers said 

attending TAP was like ‘‘trying to drink from a firehose’’ because of the volume of 

information presented in a short period of time. 10

While Most Servicemembers Were Deemed Career Ready or Referred for 

Additional Services, Just over Half May Not Have Completed This Process on Time 

DOD met its career readiness performance goal in fiscal year 2016 by ensuring 

at least 85 percent of servicemembers met their Career Readiness Standards (CRS) 

or were referred for services to an appropriate interagency partner or another appropriate resource-a process known as the ‘‘warm handover.’’ 11 In particular, about 

81 percent of all active duty servicemembers met their CRS according to our analysis of DOD data. DOD ensured that another 4 percent of servicemembers received 

a warm handover because their CRS had not been met. Relatively few 

servicemembers-another 3 percent-did not meet CRS or receive a warm handover as 

required by regulations. Due to missing data, it is unknown whether DOD ensured 

the remaining 12 percent of servicemembers met CRS (see fig. 4). 

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12The 90-day regulatory timeliness threshold does not apply when servicemembers undergo 

unanticipated, rapid separations. Therefore, in some cases timeliness standards may have been 

met although the servicemember completed TAP less than 90 days before separating. 

Note: Commanders or their designees are required to ensure that servicemembers 

who do not meet one or more Career Readiness Standards or who need further assistance are referred to an appropriate interagency partner or another appropriate resource-a process known as a ‘‘warm handover.’’ Because GAO determined participation data were reliable for servicemembers but not for National Guard and Reserve 

members, this figure does not include members of the National Guard or Reserves. 

Actual participation rates may have differed from what available records show because DOD lacked participation data for 12 percent of eligible servicemembers. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. 

However, our analysis of DOD data showed more than 53 percent of 

servicemembers completed Capstone-the event that finalizes TAP completion by 

verifying attainment of CRS providing a referral-fewer than 90 days before their 

scheduled separation date. DOD regulations state that, preceding an anticipated 

separation, servicemembers must complete Capstone no later than 90 days before 

their date of anticipated separation, with some exceptions (see fig. 5). 12

Note: Because GAO determined career readiness standard data were reliable for 

servicemembers but not National Guard and Reserve members, this figure does not 

include members of the National Guard or Reserve. Actual Career Readiness Standards attainment rates may have differed from what available records show because 

DOD lacked career readiness data for 16 percent of eligible servicemembers. Percentages do not add to 100 due to the missing data. The 90- day timeliness threshold 

does not apply when servicemembers undergo unanticipated, rapid separations. 

Therefore, in some cases timeliness standards may have been met although the 

servicemember started TAP less than 90 days before separating. 

While DOD Monitors Many Areas of TAP Implementation, It Does Not Monitor Several Important Requirements 

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Insert offset folio 4 here 31429.004 Insert offset folio 5 here 31429.005
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13 According to DOD regulations, those eligible servicemembers who can use the virtual curricula include (1) those whose duty locations are in remote or isolated geographic areas, and 

(2) those undergoing short-notice separation who cannot access brick-and-mortar curricula in a 

timely manner. 32 C.F.R. pt. 88 app. G. Isolated geographic areas are defined as being 50 or 

more miles away from the installation to which the servicemember is assigned. 14Previous GAO reports provide established criteria for assessing performance measurement 

systems. (For example, see GAO, Tax Administration: IRS Needs to Further Refine its Tax Filing Season Performance Measures, GAO 03 143, (Washington D.C. November 2002.) Specifically, 

for that report, GAO has identified nine key attributes of successful performance measures: 

measurable target, linkage, clarity, objectivity, reliability, limited overlap, balance, governmentwide priorities, and core program activities. For more information, see GAO 18 23. 15Other Career Readiness Standards-such as whether servicemembers documented requirements and eligibility for licensure, certification, and apprenticeship-do not require subjective 

judgments. 16To meet Career Readiness Standards, servicemembers must demonstrate they have a viable 

individual transition plan and have completed a job application package, which include a resume. 

DOD does not currently monitor the timeliness of TAP participation, although 

DOD regulations establish a time frame for completing TAP requirements. We recommended that the Secretary of Defense monitor and report on the extent to which 

servicemembers participate in TAP within prescribed time frames. DOD concurred 

with this recommendation and said it will begin implementing it once DOD establishes system requirements and identifies associated costs of data collection; DOD 

anticipates starting data collection in fiscal year 2019 at the earliest. 

DOD also does not monitor and report on the extent to which servicemembers 

wanted to attend one of the additional 2-day classes, but were not able to participate, although federal law requires that DOD ensure that servicemembers who elect 

to participate in these classes are able to receive the training. We recommended 

that the Secretary of Defense monitor and report on the extent to which 

servicemembers who elect to take additional 2-day classes are able to do so. DOD 

disagreed with our recommendation saying that it ensures access by offering 2-day 

classes both in classrooms and online. Moreover, it stated that the purpose of 2-day 

classes is to help servicemembers achieve Career Readiness standards. However, 

GAO does not believe this is sufficient for DOD to know whether it is ensuring compliance with this particular law. We continue to believe that DOD needs to track 

whether those who elect to take these classes are able to receive the training. 

In addition, agency officials told us that DOD does not systematically monitor and 

report on the prevalence of online TAP participation, although DOD regulations 

state that DOD and the military services must generally ensure servicemembers 

participate in TAP in a classroom setting, with some exceptions. 13 We recommended 

that the Secretary of Defense monitor and report on the extent to which 

servicemembers attend TAP in a classroom setting unless allowed by regulation to 

participate online. DOD agreed to address this recommendation once it has identified system requirements and associated costs for collecting the data. DOD anticipates the earliest it will be able to monitor and report such data will be fiscal year 

2019. 

Moreover, DOD currently lacks a mechanism to generate performance data at the 

installation and unit command level related to the timeliness of TAP participation, 

access to additional 2-day classes, and method of course delivery. We recommended 

that once DOD monitors and reports data in these three areas, the Secretary of Defense should enable unit and higher-level commanders to access this information to 

help ensure their specific units are TAP compliant. DOD partially concurred with 

our recommendation in that it agreed to make data available to commanders with 

regard to timeliness and online participation-but not access to the 2-day classes-once 

it had the data collection and reporting capability. 

Finally, we found that DOD’s performance measures related to CRS attainment 

lack objectivity. 14 GAO criteria state that subjective considerations or judgments 

should not greatly affect a measure’s outcome. However, we found that assessing 

some of the CRS-the individual transition plan and resume portion of the job application package-requires professional judgment in determining whether a 

servicemember has met the particular standard, and DOD has not developed guidance or quality standards that could minimize the subjectivity of such 15decisions 16. 

We recommended that the Secretary of Defense seek ways to minimize the subjectivity involved in making career readiness determinations. DOD concurred with this 

recommendation and said that by the end of fiscal year 2018, it will collaborate with 

the military departments and the Department Labor (DOL) to examine and implement ways, as appropriate, to minimize the subjectivity in assessing individual 

CRS. DOD noted that installations have personnel trained in resume writing and 

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43 

career planning, who can assist servicemembers, and that installations can also call 

upon their local DOL partners for further support. 

Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member O’Rourke, and Members of the Subcommittee, this concludes my prepared statement. I would be happy to answer any 

questions you may have. 

GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 

If you or your staff have any questions about this testimony, please contact me 

at (202) 512–7215 or brownbarnesc@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this statement. GAO staff who made key contributions to this testimony include Meeta Engle, 

Amy MacDonald, and David Forgosh. Additional assistance was provided by James 

Bennett, Holly Dye, Ted Leslie, Shelia McCoy, Jean McSween, Benjamin Sinoff and 

Almeta Spencer. 

This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. The published product may be reproduced and 

distributed in its entirety without further permission from GAO. However, 

because this work may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately. 

f 

Prepared Statement of Margarita Devlin 

Introduction 

Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member O’Rourke, and other members of this Subcommittee - thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Department of Veterans 

Affairs’ (VA) contribution to the Transition Assistance Program (TAP). With Veterans Day rapidly approaching, this hearing is a timely opportunity to take stock 

of our efforts to support transitioning Servicemembers, Veterans, and their families 

and caregivers, as well as explore how VA can continue to improve and evolve transition services. 

VA is proud of the successes we have achieved in collaboration with our Federal 

agency partners. We are excited to tell you about our ongoing efforts to make TAP 

more holistic, relevant, and beneficial. 

Background 

In 2011, faced with increasing Veteran unemployment rates and a nationwide 

need for more skilled workers and entrepreneurs, the President signed the Veterans 

Opportunity to Work (VOW) to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 (VOW Act), which mandated that the Department of Labor (DOL) assess the skills that Servicemembers 

acquire in the military and improve the translation of those skills into civilian-sector certifications. The act also authorized VA to extend eligibility for the Montgomery GI Bill and Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment benefits for one year, 

and expand the Special Incentive Program to encourage employers to hire and provide on-the-job training to eligible Veterans. By the same token, in November 2011, 

Congress passed, and the President signed, the VOW Act, which included steps to 

improve TAP for Servicemembers. Representing a major shift from prior TAP execution, the VOW Act mandated participation in TAP by all transitioning 

Servicemembers, with a few limited exceptions, and focused training on employment 

and education. As a result of the VOW Act, TAP was redesigned as a cohesive, modular, outcomes-based program that standardized transition opportunities, services, 

and training to better prepare our Servicemembers to achieve their post-military career goals. 

Achieving a successful transition from military to civilian life is a collaborative 

effort between Federal entities and external stakeholders. Under the auspices of a 

memorandum of understanding (MOU) executed in 2014, and updated in 2016, the 

Department of Defense (DoD), DOL, VA, Department of Education, Department of 

Homeland Security, Office of Personnel Management, and the Small Business Administration are coordinating the execution of the redesigned TAP to provide comprehensive transition benefits and services counseling, help strengthen and expand 

information, and facilitate support for transitioning Servicemembers. The MOU stipulates each agency’s roles and responsibilities, puts forth the criteria for a comprehensive Transition Assistance Program to be implemented throughout the Military Life Cycle (MLC), and outlines collaboration expectations, including governance 

and continuous improvement of the program. 

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Overview of VA’s Portion of TAP 

VA strongly believes that Congress and the responsible executive branch agencies, 

through the passage of the VOW Act and TAP execution, have dramatically improved Servicemembers’ preparation for their military to civilian transition. We continue to see improvements in employment opportunities for Veterans. The Veteran 

unemployment rate, which reached a high of 9.9 percent in 2011, has been reduced 

to 3.0 percent as of September 2017. That said, we recognize that there is much 

more to be done to facilitate transitioning Servicemembers’ access to available VA 

benefits and health care. 

VA’s portion of TAP is delivered at over 300 military installations (including 

United States Coast Guard) worldwide through the support of approximately 300 

trained VA Benefits Advisors (BA). Approximately 75 percent are in the contiguous 

United States (CONUS). TAP courses are also available online via Joint Knowledge 

Online, an online portal maintained by DoD. BA responsibilities include delivering 

the mandatory VA Benefits Briefings, Capstone and MLC events and briefings, and 

providing individual assistance to transitioning Servicemembers upon request. The 

VA Benefits I and II briefings educate transitioning Servicemembers on the wide 

array of VA benefits including (but not limited to) health care, education, Vocational 

Rehabilitation & Employment, compensation, life insurance, home loans, as well as 

an orientation to online benefits portals such as eBenefits and MyHealtheVet. In 

Fiscal year 2017, BAs also conducted over 50,000 military installation engagements 

in support of Servicemembers and their families. In fiscal year (FY) 2017, approximately 95 percent of BAs were either Veterans themselves or Veteran/ 

Servicemember spouses. 

To continue improving the support VA offers to transitioning Servicemembers 

throughout their transition journey, we have regularly updated the TAP curriculum 

to ensure it aligns with current laws on VA eligibility, entitlement, and available 

benefits and services. The curriculum also takes evolving preferences for delivery of 

information into account. We are collaborating with DoD to align TAP offerings with 

the current MLC framework, which embeds transition planning and preparation for 

meeting career-readiness standards throughout a Servicemember’s military career. 

For example, as part of accession and onboarding, Servicemembers are required to 

establish a DoD self-service (DS) logon and create an eBenefits account. The joint 

VA/DoD eBenefits web portal provides resources and self-service capabilities to 

Servicemembers, Veterans, their families, and caregivers to apply, research, access, 

and manage their VA and military benefits. This provides an early connection to 

VA at a key MLC touchpoint. 

Success to Date Since VOW Act 

VA BAs began conducting VA Benefits I and II Briefings, VA’s core component 

of TAP, in FY 2013. In FY 2014, VA TAP modules became fully operational at all 

installations, alongside implementation of the Career Technical Training Track 

(CTTT), Capstone events, and one-on-one assistance. 

From FY 2013 to FY 2016, VA conducted more than 172,000 events (including 

Benefits Briefings I and II, CTTT, one-on-one assistance, and Capstone sessions), 

serving more than 1.8 million Servicemembers and family members as part of TAP. 

Outcomes from the increased focus on education and career development by both VA 

and DOL TAP content can be seen reflected in the dramatic reductions in Veteran 

unemployment, which has steadily decreased to a low of 3.0 percent in September 

2017. 

During FY 2016, VA also designed a new curriculum specific to members of the 

National Guard and Reserve. The National Guard and Reserve components have 

unique needs due to their missions and mobilizations, and eligibility for VA programs is often more complex to adjudicate. The new curriculum module contains information and resources tailored to the specific needs and special circumstances of 

National Guard and Reserve members. 

In FY 2017 (through August 2017), VA provided more than 63,000 events (including Benefits Briefings I and II, CTTT, Individual Assistance, and Capstone sessions) 

to more than 500,000 transitioning Servicemembers and family members as a part 

of TAP. VA conducted over 400 CTTT sessions in FY 2017 before moving the execution responsibility to DOL in March 2017. 

DoD collects feedback from transitioning Servicemembers through the interagency 

Transition Goals, Plans, Success (GPS) participant assessment and shares this data 

with VA quarterly. This assessment collects demographic data and includes questions to assess the quality of the course curriculum, course materials, facilitators, 

and facilities. Participants also answer questions for VA to gauge their intent to use 

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sessed knowledge gain. As of third quarter of FY 2017, VA received 95,000 responses to the Transition GPS assessment for Benefits Briefings I and II. VA consistently receives high evaluations from Servicemembers who attend Benefits Briefings I and II, averaging 96-percent satisfaction on information learned, 96 percent 

on effectiveness of the facilitators, and 94 percent on confidence gained from the material. 

VA Curriculum Redesign - Goals and Schedule 

VA’s curriculum seeks to frame transition information that reflects the overarching nature of the transition experience. Interagency TAP partners collaborate 

on a 2-year continuous review cycle, which includes a content deep dive followed by 

technical reviews. 

As VA approached the scheduled FY 2017deep dive (an extensive analysis of the 

existing curriculum), VA made a strategic decision to do a complete redesign of our 

curriculum, exceeding the standard review requirement. Despite the high satisfaction ratings received by Servicemembers who participated in Benefits Briefings I 

and II, anecdotal information received from stakeholders and Veterans suggested 

that a more holistic view, including the psychosocial aspects of the transition to civilian life, would enable the VA’s TAP program to have more real-life relevance and 

increase the quality of the overall experience. For example, instead of simply providing information on the suite of benefits and services offered for eligible veterans, 

VA is considering ways to facilitate a more interactive course that addresses the 

overall transition journey. VA is leveraging instructional design based on adult 

learning principles to focus the curriculum on transition decisions and actions that 

transitioning Servicemembers need to consider with respect to available VA services 

and benefits, such as health care, housing, education, and career preparation. Additionally, VA plans to include classroom time for Servicemembers to complete applications for health care and other benefits. 

To successfully execute this innovative change in approach, Benefits Assistance 

Service (BAS) - the executive agent for TAP within VA - conducted a comprehensive 

review with business lines throughout the Department to ensure the VA TAP Benefits I and II curriculum was inclusive of all relevant programs and services. Program-level subject matter experts from across VA were integrated into planning and 

development efforts to ensure optimal curriculum content and key messages would 

be delivered to TAP participants. In addition, VA engaged Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) and other Veteran-facing organizations to incorporate their input into 

the curriculum redesign. 

Through this process, VA identified targeted areas of focus that have a particular 

importance to the transitioning Servicemember population, including (but not limited to) whole health, gender-specific health, mental health, suicide prevention, trauma/crisis support, career preparation, education, vocational rehabilitation, housing, 

homeless support, and disability benefits. 

By understanding the scope of services most important to transitioning 

Servicemembers and their families, VA can build a more holistic and targeted approach to curriculum offerings. In consultation with the interagency partners, the 

revised VA curriculum will be piloted in January 2018, with planned deployment 

in late spring 2018 across installations worldwide. Subsequent to brick and mortar 

deployment, VA will develop an online module that aligns with the revised curriculum. 

VA continues to integrate VA TAP content into the MLC. A module explaining 

how to access education benefits is in development, and we plan to deploy in FY 

2018. VA continues to work with the interagency partners on the development of 

additional modules to incorporate into the MLC. 

VA is excited to see how integration into the existing MLC model will serve as 

a positive introduction to VA benefits and services to strengthen the connection between VA and transitioning Servicemembers. 

Vision for Future TAP Involvement 

VA has a clear vision for our future involvement in the military to civilian transition, which begins upon accession and continues throughout a Servicemember’s military career. We are currently transitioning to a new contract vehicle, which will 

build on earlier successes and support development of a more robust, data-driven 

TAP with a holistic approach to meeting current and future needs of transitioning 

Servicemembers. 

During the initial phase of piloting the redesigned curriculum in January 2018, 

VA will deliver the revised curriculum to groups of transitioning Servicemembers 

at multiple military installations to gather specific participant feedback. VA, in collaboration with our interagency partners, will collect necessary feedback from this 

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pilot to make any additional enhancements to improve the curriculum. More broadly, VA will continue to look for opportunities to further strengthen TAP for 

transitioning Servicemembers, their families, and caregivers to ensure VA is adequately meeting their needs. 

VA will continue to strengthen the connection with transitioning Servicemembers 

through our integration into the MLC model. VA will inform, equip, and provide 

support at critical touchpoints throughout their careers, from first duty assignment, 

during major life events throughout transition (retirement/separation), and posttransition as transitioning Servicemembers integrate into their communities as civilians. The TAP–MLC integration will serve as a positive introduction to VA benefits and services. 

To further understand the needs of transitioning Servicemembers and to strengthen TAP, VA and our interagency partners will implement a post-separation assessment in order to collect reliable and valid feedback on post-separation outcomes. In 

FY 2017, VA awarded a contract to design, develop, and test the post-separation assessment protocol. Final submission of the survey to the Office of Management and 

Budget is expected to occur in FY 2018. Additionally, VA will continue work with 

our TAP interagency partners to identify and develop data collection approaches for 

long-term outcome measures that build on current indicators. The goal is to be able 

to share data that provides evidence of the effectiveness of TAP and help with evaluating the overall long-term impact of interagency transition services. 

VA is working closely with DoD to enhance our joint efforts to prevent suicide 

among Servicemembers. Each instance of suicide is a tragedy, and VA is hopeful 

that this increased collaboration will help us identify new policy solutions that may 

give added relief to those who are struggling. 

VA knows that we cannot solve every problem and that solutions should be inclusive of both Federal resources and the immense network of support available in 

local communities across our country. VA is eager to collaborate, and we are vested 

in connecting with community organizations that can effectively support the transition experience. To ensure VA has a full picture of the experiences and goals of 

those in transition, VA is working with our VSO partners, Veterans peer groups, 

and other thought leaders to obtain outside input based on the feedback they hear 

from transitioning Servicemembers. 

Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report 

GAO recently assessed TAP data and surveyed DoD installations and has developed a final report summarizing their findings. VA is strongly committed to working 

with DoD and other Federal agencies to improve TAP by strengthening the curriculum, fully integrating TAP objectives into the MLC, and analyzing post-transition survey data. 

Conclusion 

VA is pleased to work alongside the Federal agency TAP partners to support 

transitioning Servicemembers, Veterans, their families, and caregivers throughout 

their transition journey. The partners are proud of the progress made in recent 

years and are excited to continue improving TAP in the years ahead. 

Through our curriculum redesign and the expansion of our reach to transitioning 

Servicemembers through MLC, VA is poised to have greater access to all those in 

uniform - both Active Duty and National Guard/Reserve - and dramatically reduce 

the stress of transition and being overwhelmed with information about benefits and 

services that many transitioning Servicemembers have experienced. VA is focused 

on working more closely with VSOs and other stakeholders to improve the 

transitioning Servicemember experience throughout their transition journey. The 

concept is to build a more tailored experience that results in greater awareness of 

and ability to support the unique needs of those in transition and improve the 

health, employment, and education outcomes for our Servicemembers returning to 

civilian life. 

Thank you for allowing me to address the Committee today. Mr. Chairman, this 

concludes my statement. I would be pleased to answer any questions you or other 

Members of the Committee may have. 

f 

Prepared Statement of Ivan Denton 

Introduction 

Good Afternoon Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member O’Rourke, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to participate 

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47 

in today’s hearing. Although the Department of Labor (DOL or Department) was not 

a focus of the most recent Government Accountability Office engagement on 

transitioning service members and the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), we appreciate the opportunity to discuss the Department’s work with the Departments of 

Defense (DoD), Veterans Affairs (VA), and other agency partners, to administer and 

improve TAP. As the Director of the Office of National Programs in the Veterans’ 

Employment and Training Service (VETS) at DOL, my office is responsible for managing DOL’s Employment Workshop (EW or Workshop) and Career Technical Training Track courses. As a recently retired (December 2016) soldier with a 35 year military career, I personally understand the importance of the transition process and 

TAP. Career transition is an important and stressful time for the transitioning service member, as well as the entire family. More broadly speaking, successful career 

transition is important to attracting an All-Volunteer Force, and to building the 

American economy. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss DOL’s efforts to work 

with DoD and VA to administer TAP to transitioning service members and improvements that can be made to assist service members with their employment preparation as they transition to civilian life. 

Secretary Acosta stands firmly behind our country’s service members and veterans. He has set several clear goals that will assist our veterans in finding and 

retaining good jobs: (1) creating clear career pathways; (2) eliminating barriers to 

employment; (3) enabling and promoting apprenticeship opportunities that lead to 

meaningful careers; and (4) increasing the portability of licensing and credentials 

for military service members and their spouses. 

Before the passage of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act in 2011, the veteran unemployment rate reached a high of 9.9 percent in January 2011, and Unemployment Compensation for Ex-service members (UCX) payments for the year totaled over $728 

million to nearly 90,000 individuals; with an average duration of UCX benefits payments of over 21 weeks. So far in 2017, veteran unemployment has averaged 3.7 

percent, including a low of 3.0 percent in September 2017. Additionally, UCX payments and participants for the 12 months ending in August 2017 have dropped to 

approximately one-third of what they were in 2011, and the average number of 

weeks that transitioning service members receive UCX benefits has also decreased 

to 18.9 weeks for the 29,000 recipients who received benefits from September 

through August. That is good news for all transitioning service members. 

While there are still approximately 300,000 veterans who are unemployed, there 

are 6.1 million job openings. Transitioning service members and veterans can help 

to fill these jobs, and employers are eager to hire them. DOL will soon publish final 

regulations to implement the HIRE Vets Medallion program. This program will recognize companies that are successful in hiring and retaining our nation’s veterans. 

DOL helps employers build effective hiring and apprenticeship programs by overseeing a workforce system that connects transitioning service members and veterans 

to job opportunities and training, and we assist by providing the DOL Workshops 

to approximately 200,000 transitioning service members each year. The Workshops 

provide attendees with the information, knowledge, and tools needed to bridge the 

divide between a military and a civilian career. 

Transition Assistance Program Employment Workshops 

TAP, as codified under 10 U.S.C. 1144, is a collaborative effort of the Departments 

of Labor, Veterans Affairs, Defense, Education, and Homeland Security (DHS), the 

Office of Personnel Management, and the Small Business Administration. TAP provides separating service members and their spouses with the training and support 

they need to transition successfully to the civilian workforce. Through TAP, DOL 

uses its extensive expertise in employment services to provide a comprehensive 

three-day Workshop at U.S. military installations around the world. 

Since the Department began providing the Workshop over 25 years ago, the number of workshops, participants, and locations has grown considerably. In 2003, TAP 

was expanded to overseas military installations, and, in 2005, courses were offered 

to returning members of the Reserve and National Guard via the 30, 60, and 90- 

day Yellow Ribbon Reintegration programs. In 2011, the VOW Act was passed, 

which among other things, made participation in the DOL EW mandatory for most 

transitioning service members, including those demobilizing from the National 

Guard and Reserve Components. 

Last year, DOL conducted more than 6,400 Workshops for over 180,000 participants at 187 sites worldwide. Of the over 180,000 participants, more than 7,000 

were National Guard and Reserve. The 3-day DOL EW is standardized so that all 

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tion. The course consists of three days of classroom instruction that is tightly focused on four core competencies: 

• Developing and executing a job search plan that’s career focused; • Planning for success in the civilian work environment; • Creating resumes, cover letters, and other self-marketing materials; and • Engaging in successful interviews and networking conversations. 

In compliance with the VOW Act, the Department initiated a significant redesign 

of the DOL EW to make it more engaging and relevant in light of the unique challenges facing transitioning service members. This was an extensive process that involved numerous pilots, evaluations, and feedback from reviewers and agency partners. In addition, the VOW Act required that DOL use contract facilitators to ensure 

a standardized, high-quality professional cadre of facilitators. DOL monitors the 

performance of the facilitators through the review of Transition GPS Participant Assessment results, regular site assessments by DOL federal field staff, and input 

from DoD and military services stakeholders. 

In FY 2017, the interagency partners collected and analyzed assessment results 

regarding participants’ satisfaction with the TAP curriculum and delivery methods. 

Assessment results indicated that 96 percent of participants reported that they 

would use what they had learned in their own transition planning. The data suggests that the DOL EW is meeting the expectations of its participants. But we recognize that isn’t enough, so we work with our partners, and with industry experts, 

to continually refine the curriculum, the methods of delivery, and the electronic resources available to give transitioning service members the best opportunity for a 

successful career transition. 

VETS completed the implementation of the revised DOL EW curriculum in Fiscal 

Year (FY) 2016. This revision incorporated extensive input from TAP stakeholders, 

including military transition services personnel, transitioning service members, private sector employers, and Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs). The result is an 

employment workshop focused on the four competencies noted above. Additionally, 

in FY 2016, VETS conducted a technical review of the curriculum in accordance 

with the TAP Curriculum Working Group’s two-year review cycle. The purpose of 

the technical review was to ensure that the content, data, and web sites used in 

the curriculum were accurate and up-to-date. 

DOL has awarded a contract for an independent evaluation of the TAP program. 

The evaluation will include a quasi-experimental design to analyze the impacts of 

the TAP DOL EW on employment-related outcomes for separating military service 

members. It will also involve a small pilot to evaluate differential impacts of behavioral intervention approaches for connecting separating service members to American Job Centers (AJCs). 

The interagency performance management working group is also reviewing longterm outcome measures that may be used to assess the impact of TAP. These include a variety of unemployment and labor force statistics. Many of these measures 

will require data sharing efforts, or possibly legislative changes, to allow access to 

information across agencies. 

Based on a data agreement between Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) and 

DOL, at this time last year, we began to receive E-form (i.e., DD Form 2648) data 

from DMDC on transitioning service members. Transitioning service members are 

given the opportunity to opt into receiving information from DOL. Since that time 

DOL has sent approximately 150,000 emails to transitioning service members to 

connect them with employment and training resources. DOL will continue to analyze the data and to work with stakeholders to leverage Veterans’ Data Exchange 

Initiative in a manner that can positively impact employment outcomes. 

Veterans Employment Initiative Task Force for a Career-Ready Military 

In 2011, the Veterans Employment Initiative (VEI) Task Force was established 

to ensure the career readiness of transitioning service members. The Task Force 

consists of joint representation from DOL, DoD, VA, DHS (U.S. Coast Guard), the 

Department of Education, the Small Business Administration, and the Office of Personnel Management. The Task Force designed a plan to strengthen and build upon 

the existing TAP curriculum, which is now known as Transition GPS (Goals, Plans, 

Success). To continue this important collaboration, the TAP Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) provides an interagency governance framework. There are five 

interagency working groups (transition assistance, curriculum, IT/data sharing, performance management, and strategic communications) that report to the Senior 

Steering Group (SSG). The SSG meets monthly to ensure the program is operating 

as intended by statute. The SSG reports to the Executive Council (EC), which meets 

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quarterly. The EC, SSG, and all of the working groups are represented by each 

interagency partner. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), DOL, and VA 

serve as co-chairs of each of the groups-with the lead chair rotating annually. In 

FY 2018, DOL is the host. 

Transition GPS: Under the current interagency MOU, the supporting agencies 

have a greater sense of their roles and responsibilities in support of Transition GPS, 

which now includes four basic components to help service members prepare for separation and meet their career readiness standards: (1) Pre-Separation/ Transition 

Counseling; (2) Transition GPS Core Curriculum; (3) additional Career Specific 

training tracks; and (4) Capstone. 

Pre-Separation/ Transition Counseling: Through the current transition program, 

transitioning service members receive individual counseling to discuss their career 

goals and start their transition process. Each service member is introduced to the 

programs and services available to them during their transition and begins to develop an Individual Transition Plan (ITP) that documents his or her personal transition, as well as the deliverables he or she must attain to meet the new transition 

program’s Career Readiness Standards. 

Transition GPS Core Curriculum: The Transition GPS Core Curriculum includes 

a financial planning seminar, VA Benefits Briefings, the DOL Employment Workshop, and other modules. Transitioning service members also use a Military Occupational Code Crosswalk to translate their military skills, training, and experience 

into civilian occupations, credentials, and employment. 

Additional Career-Specific Training Tracks: Service members also have the opportunity to participate in a series of two-day tailored tracks within the Transition GPS 

curriculum: (1) an Accessing High Education Track (provided by DoD), for those 

pursuing a higher education degree; (2) a Career Technical Training Track (CTTT) 

(provided by DOL), for those interested in obtaining job-ready skills through apprenticeship or other industry-recognized credentials; and (3) the ‘‘Boots to Business’’ Entrepreneurship Track (provided by SBA), for those wanting to start a business. 

In April 2017, the Department assumed responsibility for the TAP CTTT. This is 

aligned with the Secretary’s emphasis on apprenticeship, and the President’s recent 

Executive Order 13801, Expanding Apprenticeships in America. CTTT is an additional two-day workshop focused on apprenticeships and industry-recognized credentials for transitioning service members and their spouses. The CTTT provides these 

service members with an opportunity to identify their relevant skills, increase their 

awareness of training and apprenticeship programs that can lead to industry-recognized credentials and meaningful careers, and develop an action plan to achieve 

their career goals. The Department is also undertaking a comprehensive review of 

the CTTT curriculum, and has reached out to employers, industry associations, and 

other stakeholders, asking for participation in the examination of both the DOL EW 

and the CTTT offerings. Their valuable input will help to ensure the curricula are 

up-to-date and relevant to the dynamic employer and industry standards. As with 

the TAP EW, DOL has sought input from a range of industry experts and expects 

to implement a revised CTTT curriculum in early 2018. 

Capstone: Before their separation from the military, service members participate 

in a Capstone event, which requires that the transitioning service member’s chainof-command verify that he or she has completed the VOW Act requirements and 

achieved Career Readiness Standards. Service members who require additional assistance will be referred to supplemental training opportunities. In addition, 

through the Capstone event, service members will be offered, as needed, a ‘‘warm 

handover’’ to appropriate federal, state, and local government agencies, such as the 

AJCs. 

SkillBridge: The Department also works with our partners at DoD to support 

their SkillBridge initiative, which works to offer civilian job training to transitioning 

service members. Service members who meet certain qualifications can participate 

in civilian job and employment training, including pre-apprenticeships, on-the-job 

training, and internships in their last 180 days of active duty. Secretary Acosta is 

interested in increasing employer access to transitioning service members through 

SkillBridge and other employer sponsored programs. We will work with DoD and 

employers to increase these opportunities. Tremendous potential exists for service 

members, companies, trade unions, and others to leverage this DoD authority and 

facilitate a smooth transition from active duty to civilian employment. 

DOL Support for Non-Optimal Transition 

When a service member is assessed as not meeting Career Readiness Standards 

during their Capstone event, their commander facilitates a ‘‘warm handover’’ of the 

service member to the public workforce system for a review of the employment servLeonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

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ices available through AJCs and to facilitate access to individualized career services. 

This warm handover can be accomplished by introducing the service member to a 

local AJC staff member (on or near the military base), connecting them to the AJC 

nearest their eventual destination, or through a facilitated call from the service 

member to the DOL Toll-Free Help Line (1–877–US2–JOBS or 1–877–872–5627). 

Service members that do not meet career readiness standards are allowed to receive 

services from a Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists at the 

AJCs, regardless of disability status or other significant barriers to employment. 

DVOP specialists, authorized under 38 U.S.C. 4103A, are funded throughout 54 

states and territories through DOL’s Jobs for Veterans State Grant (JVSG) program 

and provide intensive services to eligible veterans and eligible spouses. JVSG also 

provides funding for Local Veterans’ Employment Representatives staff members 

who provide a wide range of services on behalf of our veterans specifically related 

to outreach to the employer community and facilitation within the state’s employment service delivery system. 

American Job Centers: Most of the Department’s employment programs and services are available through the nationwide network of nearly 2,400 AJCs. The AJCs 

serve as the cornerstone for the Nation’s workforce investment system and provide 

a range of services locally, including counseling, resume writing workshops, job 

skills assessments, occupational training, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and 

job placement services. Last year, more than 13 million Americans, including almost 

one million veterans (including National Guard and Reserve), received employment 

assistance through AJCs. Additionally, Section 2 of the Jobs for Veterans Act of 

2002, as codified at 38 U.S.C. 4215, established ‘‘Priority of Service’’ for veterans, 

which allows veterans and their eligible spouses to receive priority access to workforce training programs directly funded, in whole or in part, by DOL. The Department is committed to providing Priority of Service for veterans and eligible spouses. 

Unemployment Compensation for Ex-service Members: The Department also oversees the UCX program, which provides benefits for eligible ex-military personnel. 

The program is administered by the States as agents of the Federal government. 

To qualify for UCX, an individual must have been on active duty with a branch of 

the U.S. military and discharged under honorable conditions. There is no payroll deduction from service members’ wages for unemployment insurance protection. Benefits are paid for by the various branches of the military, or the National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration. The law of the State (under which the claim is 

filed) determines benefit amounts, number of weeks benefits can be paid, and other 

eligibility conditions. Transitioning service members that receive UCX are eligible 

to be enrolled in state Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) 

programs to assist them in gaining employment. 

To further support UCX beneficiaries during their transition to civilian employment, the Department has leveraged the RESEA grant program. RESEA grants provide states with additional funding for in-person reemployment services at AJCs, 

such as career and labor market information, development or update of an individual reemployment plan, orientation to AJC services, referrals to additional resources, and a review of each participant’s continued UCX or Unemployment Insurance (UI) eligibility. RESEA is an evidenced-based strategy targeted to individuals 

identified as likely to exhaust UI benefits. Since 2015, the Department has directed 

participating states to provide RESEA services to UCX beneficiaries to the greatest 

extent feasible. The 2018 Budget includes a proposal that would expand RESEA to 

serve 50 percent of all UI beneficiaries most likely to exhaust benefits, as well as 

all UCX beneficiaries. 

Priorities Moving Forward: 

DOL EW Participation Timeline and Curriculum Update: VETS has been working 

with our partners on the TAP SSG to better address transitioning service members’ 

needs. For the past several years, the focus of the TAP SSG has been the requirements of the VOW Act. The TAP SSG has also begun focusing on the timing of the 

delivery of TAP. Although many transitioning service members are attending TAP 

within 90 days of separation, and as early as two years out for retirees, we believe, 

in line with DoD’s policy, that to the greatest extent possible, transitioning service 

members should attend TAP much earlier. In our view, TAP should be delivered as 

much as one year prior to scheduled separation for transitioning service members, 

and as early as two years prior to separations for retirees to allow for participation 

in supplemental courses, financial planning, resume development, networking, career research and access to other opportunities like DoD’s SkillBridge. 

During FY 2017, the TAP Interagency Curriculum Working Group conducted an 

in-depth review of all the curricula modules, including the DOL EW and CTTT. As 

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part of the in-depth review process, DOL distributed the DOL EW and CTTT curricula materials to over 40 internal and external stakeholders providing them an opportunity to review the material and respond with input. The stakeholder group included the TAP Interagency partners, employers, VSOs, the US Chamber of Commerce, Society of Human Resource Managers, and the National Association of State 

Workforce Agencies. Based on feedback received, DOL is updating the DOL EW curriculum to improve organization, remove some outdated practices, improve the 

LinkedIn Profile section, and to emphasize the importance of taking advantage of 

the additional Transition GPS tracks - Accessing Higher Education, Entrepreneurship track, and CTTT. The Department’s intent is to highlight how it is in the interest of the transitioning service member to take a career approach by obtaining a 

degree, industry recognized credential(s), or an apprenticeship. 

CTTT Participation Increase and Curriculum Update: As the responsible agency 

for CTTT, the Department will work with interagency partners to increase CTTT 

participation. In addition, VETS, with the assistance of the Department’s Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Apprenticeship, is significantly revising the CTTT curriculum. The new curriculum will place increased emphasis on apprenticeships as a path to sustainable, high paying careers. The revised CTTT curriculum will cover four themes: (1) Personal Assessment using three assessment 

tools; (2) Research into specific career fields of interest; (3) Understanding training 

requirements and identifying training opportunities; and (4) Establishing goals and 

develop a detailed plan to achieve those goals. 

Veterans’ Data Exchange Initiative, the TAP Mobile Application, and Evaluations: 

In November 2016, VETS began the data transfer process from the Defense Manpower Data Center for the Veterans’ Data Exchange Initiative (VDEI). The overall 

intent of this initiative is to allow the Department to gain a better understanding 

of transitioning service members, which will allow VETS to better prepare the Department’s services for individuals transitioning out of the military. VETS is tracking data elements such as race/ ethnicity, gender, military occupation, and other demographic information for approximately 200,000 transitioning service members 

each year. Partnering with DOL’s Chief Evaluation Office, VETS is examining the 

VDEI data to determine how the data can be used to analyze employment outcomes 

for transitioning service members and improve our service delivery. Currently, 

based on E-form data sent to DOL from DMDC, VETS sends emails to transitioning 

service members to highlight the importance of participating in the DOL EW as 

early as possible to provide employment tools that support the transition process. 

The Department has initiated development of a TAP mobile application (app). The 

purpose of this app is to provide online tools for transitioning service members in 

a format that is accessible from a smartphone. The app will provide access to a full 

suite of the CareerOneStop mobile tools, and will include DOL TAP course materials. Additionally, the app will provide transition checklists and automated notifications. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, our long-term goal continues to be for the nation as a whole to recognize military service as a path to high-quality civilian careers. The future of the 

country’s All-Volunteer Force depends upon this recognition, as does our economy. 

The Department recognizes employment as possibly the most important element of 

a successful transition to civilian life. The Department thanks the Congress for addressing TAP participation through the VOW Act, and for your continued partnership in removing barriers to employment. 

Today, the Department remains committed to working with our interagency partners to continuously review and improve TAP curricula, including the DOL EW and 

CTTT, through our regular review cycle that incorporates input from employers and 

best practices across the nation. 

Moving ahead, we look forward to preparing transitioning service members and 

their spouses even more effectively by improving the timeliness of DOL EW participation and increasing participation rates in the supplementary career-related 

tracks. 

The Department looks forward to working with the Subcommittee to ensure that 

our separating service members have the resources and training they need to successfully transition to the civilian workforce. The improving employment situation 

for veterans is a resounding testament to the nationwide response from stakeholders, both public and private, at the national level and even within the local communities. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, this concludes my written statement. Thank you for the opportunity to 

be a part of this hearing. I welcome your questions. 

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52 

Prepared Statement of Judd H. Lyons 

Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member O’Rourke, distinguished members of the 

Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you this afternoon 

to discuss the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and the findings and recommendations of the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) recent report 

entitled, ‘‘Transitioning Veterans - DoD Needs to Improve Performance Reporting 

and Monitoring for the Transition Assistance Program.’’ 

On December 15, 2015, the Department testified before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on the TAP in response to the question ‘‘Is transition assistance 

on track?’’ Our response, then and now, is yes. In addition, TAP is an adaptive, evidence-based program. Accordingly, the Department is continuously improving the 

program to meet the needs our transitioning Service members. 

The Department reported, in our December 2015 witness statement, we have 

achieved the four core TAP redesign objectives identified in 2012. These four core 

objectives are: (1) Adopting ‘‘career readiness’’ standards (CRS) for transitioning 

Service members; (2) Implementing a revamped TAP curriculum with learning outcomes; (3) Implementing a Capstone event; and (4) Implementing a ‘‘Military Life 

Cycle’’ (MLC) transition model. In the 23 months since then, the TAP has continued 

to mature and align with a changing military environment and population. I will 

highlight some of the improvements we have made to the TAP since 2015, building 

upon the original four core objectives, as well as additional efforts currently underway. Specifically, I will address improvements and work underway to program evaluation, curriculum revisions and other enhancements across the MLC, the Capstone 

event and assisting at-risk Service members, and private and public engagement to 

enhance Service members’ military-to-civilian transition. I will also specifically address the recommendations made by the GAO for TAP improvements. 

PROGRAM EVALUATION 

TAP Interagency Evaluation Plan 

The first core objective achieved of the original TAP redesign was to adopt CRS 

for transitioning Service members for successful transition preparation. Building on 

the CRS as a key underlying foundation, the TAP interagency governance has been 

focused on TAP as a data-driven program. This is shaped by the interagency TAP 

Evaluation Plan, which presents a systematic and singular interagency approach to 

evaluating the performance of Service member transition assistance services. Both 

the FY2015–2016 and FY2017–2018 TAP Evaluation Plans were reviewed and approved by Office of Management and Budget. The interagency TAP Evaluation Plan 

supports three overarching goals: 1) provide accountability to ensure the program 

is effectively and efficiently executed in accordance with law, policy, and leadership 

intent; 2) measure and improve customer satisfaction; and 3) measure and improve 

program effectiveness. As part of this plan, methods and tools were developed to assess the processes for TAP delivery, immediate results of program delivery (e.g., 

whether separations comply with statute and policy), and the desired systemic impacts of the program (e.g., veterans successfully obtain employment, start new businesses, and/or seek additional education). 

Site Visits and Transition GPS Participant Assessment 

The Service Inspectors General provide accountability that the program is delivered on military installations in accordance with law, policy, and leadership intent. 

We developed the web-based Transition GPS Participant Assessment to assess and 

improve customer satisfaction with the Transition GPS (Goals, Plans, Success) curriculum and the TAP. This assessment is used to gather voluntary feedback from 

transitioning Service members who participated in the TAP. Questions are designed 

to assess the quality of the course content and materials, facilitators, and facilities. 

Participants are asked about each module or track individually, as well as the overall TAP. Results consistently demonstrate that Service members perceive the TAP 

as valuable and high quality. For example, during Quarter 3 of FY2017: 91 percent 

of respondents said they gained valuable information and skills to plan their transition, 91 percent said the training enhanced their confidence in transition planning, 

91 percent indicated that they intended to use what they learned, and 93 percent 

knew how to access appropriate resources to answer questions about transition. The 

TAP interagency governance consistently uses feedback from this assessment to inform future changes to policy, curriculum, facilitator training, and other program 

elements. 

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Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act and CRS Attainment 

The TAP governance monitors and examines a host of output measures and outcome indicators to gauge the effectiveness of the program, such as CRS compliance, 

veteran unemployment rate, new business formation rate, and education persistence/graduation rate for those using their GI Bill benefits. To measure initial TAP 

effectiveness, we rely on VOW Act and CRS compliance. The Department made the 

VOW Act and CRS compliance of Service members transitioning to civilian life an 

Agency Priority Goal (APG) in FY2014. The Department took this charge seriously 

and has refined the ways in which data is collected, examined, and reported. For 

example, at the beginning of FY2014, VOW Act compliance was tracked using only 

attendance data, and our APG combined the Active and Reserve Component into a 

single performance measure. In FY2015, DoD began relying on the DD Form 2958 

to track both VOW Act and CRS compliance. The DD Form 2958 verified from the 

Service member’s commander (or designee) that all VOW Act and CRS requirements 

were met prior to the Service member’s separation, retirement, or release from active duty. At that time, the compliance rates also reflected only the known eligible 

Service members (i.e., those for whom a complete (or partially completed) DD Form 

2958 was received by the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC)). In FY2015, separate performance measures were also created for the Active and the Reserve Component for both VOW Act and CRS compliance to allow more accurate and transparent tracking of the APG. The Department continues to work towards improving 

the quality of data on VOW Act and CRS compliance. On November 7, 2016, the 

Department deployed a new TAP–IT Enterprise System and electronic form (DD 

Form 2648), which further streamlined the data collection processes and precluded 

commanders (or their designees) from signing partially completed forms, increasing 

the completeness of information documented on each Service member. 

With more involved command and senior leadership support, improved data tracking, and accountability using known verified DD Form data received by DMDC, 

VOW Act and CRS compliance was more than 85% for both known eligible Active 

and Reserve Component Service members by the end of FY2015 and more than 90% 

by the end of FY2016. Even as data tracking methods have become more precise 

and sophisticated with the electronic form (i.e., the DD Form 2648), the verified DD 

Form data received by DMDC shows more than 90 percent for both known eligible 

Active and Reserve Component Service members continued VOW Act and CRS compliance for FY 2017. That is good news, but we have much work to do to improve 

our data capture of the electronic form, particularly for our Reserve Component 

Service members. As of August FY 2017 data indicates, 12.8% of Active Component 

Service members and 54.1% of Reserve Component service members have compliance information that remains unknown - that is, these Service members do not 

have a completed DD Form 2648 documented in the TAP–IT Enterprise System. 

The Department continues collaboration with the Services and DMDC to identify 

and resolve any gaps in data collection and transmission to reduce the number of 

separations with ‘unknown’ compliance and ensure data completeness and accuracy 

regarding compliance reporting. This is a key area of focus in FY2018. 

The TAP interagency governance is also better able to support Service members 

with the new TAP–IT Enterprise System and electronic form. With the launch of 

this new electronic form in November 2016, the TAP interagency partners are able 

to receive individual-level data on transitioning Service members who have ‘opted 

in’ to be contacted for follow-on transition support. The Department of Labor (DOL) 

and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) currently receive this ‘opt in’ data from 

the DoD and are exploring ways to best utilize this data to enhance support. Additionally, data sharing among the Department and the TAP interagency partners will 

address the question of what additional services our transitioning Service members 

receive if they are provided a warm handover (e.g., due to failing to meet CRS), as 

well as the outcomes of these services. 

Enhanced Long-Term Outcomes of TAP 

The TAP interagency governance is currently discussing planned enhancements 

to the TAP Evaluation Plan to capture the systemic, long-term impacts of the program. Identifying new data collection mechanisms for these outcomes is challenging. 

For example, not all desired outcome data is owned by the TAP partner agencies 

(e.g., earnings data), and data must be shared or combined with other data which 

requires cross-agency agreements. The TAP interagency governance is committed to 

developing a roadmap to enhance the TAP long-term outcomes by the end of FY2018 

to ultimately improve our understanding of the efficacy of the TAP and where we 

need to improve. 

CURRICULUM AND OTHER ENHANCEMENTS ACROSS THE MLC 

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The second and fourth core objectives of the original TAP redesign were to implement a revamped TAP curriculum and implement a MLC transition model. While 

both original objectives were achieved, the Department has continued to make advancements. 

The Department and our partners continuously update and improve the TAP curriculum across the MLC. The TAP interagency governance has established a regular 

2-year battle rhythm for reviewing, assessing, and updating the curriculum, alternating between an in-depth and technical review. Both reviews use feedback provided by Service members through the Transition GPS Participant Assessment, 

facilitators, subject matter experts, and other key stakeholders. This systematic review process is critical to stay ahead of the changing needs of our transitioning 

Service members, as well as the evolving global economic needs to provide qualified 

skilled talent to the industry and public sector pipeline. 

The TAP interagency governance is currently conducting an in-depth curriculum 

review, with revised curriculum to be implemented in CY 2018. The Department 

identified improvements in all four DoD modules: Resilient Transitions, Financial 

Planning for Transition, Military Occupation Code (MOC) Crosswalk, and the Accessing Higher Education (AHE) track. Based on Service member feedback, recent 

legislative changes, and recent research on challenges transitioning Service members face in their first 12 months post-separation, more substantial revisions are 

planned for the Resilient Transitions and Financial Planning modules this year. The 

MOC Crosswalk and AHE curriculum were substantially revised during the last indepth review in 2015. 

In terms of this year’s in-depth review, the improved Resilient Transitions module 

will include a new interactive activity to promote participant discussion on transition challenges and available post-transition resources, as well as a discussion on 

key differences between military and civilian workplace culture. In terms of the Financial Planning module, this module will be further tailored to transition in accordance with new financial literacy requirements specified in the FY2016 National 

Defense Authorization Act. With financial readiness training occurring across the 

MLC, Service members demonstrate a higher level of knowledge regarding financial 

readiness when they attend the TAP. As such, this TAP module can spend less time 

on basic financial information and more time on transition-specific information, such 

as civilian salary equivalency to military compensation, expectation of changes in 

tax burden, and understanding the basics of health insurance. 

These proposed DoD revisions were piloted at two military installations with participants from all Military Services in October 2017, with planned deployment in 

January 2018 along with the revised U.S. Small Business Administration Entrepreneurship Track. Likewise, the DOL and VA planned improvements will be piloted 

early CY 2018, with planned deployment in April 2018. 

While the TAP interagency governance continues to improve the curriculum at the 

final touchpoint - Transition - within a Service member’s MLC, we are also making 

advances across the MLC as well. Through implementation of the MLC transition 

model, Service members are engaging in career preparation and transition assistance planning much earlier in their careers - starting at their first permanent duty 

station, or home station for the National Guard and Reserves. This represents a significant, yet critical cultural shift for the Department. For example, at the first permanent duty station, Service members develop an Individual Development Plan 

(IDP) which documents professional and personal goals, as well as the training, certifications, and higher education needed to achieve those goals. Service members are 

also provided information on apprenticeships, instruction on resumes and financial 

preparedness, and they register for eBenefits. As their career progresses, their IDP 

is continuously updated with current certifications, technical training and documentation of higher education. At significant life events, such as promotion, military 

occupational change and/or marriage, Service members are provided updated information on impacts to financial readiness and career opportunities, among other key 

touchpoint activities. As another example, in October 2015, the Department began 

providing a new virtual curriculum earlier in the MLC - the Higher Education Preparation module. This module is designed to assist Service members in identifying 

their career goal, the educational path to achieve that goal, and utilizing tuition assistance (during military service) to fund their education. The Department is also 

currently collaborating with our TAP interagency partners to identify additional 

curriculum and/or other resources to provide Service members at earlier touchpoints 

across the MLC. The intent is to ensure thoughtful career planning and preparation 

across one’s military career. 

CAPSTONE EVENT AND ASSISTING AT–RISK SERVICE MEMBERS 

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The third core objective of the original TAP redesign was to implement a Capstone event to ensure: Service members complete the VOW Act requirements; meet 

the CRS; and have a viable Individual Transition Plan (ITP), including a post-transition housing and transportation plan. For Service members who fail to meet one 

or more of these criteria, the Military Services provide a warm handover to appropriate partner agencies and other relevant resources. This core objective was 

achieved. 

However, while the warm handover process was robust for those failing to meet 

VOW/CRS, DoD and our interagency partners identified areas within the warm 

handover process in need of improvement. For example, since 2013, the Services 

identified transitioning Service members without a viable post-transition housing 

plan who are at an increased risk for homelessness. It was evident after reviewing 

warm handover data in late 2015, that more needed to be done to improve the execution and monitoring of the warm handover. The Department also recognized Service members separating without an honorable discharge face increased risks (e.g., 

for suicide). The Department sought to strengthen our support to these two vulnerable populations. Specifically, in April 2016, DoD issued two Memoranda to the 

Services to address these concerns. The first Memorandum, entitled ‘‘Warm 

Handover Guidance for Transitioning Service Members Without a Post-Military 

Housing Plan,’’ requested the Services issue immediate guidance requiring commanders and their designees to ensure a warm handover to the VA and/or the DOL 

for those transitioning Service members without a viable post-military housing plan. 

The second Memorandum, entitled ‘‘Warm Handover Guidance for Transitioning 

Service Members Who Do Not Separate with an Honorable Discharge,’’ requested 

the Military Services issue guidance immediately to commanders or their designees 

directing them to execute a warm handover to the DOL for those transitioning Service members that do not separate with an honorable discharge. The Department 

continues to place emphasis on these at-risk populations to ensure they are receiving the additional support needed. For example, DoD, VA, and DOL are working in 

collaboration with the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) to further prevent homelessness among our veterans. 

DoD and VA have also been recently collaborating to begin examining other ‘at 

risk’ populations that may be better served during their military-to-civilian transition in FY 2018. This may have implications for future changes to the TAP curriculum and/or warm handover processes. For example, one of our more recent joint 

efforts is geared toward suicide prevention of Service members and veterans. Within 

this broader joint effort is the establishment of a DoD/VA Transition Working Group 

focused on identifying the population at risk for suicide following a military-to-civilian transition, and ways in which to better support this high risk population prior 

to separation. Another population at higher risk for suicide is women veterans. The 

Department and the VA are initiating a new ‘‘Women’s Health Initiative’’ pilot 

study, to be implemented at several Air Force and Army installations. The pilot focusing on women veterans separating within 12 months, will provide supplementary 

information on VA services specifically available to women and track associated outcomes (e.g., enrollment in VA health care). Based on the pilot findings this supplementary curriculum may be implemented more broadly in the future to address 

needs of transitioning women Service members and veterans. 

Finally, while not an ‘at risk’ population per se, the Department continues to review whether we are providing the National Guard (Air and Army National Guard) 

and the Reserves (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps Reserve) the time, resources, and support unique to those populations. Specifically, the Department is 

leveraging the Status of Forces Survey (SOFS) to pulse Reserve Component (RC) 

members’ perceptions of the TAP, and how perceptions are changing over time. The 

Department also recently commissioned a research study, entitled ‘‘Needs Assessment of Reserve Component Member Transitions,’’ to more comprehensively investigate the needs of transitioning RC members and provide recommendations regarding updates needed to the TAP. Study findings are expected in FY 2019. The Department continues to conduct research, gather feedback from RC members, and 

consider potential changes to policy within current law to address unique needs of 

RC members. 

PRIVATE AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT 

Another area Department has made improvements and continues to break new 

ground is through implementation of collaborative and informative private and public engagements between the Department, federal interagency partners, the Military 

Services, transitioning Service members, employers, and other stakeholders. First, 

the Department maintains robust private and public engagement operations to raise 

awareness of the value transitioning Service members and veterans bring to the ciLeonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

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vilian workforce. In fact, we disseminate to employers the findings from a recent 

RAND Corporation study, which enumerates the non-technical ‘‘essential’’ skills 

(e.g., leadership, decision-making, team building) our Service members obtain while 

in uniform. These essential skills represent the 21st century workforce skills that 

are highly sought after by civilian and public-sector employers. 

Second, the Department connects with, informs, and strengthens private and public efforts to better prepare transitioning Service members to become career-ready 

as they transition to civilian life. Since August 2016, the Department completed 

over 200 private and public engagements with Federal, State, industry, education, 

and community stakeholders. The Department established collaborative relationships and partnerships through participation in the DOL’s Advisory Committee on 

Veterans’ Employment, Training, and Employer Outreach and through interactions 

with over 25 federal Departments/Agencies. Best practices have been garnered and 

shared through engagements across the country with over 30 industries/corporations 

(e.g., Microsoft, Walmart, Amazon, J.P. Morgan Chase), over 20 two-year and fouryear colleges and universities (e.g., Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon University, Duke, University of Houston, University of Washington-Tacoma), and numerous Service member/veteran-focused institution and coalitions (e.g., the Bush Institute, the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, the Veterans Jobs Mission 

Coalition). 

Two examples of key private and public engagements include collaboration with 

the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and our partnership with the U.S. Chamber 

of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes Program. The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol staff are now co-located on several military installations to connect with 

interested and qualified transitioning Service members. In close collaboration with 

DoD and the Services, CBP has made significant changes to their recruitment requirements and business processes to streamline and reduce the amount of time it 

takes to process applications for employment. Another key engagement that has 

paid great dividends is our collaboration with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes Transition Summits. Over the past two years, our partnership has grown from 17 annual transition summits at military installations 

around the world to over 40 transition summits scheduled for CY 2018, including 

Germany, Japan, and Korea. Each summit connects employers of every size and industry with, on average, more than 1,000 talented transitioning Service members, 

veterans, and military spouses on military installations in the U.S. and overseas. 

Attendees are invited to participate in a series of town hall-style panel discussions, 

networking receptions, employment workshops, and a job fair. Over 90% of Service 

member attendees who responded to a post-event survey identified they felt better 

prepared for transition after attending these events. 

The Department remains fully committed to collaboration with Federal, State, industry, education, and community stakeholders to ensure continuous coordination 

and information sharing. This ensures Service members receive access to education, 

training, and opportunities that best prepare them for their military-to-civilian transition. Private and public engagements directly support and enhance stakeholder 

commitments that support successful transition of our Service members. 

These are several improvements to the TAP since 2015. The Department, the 

Services, our interagency partners, transitioning Service members and their families 

recognize the tremendous enhancements to the TAP over the past two years. In addition, the Department appreciates the importance placed on the TAP by Congress 

and the GAO. We view the recent GAO study on the TAP as an opportunity to receive external feedback to further advance this important program. 

GAO REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS 

Before addressing the recommendations from the GAO Report on ‘‘Transitioning 

Veterans - DoD Needs to Improve Performance Reporting and Monitoring for the 

Transition Assistance Program,’’ DoD would like to acknowledge GAO’s tremendous 

work in conducting this review of the TAP. The GAO team leading this effort was 

professional, thorough, and supportive of the unique needs of DoD, the Military 

Services and the installations they visited. There was a collaborative and cordial 

spirit among the GAO team and the various DoD stakeholders that allowed GAO 

to conduct their business in a timely and effective manner. 

In light of the redesigned TAP, Congress asked GAO to examine various aspects 

of the program implementation. This GAO report addresses four overarching questions: 1) To what extent does DoD publicly report TAP performance transparency; 

2) How many Service members participated in TAP and what factors affected participation; 3) How many service members met CRS or received referrals to partner 

agencies for additional services; and 4) To what extent does DoD monitor key areas 

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of the TAP implementation and how well do the TAP performance measures inform 

these monitoring efforts? 

In order to address these questions, GAO surveyed 181 Military installations; 

analyzed DoD participation data for FY 2016; reviewed and analyzed TAP data reports and performance measures; and interviewed officials at DoD, the Services, 

Service members, and our interagency partners. GAO also visited seven installations (two each from Army, Navy, and Air Force, and one Marine Corps). The audit 

was conducted from February 2016 to September 2017. As a result, GAO states in 

their report, ‘‘GAO is making six recommendations, including that DoD improve 

transparency in reporting TAP participation and career readiness rates and monitor 

certain key areas of TAP implementation, including timeliness of participation and 

access to supplemental 2-day classes.’’ 

The Department acknowledges at the outset that, overall, we concur with GAO 

recommendations for the TAP. However, there is one recommendation, and sections 

of a few other recommendations, that the Department does not fully support. The 

Department’s position on each GAO recommendation is as follows: 

RECOMMENDATION 1: GAO recommends the Secretary of Defense publicly report DoD’s performance and career readiness attainment for all TAP-eligible Service 

members and members of the National Guard and Reserve rather than exclude 

those for whom data are missing or clarify the extent of missing data. (DoD Partially Concur) 

DoD acknowledges the FY 2016 Agency Priority Goals (APG) performance measures provided to the public via performance.gov did not provide a clear explanation 

regarding missing data. However, in FY 2017 DoD provided language in reporting 

the APG performance measures data that clearly addressed the extent of the missing data for the public. The following is an extract of DoD’s Transition to Veterans 

Program Office FY 2017 third quarter ‘‘Separation VOW Compliance Reserve Component’’ performance measure language, as reported through DoD channels for publication to the public via performance.gov: ‘‘Compliance rate reflects only the known 

eligible Service members, that is - those for whom a completed DD Form 2648 (or 

legacy DD Form 2958) was received by the Defense Manpower Data Center 

(DMDC). Through May FYTD 2017, DMDC received completed DD Forms for 41.0% 

(8,953) of the 21,861 Reserve Component VOW Act eligible separations.’’ Similar 

language was used in reporting VOW Compliance for active duty service members. 

In addition to the currently reported VOW Act compliance and career readiness 

standards attainment for VOW Act eligible Service members, DoD will provide a 

more transparent description of the extent of the missing data along with the currently reported compliance rates to offer important insight as to the number of Service members for whom data is unknown. The Department feels strongly that compliance should only be computed based on data known and should include a description of the extent of the missing data to offer insight as to the number of Service 

members for who compliance data is unknown. This information will be included in 

the FY 2018 Q1 reporting and beyond. As stated above, an explanation of the extent 

of missing, unknown data has been included in the DoD Agency Priority Goal: Transition to Veterans reporting for FY 2017, which was outside the scope of GAO’s 

analysis for this report. DoD will also continue working to reduce the extent of missing data, as it is critical to be able to track VOW Act compliance and CRS attainment of all of our transitioning Service members. 

RECOMMENDATION 2: GAO recommends the Secretary of Defense monitor 

and report on the extent to which Service members participate in TAP within prescribed timeframes. (DoD Concur) 

The Department acknowledges tracking when Service members participate in 

TAP is valuable for effective transition preparation. DoD currently has the capability to retrieve data documenting when a Service member begins the TAP process 

(i.e., with the Pre-Separation/Transition Counseling signature date) and his/her separation date. Comparing these dates can determine the extent to which Service 

members participate in TAP within prescribed timeframes. Likewise, DoD can compare the Capstone event completion date to the Service member’s separation date. 

However, the currently collected data will not allow for parsing out Service members 

who are short-notice separations; and, therefore, could not adhere to the prescribed 

timeframes. The capability to parse out such transition cases is critical for proper 

interpretation of the data and use of this data for future program improvements. 

In order to implement this recommendation, DoD will first need to identify the IT 

requirement and associated cost (for example, what new field(s) may need to be 

added to the electronic form (DD Form 2648)), as well as any needed TAP staff 

training, to collect data denoting short-notice separations. Based on availability of 

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funds for FY 2019, DoD anticipates the earliest this data can be collected will be 

FY 2019, and the earliest for monitoring and accurate reporting of the data will be 

FY 2020. 

RECOMMENDATION 3: GAO recommends that the Secretary of Defense monitor and report on the extent to which Service members who elect to receive supplementary 2-day classes are able to receive training. (DoD Non-concur) 

The Department does not concur with this recommendation. The focus of the current TAP is for transitioning Service members to meet CRS. Nine CRS are deemed 

common and applicable to all Service members. Moreover, for Service members interested in pursuing higher education and/or career technical training as part of 

their ITP, they must also meet four additional educational-oriented CRS. The 2-day 

tracks were developed and made available to help those who need assistance in 

meeting these additional CRS. While the additional 2-day tracks are voluntary, 

Service members are encouraged to take advantage of these tracks. All Service 

members are able to participate in the additional 2-day tracks, as these tracks are 

available both via classroom setting and online through Joint Knowledge Online. 

While DoD does track the extent to which Service members attend the 2-day tracks, 

it is important to note that CRS attainment, not simply course participation, is the 

critical variable to monitor and report. DoD will research barriers to Service members accessing the additional 2-day tracks. 

RECOMMENDATION 4: GAO recommends that the Secretary of Defense monitor and report on the extent to which service members attend TAP in a classroom 

settings unless allowed by regulation to participate online. (DoD Concur) 

The Department acknowledges tracking whether Service members participated in 

TAP in a classroom setting or online is important. This is feasible with existing 

data. However, it is not uncommon for Service members to take TAP courses both 

in a classroom and online. DoD only tracks Service member participation for their 

most recent TAP courses. For example, if a Service member completed the Accessing 

Higher Education Track in the classroom first and then completed it again online 

for a refresher, this would be tracked as online participation. DoD anticipates the 

monitoring and reporting of the extent to which Service members participate in TAP 

via a classroom setting or online (using their most recently completed TAP course) 

will be by FY 2019. Currently, data collected by DoD does not capture the reason 

a Service member completes TAP online. The Department will need to identify 

whether this particular data point could be captured (and how). Upon completion 

of this research, DoD anticipates having the ability to determine whether this action 

will be feasible and its associated estimated funding requirements in FY 2019. 

RECOMMENDATION 5: GAO recommends that once DoD monitors and reports 

data on timeliness, 2-day classes, and the use of online TAP, DoD enable unit commanders and high-level commanders to access this information to help ensure the 

specific units they oversee are compliant with all TAP requirements. (DoD Partially 

Concur) 

The Department concurs once the capability to collect, track, and report data on 

TAP participation timeliness and the extent of online and classroom TAP participation has been accomplished, within 12 months the data will be provided to commanders when feasible. The intent of this recommendation should be met at the 

Service level. Each Service has transition staff who can make this information available to commanders. For example, the Air Force Airman and Family Readiness Centers are responsible for reporting/advising commanders on unit participation. Army 

Soldier-For-Life installation staff have the same capability, as do the other Services’ 

transition staffs. 

RECOMMENDATION 6: GAO recommends that the Secretary of Defense seek 

ways to minimize the subjectivity involved in career readiness determinations, particularly when judgements are involved, such as the quality of the individual transition plan and the resume. This could include developing guidance on training that 

provides quality standards for assessing career readiness materials. (DoD Concur) 

The Department will work with the Services and DOL to minimize the subjectivity in judgments involving determining Service member attainment of particular 

CRS, such as the quality of the resume or job application package. This may include 

developing guidance on quality standards for assessing particular career readiness 

materials. The Services have personnel at the installation level who are trained in 

resume writing/review and career planning, and provide quality of life guidance to 

transitioning Service members and families. Installations may also call upon their 

local DOL partners for further support. If questions do arise, for example from a 

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Commander about whether the quality of the resume is suitable for CRS attainment, Service members should be referred to their local transition personnel at the 

Fleet and Family Support Center, Airman and Family Readiness Center, SoldierFor-Life Transition Assistance Center, or the Marine Corps Community Service 

Center, as well as DOL, for additional evaluation and support. Finally, Commanders 

must be allowed the ability to exercise their best judgement on CRS attainment for 

their Service members, with the full knowledge that they have experts available to 

assist them housed within their respective centers that provide transition assistance 

at their installation. DoD will work with the Services and DOL to examine and implement ways to minimize subjectivity in judgments involving determining Service 

member attainment of particular CRS, by the end of FY 2018. 

CONCLUSION 

Career readiness and transition assistance preparation is paramount if Service 

members are going to successfully transition to civilian life. We recognize preparing 

Service members throughout their MLC to be career-ready upon transition is essential to sustaining the All-Volunteer Force. In order for us to continue to attract dedicated, high quality volunteers to serve in our Armed Forces, the DoD must return 

this generation of Service members to the Nation with the ability to positively contribute to the national workforce and thrive within their civilian communities. 

The Department cannot successfully transition Service members to civilian careers alone. It must have continued strong collaboration with our interagency partners, the support and hard work of our Military Services, especially at the installation level, and collaboration with other external stakeholders. The TAP interagency 

governance is vibrant, effective, responsive, and committed, as evidenced by the 

2016 signing of our updated national Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the ‘‘Transition Assistance Program for Service Members Transitioning from 

Active Duty.’’ As stated in the MOU, ‘‘The parties will support and advance the ongoing implementation, assessment, and enhancement of TAP. This collaboration will 

serve to support Service members in pursuing employment, higher education, skills 

and career training, credentialing, and entrepreneurship.’’ 

Again, let me thank the GAO for their comprehensive and insightful report and 

recommendations to further advance the TAP for the Nation. In closing, Mr. Chairman, I thank you, the Ranking Member, and the members of this Subcommittee for 

your outstanding and continued support of the men and women who proudly wear 

the uniform in defense of our great Nation. 

f 

Prepared Statement of Brigadier General Robert Bennett 

Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member O’Rourke, members of the subcommittee, 

I would like to express my appreciation for the opportunity to appear before you to 

discuss the Army’s Soldier for Life - Transition Assistance Program, or SFL–TAP. 

SFL–TAP is first and foremost a Commander’s Program. SFL–TAP mandates several courses, based on the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, and also includes other required courses, or Career Readiness Standards (CRS), that help prepare Soldiers for their transition from active duty. 

Soldier for Life - Transition Assistance Program VOW Requirements 

SFL–TAP requires all eligible transitioning Soldiers to complete the VOW to Hire 

Heroes Act requirements, which include Pre-separation Counseling, Department of 

Labor Employment Workshop, and VA Benefits Briefings I and II. 

In fall 2017, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) provided a draft review 

of Transitioning Veterans: DoD Needs to Improve Performance Reporting and Monitoring for the Transition Assistance Program. Army concurs with all six recommendations found in the draft report. Army’s SFL–TAP XXI system currently 

captures most required data elements needed to implement report recommendation 

numbers 1 through 5. We will continue to work very closely with OSD Transition 

to Veterans Program Office (TVPO) in order to identify an optimal way ahead for 

synergistically leveraging and interfacing the data capturing and reporting capabilities of the DoD TAP Enterprise System with our own SFL–TAP XXI system. 

While the Army is very proud of the significant role it has played, along with our 

DoD, Sister Services, and Interagency Partners, in developing and implementing the 

myriad of major enhancements that have been made to TAP since the passage of 

the VOW Act (thereby benefiting hundreds of thousands of transitioning service 

members), Army believes that there is one important area in which TAP could and 

should continue to evolve, that is, with respect to the timely receipt of key ‘‘post 

transition from active duty’’ outcome data from our interagency partners. For examLeonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

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ple, Soldiers who are deemed by their Commander to have not met their CRS prior 

to transition from active duty are given a ‘‘Warm Handover’’ to the VA or Department of Labor (DOL) for follow-on post transition assistance. 

Army strongly believes that receiving feedback from our interagency partners on 

both the type of assistance provided as well as the outcome (result) of such assistance is critical to our ability to accurately gauge and assess the overall long-term 

efficacy of our efforts. Such feedback, when timely, would greatly assist us in identifying what is working effectively as well as any TAP elements or processes in need 

of revision or improvement. Army currently does not receive any specific feedback 

(data) from our interagency partners on the results of warm handovers. We continue 

to closely collaborate with them (both at the TAP Governance Senior Leader level 

as well as at the action officer subject matter expert working group level) on developing a strategy to facilitate the flow of this key data. 

Army utilizes a multifaceted approach in disseminating the importance of TAP 

and additional resources throughout a Service member’s military career. Under current Army policy, Soldiers are required to be counseled by their unit leadership 

within six months of arrival at their first permanent duty. This counseling on Army 

responsibilities and opportunities includes the requirement to create an Individual 

Development Plan. Newly arrived Soldiers are also referred to installation Army 

Education Centers where they meet with counselors and receive information on educational and credentialing opportunities available to them (e.g., Army COOL). 

Soldiers continue to receive other timely transition/career/opportunity related information at key touchpoints (e.g., promotion) throughout their military career. The 

Soldier for Life - Transition Assistance Program makes both traditional and emerging strategic communication efforts a priority to communicate efforts to leaders, Soldiers, Family members, and stakeholders. The program continues to actively engage 

media, including frequent articles in Army magazines, installation papers, and national media outlets. SFL–TAP engages in other traditional marketing through posters, banners, flyers, Fact Sheets, Information Papers, briefings to commanders (such 

as the Company Commander/First Sergeant Course and the Pre-Command Course), 

and promotion of the program throughout the Soldier Life Cycle. Through a robust 

social media strategy, which includes Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, LinkedIn 

Groups, and YouTube, SFL–TAP reaches thousands of veterans, employers, and 

transitioning Soldiers every day. SFL–TAP Centers at the installation level often 

have active Facebook pages and other social media platforms as well. 

With respect to recommendation number 6, which focuses on seeking ways to minimize the subjectivity involved in making career readiness determinations, Army believes it will be essential to implement this recommendation in such a way so as 

to preserve the flexibility of TAP. The career readiness determination needs to be 

equipped with more objective standards, yet avoid establishing a ‘‘one size fits all’’ 

solution that is incapable of tailoring to the individual Service member. 

In addition to DoD’s TAP reporting systems, the Army utilizes TAP–XXI, which 

is the Army’s ‘‘system of record,’’ in order to provide commanders at the lowest level, 

key information and reports to fulfil their responsibilities under SFL–TAP policy 

and law. TAP–XXI has two primary functions, client management and reporting. 

TAP–XXI reporting consolidates key transition data from several Army HR systems 

of record which allows company commanders to correctly identify Soldiers required 

to complete the TAP curriculum. The client management portal of TAP–XXI allows 

counselors and Soldiers to schedule attendance and track completion during the distributed timeline (i.e, over an extended period). Army strongly encourages 

Transitioning Soldiers to utilize the SFL–TAP resources early and often. 

These reports help ensure the Soldier is career ready and prepared for their civilian transition. Those that are successful in transition become advocates for recruiting future Soldiers. Fine-tuning TAP–XXI into the most comprehensive TAP management system has allowed Army civilian counselors to better track individual 

compliance and satisfaction with the program. 

The first full year of tracking compliance for the VOW Act was in fiscal year 2013. 

During that time, the Army received a compliance rate of 4.5 percent. However, 

SFL–TAP has seen improvement since then, reaching an 85 percent compliance rate 

in fiscal year 2016 (DoDTAP reported 76% for Army) and an 88 percent compliance 

rate in fiscal year 2017 (DoDTAP reported 84% for Army). Those who do not meet 

VOW requirements are given a warm-handover to the Department of Labor and/or 

Veterans Affairs, as appropriate. 

As our compliance rate and commander involvement have increased, the Army 

has seen a vast reduction in unemployment compensation expenses. 

Army Improves Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Service Members 

(UCX) 

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The Army closed out fiscal year 2016 with the lowest amount of Unemployment 

Compensation for Ex-Service members (UCX) in 13 years at $172.8 million, according to the Department of Labor. 

Fiscal year 2016 is the first time UCX has dipped below the $200 million mark 

since 2003, where it closed out at $152 million. Army UCX expenditures peaked in 

2011 at $515 million and have been decreasing since that time due to a combination 

of economic factors and Army efforts to better prepare Soldiers for the civilian sector. 

Integrating Soldiers back into the civilian world successfully depends on a number 

of determinants, including civilian industry knowledge of valuable Veteran skill 

sets, dispelling myths about Veterans, as well as local economic conditions. 

Army UCX numbers are on-track to break another all-time low in fiscal year 

2017. We expect to receive final Fiscal Year 17 data by mid-November. 

Program Funding 

All validated requirements are provided for and funded across the Future Years 

Defense Program (FYDP). 

In fiscal year 2017, the Army requested $87.7 million for Active Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve for the transition program. In fiscal year 2018, the 

Army has requested $86.3 million. The Army has received this funding and is using 

it to provide transition services at the validated requirements level. 

Transition Pilot Program 

The SFL–TAP Transition Pilot started in November 2016 at six Army installations. The pilot is designed to evaluate tailored transition assistance for Soldiers, 

based on their assessed ‘‘risk level’’ for drawing unemployment. The objective is to 

better allocate resources to those that need additional support during the transition 

process. The pilot focuses primarily on transition requirements for eligible non-retiring enlisted Soldiers. 

The goal of the pilot is to correlate the type and amount of mandated transition 

assistance services for a Soldier, with their likelihood of applying for unemployment 

compensation. Soldiers deemed to be at greater risk for being unemployed are required to participate in more mandated services than Soldiers less likely to apply 

for unemployment compensation. The ultimate objective of the pilot is to learn how 

to better tailor SFL–TAP requirements for all transitioning Soldiers, based on individual needs. The Army’s Transition Pilot will last approximately two years from 

the start date and initial data from the pilot is expected in the spring of 2018. To 

date, approximately 21,000 Soldiers are involved. 

Army Career Skills Program 

The Department of Defense Skill Bridge program is implemented by the Army 

through the Career Skills Program, or CSP. CSPs include pre-apprenticeships, onthe-job training, job-shadowing, employment skills training, and internships that 

transitioning Soldiers can attend during their last 180 days prior to transition from 

active duty. These first-class programs afford Soldiers the opportunity to obtain industry-recognized skills and move into high-demand and high-skilled jobs. In fiscal 

year 2016, 2,625 Soldiers enrolled in CSPs, with a 95 percent completion rate, which 

resulted in the job placement of approximately 2,150 Soldiers. Fiscal year 2017 programs are on-target to exceed these milestones. 

The first Army CSP was established in April 2013 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord 

with United Association Veterans in Piping (UAVIP). UAVIP hosted 22 participants 

and since that time, the Army has approved over 116 CSPs, hosted at 25 Army installations. The Army’s CSP has resulted in over 4,600 employment opportunities 

for transitioning Soldiers. The program continues to grow each year. 

The Army works with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, as well as federal 

and non-federal entities, to determine potential programs to add to the Career Skills 

Program in order to increase civilian employment opportunities for transitioning 

Soldiers. The focus of CSP program offerings include ‘‘no-cost’’ opportunities with at 

least an 85 percent graduation rate and of those graduates, an employment rate of 

at least 90 percent. 

SFL–TAP Virtual Center 

The Army is the only Service that provides a virtual platform with transition 

services for Soldiers and other Service members. In addition to round-the-clock telephonic counseling, a virtual software interface provides a live forum for synchronous 

counselor-led transition services to clients all over the world all day, every day, with 

the exception of three holidays a year. 

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The SFL–TAP Virtual Center is manned and trained to provide a full-range of 

transition services. The Virtual Center provides transition services to deployed Soldiers and Service Members of all branches, as well as those that are remotely located stateside and unable to attend classes and counseling at a brick-and-mortar 

location. Though the Virtual Center is available to all Service Members, the preferred and recommended option for Service Members to receive transition services 

is through brick-and-mortar locations. 

The system provides clients and staff the ability to interact online through live 

classes and counseling sessions. The program allows clients to ask questions via a 

microphone or typed comments. Counselors and Soldiers have a full-range of communication and computer capabilities, including desktop sharing, document uploads/ 

downloads, videos, webcams, and website links. Additionally, internal SFL–TAP program needs, such as meetings and training events, can be conducted inside the Virtual Center, saving both time and money. 

In fiscal year 2017, the SFL–TAP Virtual Center telephonically assisted over 

43,000 Soldiers and provided transition counseling to over 15,000 Soldiers through 

the Virtual Center software. This is a 38% increase in the amount of calls received 

in fiscal year 2016. SFL–TAP has seen growth each year since the inception of the 

Virtual Center in October 2011. A service that originally received only 34 total calls 

in its first month, the Virtual Center in fiscal year 2018 is on track to set records 

for calls received, as the SFL–TAP Virtual Center has become a trusted resource 

for transitioning Soldiers. 

Army Hosts Hire a Soldier Campaign 

The Army has increased our marketing efforts over the past fiscal year to include 

innovative online techniques. In the summer of 2017, SFL–TAP hosted their first 

social media campaign to encourage the hiring of transitioning Soldiers. The fiveweek campaign was supported by the Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel Dailey 

and featured a variety of events on Facebook and Twitter. The campaign brought 

together civilian employers and transitioning Soldiers, giving them the platform to 

discuss resume advice, job seeking tips, and transition opportunities. 

The main event of the campaign was a Twitter Chat on resume writing and job 

seeking skills. SFL–TAP partnered with Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS), Veterans Affairs (VA) Benefits Administration, Army Warrior Care and Transition 

(WCT), National Guard Citizen Soldier for Life (CSFL), Army Reserve Private Public Partnership (P3), and the Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Services (DOL VETS) for the Twitter Chat. 

The Twitter Chat used a hashtag (keyword categorization on Twitter) that the 

SFL–TAP Program Office created called #HireaSoldier. The hashtag gained so much 

interest and use that Twitter made it ‘‘trending’’ on the platform, which lists the 

hashtag on the side of a user’s home page as a popular topic. On the day of the 

Twitter Chat, the hashtag reached almost 4 million Twitter users, further spreading 

awareness of SFL–TAP and hiring Soldiers. 

The Twitter event and Facebook events provided the platform and conversation 

for companies to collect resumes from Soldiers that participated and initial reports 

showed that the interview process had started for Soldiers who had networked during the event. SFL–TAP plans to hold future events like this. 

Conclusion 

The Army’s SFL–TAP is committed to serve transitioning Soldiers throughout 

their transition process and help them become better prepared for the challenges 

and successes they will face in the civilian sector. To conclude, I thank you for your 

continued support. The Army is dedicated to being the leader of Department of Defense transition efforts by finding better ways to help our Soldiers and Veterans. 

Chairman Arrington, and members of the sub-committee, I thank you again for the 

opportunity to appear before you, and I look forward to your questions. 

f 

Prepared Statement of Rear Admiral Karl O. Thomas 

Introduction 

Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member O’Rourke, and distinguished members of 

this subcommittee, thank you for this opportunity to testify about the Navy Transition Assistance Program (TAP), and our efforts to seamlessly transition Sailors to 

civilian life, employment, further education, or entrepreneurship. 

In fiscal year 2017, approximately 32,000 Sailors transitioned out of the Navy, 

and these numbers are likely to be comparable over the next several years. Navy 

is an expeditionary force that routinely deploys. Our Sailors serve in diverse career 

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fields, among them, Navy Special Warfare, air traffic control, health care, advanced 

electronics, and nuclear power. Civilian employers routinely pursue Sailors as potential employees because of the world-class training and skills they obtain in the 

Navy, even as we offer incentives to retain these Sailors who possess critical skills 

needed to ensure fleet readiness. For both active and reserve component Sailors who 

separate, demobilize, or retire from the Navy, we offer a robust TAP to help them 

make a seamless transition to life beyond the Navy. 

Transition Assistance Program 

Navy delivers TAP in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary of Defense; 

the Departments of Labor, Education, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security; the 

Small Business Administration and the Office of Personnel Management. TAP includes the following elements: 

1) Career Readiness Standards (CRS) - A set of common, discreet, and measurable, transition ‘‘readiness’’ standards for Sailors to meet prior to separation. The 

desired end-state is for each Sailor to meet CRS for his/her chosen civilian career 

path and to complete a viable Individual Transition Plan (ITP) prior to departure 

from active duty. These standards are designed to increase each Sailor’s abilities to 

successfully overcome any challenges they may face in pursuit of choosing a career 

path. 

2) Transition GPS (Goals, Plans, Success) Core Workshop Curriculum - A series 

of training that includes the Department of Labor (DoL) Employment Workshop 

(DoLEW), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Benefits Briefings, Financial Education, Military Occupational Code Crosswalk, Family/Special Issues, and an ITP review. Additionally, participants may select to attend two-day training tracks in Accessing Higher Education, Entrepreneurship, or Technical Training. 

3) Military Life Cycle - Incorporates preparation for Sailors’ career transition 

throughout their military service - from accession through transition from the Navy 

and reintegration into civilian life. Today’s transitioning Sailors are better prepared 

to transition to civilian life because of the continuing integration of this model. 

4) Capstone Event - A forum provided for Service members to validate CRS are 

met, and to refer members, as needed, for additional training or assistance prior to 

separation or retirement. 

Navy officials continue to work with representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the other Uniformed Services, and interagency partners, 

to evaluate and improve TAP. Sailors are encouraged to begin the transition process 

approximately 24-months, but no later than, 12-months prior to separation. During 

this period, each transitioning Sailor participates in mandatory pre-separation counseling (10 U.S. Code §1142) that introduces them to the various programs and services available to assist them. 

Navy provides the five-day Transition GPS Workshop at installations world-wide 

via our Fleet and Family Support Centers. Transition GPS Workshops may be tailored to the installation population or demographics of the class (e.g., retirees, seniority). Additionally, Fleet and Family Support Centers provide both individual and 

group transition counseling, career planning, resume-writing and other transitionrelated workshops. 

Navy Fleet and Family Support Centers also conduct first-term and mid-career 

workshops through the Career Options and Navy Skills Evaluation Program 

(CONSEP). This modular two-day course is designed to assist active duty service 

members in achieving Navy, and future civilian, career goals. Training topics provide vital information across the Military Life Cycle on career-making decisions, upward mobility, Veterans benefits while on active duty, college and certification opportunities, apprenticeships, and financial management and investment strategies, 

which enhance the Sailor’s ability to achieve personal and professional success. 

Navy Transition Assistance Core Workshop Curriculum 

The mandatory Navy Transition GPS Core Workshop is a five-day curriculum. For 

the typical workshop, on day one, Navy transition staff covers the following topics: 

1) Transition Assistance Overview: Includes a Welcome Address / Workshop 

Schedule-of-Activities, Topics for Family Considerations/Special Issues, the Value of 

a Mentor, and a review of available Fleet and Family Support Services. 

2) Military Occupational Code (MOC) Crosswalk: Upon completing the MOC 

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tor skills; and identification of gaps in their training and/or experience that need 

to be filled to meet their personal career goals. The MOC Crosswalk enables Sailors 

to develop a clear line-of-sight between their military skills and training and career 

fields of their choice. 

3) Financial Planning: The financial planning module prepares Sailors to build an 

integrated 12-month budget that reflects post-military employment, education, or 

training goals. Financial planning counselors are available for follow-up counseling, 

if requested by the Sailor. 

Typically, on days two through four, the Department of Labor (DoL) delivers the 

approved Employment Workshop, while, on day five, the Department of Veterans 

of Affairs (VA) conducts VA Benefits I and II briefings. Each installation has the 

discretion to present TAP briefings in a sequence that best suits transitioning Sailors on their installation. During the workshop, Sailors also review progress on their 

Individual Transition Plans. Navy continues to improve our classroom delivery experience. We provide Transition GPS computer software and enhanced WiFi capability, greatly improving the classroom experience. In fiscal year 2017, Navy began 

replacing all 2,493 Transition GPS computers with updated models, which run faster and have extended battery life. Along with the computer refresh, all informationtechnology equipment is being updated as needed including WiFi capacity, routers, 

scanners, printers, and associated equipment. This upgrade, which is 90 percent 

complete, will ensure Sailors have a real-time resource in the classroom to research 

job, education, and other transition-related opportunities. 

We continue to expand and adjust our delivery approach to accommodate Sailors 

in isolated locations by providing, in collaboration with VA and DoL, in-person Transition GPS classes at Naval Support Activity, Souda Bay, Crete; and Naval Fleet 

Activities, Chinhae, Korea. For deployed units with limited bandwidth, we recently 

received approval to have the Joint Knowledge Online virtual curriculum available 

on the Navy eLearning shipboard servers. 

Education, Technical Training, and Entrepreneur Workshops 

In addition to completing the Transition GPS Core Curriculum, transitioning Sailors may also participate in a series of two-day tailored workshops which address 

three alternative tracks available within the Transition GPS curriculum: 

(1) Accessing Higher Education track, for those pursuing an advanced education 

degree; 

(2) Technical Training track, for those seeking job-ready skills and industry-recognized credentials in shorter-term training programs; and 

(3) Entrepreneurship track, for those planning to start a business. 

Navy Capstone Event 

At least 90 days before separating from the Navy, Sailors are required to participate in a Navy-hosted Capstone Event, to validate the process, and verify that they 

have completed the Transition GPS curriculum and achieved Career Readiness 

Standards (CRS). Staff also reviews potential challenges Sailors may face as veterans, and available tools and resources transitioning Sailors learned about in Transition GPS workshops. Sailors requiring additional assistance are referred to supplemental training opportunities. 

Additionally, through the Capstone Event, all Sailors are referred to appropriate 

government agencies and organizations that will provide them with continued benefits, services, and support in their new capacity as Navy veterans, including completion of CRS, if they are not fully accomplished prior to separation. While beneficial 

for all transitioning Sailors, this is particularly instrumental in supporting at-risk 

Sailors, such as those subject to rapid or involuntarily separation. 

Commander Support and Accountability 

Using the Navy Retention Monitoring System (NRMS) Analytics, and the current 

Career Information Management System (CIMS), commanders can track and monitor their own transition assistance program compliance. These systems provide 

commanders the capability to report and analyze active and reserve, officer and enlisted, Transition GPS data via ad hoc and standardized reports down to the unit 

level. Most importantly, the fleet has included TAP compliance as a criterion for the 

annual ‘‘Golden Anchor’’ retention award, which recognizes commands with exceptional Sailor retention programs. 

Guidance and Training 

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Navy leverages an extensive professional network to keep the fleet informed about 

new policy changes and Transition GPS implementation challenges. TAP staff work 

with fleet engagement teams to coordinate with, and provide training to, Command 

Career Counselors worldwide on procedures, policies, new aspects of Transition 

GPS, and TAP reporting requirements, to ensure Sailors are afforded a viable plan 

for transition to civilian life. Coordinating efforts with Fleet and Force Career Counselors, Navy also provides pertinent information to the fleet through a series of messages and emails, a transition webpage, and Plain Talk for Sailors bulletins. 

Military Life Cycle Transition Model 

TAP incorporates career readiness and transition preparation into the entire continuum of a Sailor’s career. In the past, transition and preparation for the civilian 

workforce occurred late in a Sailor’s military service - just prior to separation. 

Under this enhanced program, these concepts are incorporated earlier to ensure that 

counseling, assessments, and access to resources that build skills or establish credentials, occur earlier in a Sailor’s military career. 

Navy leverages the Navy Retention and Career Development program, designed 

to improve Sailors’ ability to achieve their professional goals, to facilitate the military life cycle. Individual Career Development Plans are created, based upon Career 

Roadmaps for each enlisted rating, with assistance from Navy Command Career 

Counselors. Rating Roadmaps include information on skill training, job description, 

personal and professional development, Career Development Boards, Navy qualifications and certifications, civilian occupations, Navy Credentialing Opportunities Online (Navy COOL), United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP), Professional Military Education (PME), and Voluntary Education. 

Navy incorporates aspects of the Transition GPS curriculum into our Career Development Boards, which are routinely held during key points in a Sailor’s career. 

Aligning these key activities with pre-determined ‘‘touch points’’ facilitates individualized attention, together with instruction, resources, and services to build the 

skills necessary for each Sailor to meet their professional goals throughout their 

military career and beyond. Additionally, embedding touch points across the military lifecycle is particularly helpful in addressing at-risk Sailors who may require 

a higher level of support in meeting their goals. For example, we ensure that Sailors: 

(1) are registered for, and know about, eBenefits, a joint VA/Department of Defense (DoD) web portal that provides resources and self-service capabilities to veterans, Service members, and their families; to research, access, and manage their 

VA military benefits and personal information; 

(2) are informed about VA benefits for which they are eligible while serving on 

active duty, as well as after they depart the service as Navy veterans; and 

(3) understand the importance of maintaining their personnel records, and obtaining credentials and certifications they have earned for skills obtained while serving 

in the Navy. 

The Career Development Program is a key component of transition. Essentially, 

a Sailor’s Individual Career Development plan becomes their Individual Career 

Transition Plan. 

Education and Credentialing Opportunities 

While serving on active duty, Sailors are encouraged to take advantage of programs that acknowledge military training and experience. Navy COOL supports 

Navy’s career development and transition programs by helping Sailors gain civilian 

certifications and licenses for skills or academic degrees acquired during their service. This helps translate each Sailor’s military training and experience into concrete 

documentation that prospective employers can easily recognize, and which demonstrates that a Sailor’s skills are commensurate with, or exceed, those of their civilian counterparts. At least one certification is currently available in each of the 81 

Navy enlisted ratings, as well as collateral duty and leadership occupations, with 

over 1,900 credentialing opportunities. Since program inception in October 2007, 

Navy COOL has provided support on over 165,000 certifications and licenses for 

over 55,000 Sailors in every enlisted rating and pay grade. Navy also participates 

in the USMAP, which is a formal military training program that provides Sailors 

the opportunity to improve their job skills and complete civilian apprenticeship requirements while on active duty. 

In addition to the aforementioned programs, Navy funds educational opportunities 

that enhance post-military job-ready skills, and encourages transitioning Sailors to 

take full advantage of their GI Bill, and other education benefits, while serving on 

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active duty. Many Sailors are enrolled in college, and some have already earned college degrees. Those interested in pursuing their education goals are strongly encouraged to attend the specialized Accessing Higher Education or Career and Technical 

Training track. Specifically, Sailors are briefed on these tracks during Transition 

GPS workshop, and required Pre-separation Counseling. 

Employment Skills Training 

Navy encourages commanders, commanding officers and officers-in-charge, when 

operational commitments permit, to authorize eligible Sailors to pursue employment 

skills training during their final 180 days of active duty service using the DoD 

SkillBridge initiative. Navy has 16 programs with eight additional programs in the 

planning stages for fiscal year 2018. As of June 2017, 158 Navy personnel have completed SkillBridge programs with a job placement rate of 65 percent. 

Programs such as Onward-to-Opportunity (O2O) provide up to eight weeks of 

training for in-demand fields such as cybersecurity and software engineering. The 

O2O program is hosted at three Navy locations (Norfolk, VA; Jacksonville, FL; and 

San Diego, CA) with plans to expand. Navy is partnering with Microsoft and Amazon to provide employment skills training programs for fiscal year 2018, at various 

locations throughout the Navy enterprise, such as Gulfport, MS; Pensacola, FL; and 

Ventura County, CA. 

Veterans-in-piping (VIP) Pre-Apprenticeship at Naval Station, Norfolk, is considered a best practice program for DoD SkillBridge. The VIP is designed to fill a critical workforce need for welders in the Norfolk and Hampton Roads, VA, area and 

involves 18 continuous weeks of full-time classroom and on-the-job training sessions. 

Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report 

Navy largely concurs with recommendations included in the draft GAO Report: 

‘‘Transitioning Veterans - DoD Needs to Improve Performance Reporting and Monitoring for the Transition Assistance Program,’’ and already has several programs in 

place to support them, such as TAP requirements compliance-reporting at the unit 

level. With regard to the specific GAO recommendations: 

GAO Recommendation 1: We recommend that the Secretary of Defense publicly 

report DoD’s performance and career readiness attainment for all TAP-eligible service members and members of the National Guard and Reserve rather than exclude 

those for whom data are missing or clarify the extent of missing data. 

Navy monitors compliance for Sailors with complete transition data and those 

with missing data, and continues to work to reduce the prevalence of missing data. 

We continue to see improvement in our Sailors meeting Veterans Opportunity to 

Work to Hire Heroes (VOW) Act requirements compliance. In fiscal year 2017, from 

October to August, total VOW Act compliance for Navy active and reserve Sailors 

was 84 percent. Naval Audit Service is conducting an audit of TAP reporting to assist us in our compliance efforts. 

GAO Recommendation 2: We recommend that the Secretary of Defense monitor 

and report on the extent to which service members participate in TAP within prescribed timeframes. 

Navy will work with OSD to monitor and report Sailor completion of TAP requirements with the goal of driving earlier completion of TAP requirements and capturing short-notice separation data. Additionally, with the electronic Pre-Separation 

Counseling Checklist (DD Form 2648) and the TAP tracking system that we recently introduced, commanders have new tools to ensure compliance. 

GAO Recommendation 3: We recommend that the Secretary of Defense monitor 

and report on the extent to which service members who elect to receive supplementary 2-day classes are able to receive training. 

Navy policy mandates Sailor participation in these 2-day classes if required for 

a Sailor to meet his or her specific career readiness standards. 

GAO Recommendation 4: We recommend that the Secretary of Defense monitor 

and report on the extent which service members attend TAP in a classroom setting 

unless allowed by regulation to participate online. 

Navy is committed to providing in-person, instructor-led, training as the primary 

means of delivery, as evidenced by the 1,300 classes attended by over 42,000 Sailors 

this fiscal year. 

GAO Recommendation 5: We recommend that once DoD monitors and reports 

data timeliness, 2-day classes, and the use of online TAP, enable unit commander 

and high-level commanders to access this information to help ensure the specific 

units they oversee and are compliant with all TAP requirements. 

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Navy has an information system in place to allow commanders to monitor TAP 

requirements compliance, and will continue to enhance this capability as the means 

to collect and track any new requirements. 

GAO Recommendation 6: We recommend that the Secretary of Defense seek 

ways to minimize the subjectivity involved in career readiness determinations, particularly when judgements are involved, such as the quality of the individual transition plan and the resume. This could include developing guidance on training that 

provides quality standards for assessing readiness materials. 

Navy will work with partner agencies to minimize subjectivity, for instance, by 

developing guidance on quality standards. Our Fleet and Family Support Center 

staff is trained in career readiness standard items, such as resume-writing, and 

hosts the Capstone event to review career readiness standards. Agency partners also 

are available to assist Sailors and commanders. 

We recognize that there is more to be done, and look forward to working with the 

Office of the Secretary of Defense, the other Uniformed Services, and partner agencies, to refine and improve the DoD transition process. 

Conclusion 

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss Navy TAP and our continuous efforts 

to improve support for transitioning Navy veterans, in close cooperation with interagency partners. Each Sailor who selflessly serves our Nation in the all-volunteer 

force has earned our unwavering commitment to ensuring they possess the tools 

that position them for success as they transition, and as they continue serving our 

Nation as honored and distinguished veterans. 

We appreciate your steadfast support for all Navy men and women - active, reserve and veteran - and for the programs you authorize that sustain them, and their 

families, during and following their distinguished careers of voluntary service to the 

Navy and our Nation. 

f 

Prepared Statement of Brigadier General Kathleen A. Cook 

For the past 70 years, the Total Force Airmen of America’s Air Force have been 

breaking barriers as members of the finest joint warfighting team in the world. 

America’s Airmen are highly trained and ready to fly, fight and win our nation’s 

wars; however, these remarkable warriors and their families are feeling the strain 

associated with 26 years of ongoing overseas contingency operations, disaster relief 

missions, and funding constraints. As we look to the future, we continue to focus 

on our primary goal of supporting Air Force and Joint missions, as well as preparing 

our Airmen for a successful civilian life after transitioning from military service. Air 

Force leadership remain fully engaged and firmly committed to accomplishing these 

aims. 

Since the Air Force last appeared before Congress to discuss the Program in 2015, 

we have steadfastly focused on continuously improving support to our transitioning 

Airmen and their families in accordance with the Veterans Opportunity to Work to 

Hire Heroes Act of 2011. Our redesigned curriculum directs completion of mandated 

TAP activities for all eligible service members. Compliance requires completion of 

a pre-separation counseling that for retiring members can be scheduled 24 months 

before retiring, and for separating Airmen can attend up to 12 months beforehand. 

Additional mandated activities include the Department of Labor Employment Workshop, Veterans Administration Benefits Briefings I and II, and the commander or 

designee approved Capstone review that verifies Career Readiness Standards have 

been met. 

Furthermore, we instituted a waiver for National Guard and Reserve Airmen to 

relieve repeated Program attendance requirements following each 180-day tour of 

active duty if they are immediately returning to active duty (i.e. subsequent 180- 

day tour) or are guaranteed follow-on civilian employment. These actions illustrate 

our commitment to the readiness of our Airmen, as well as to continuously improving and refining our Transition Assistance Program. 

The 2017 Government Accountability Office study identified six recommendations 

to improve transparency in reporting Program participation rates and monitoring 

participation timeliness and access to supplemental 2-day tracks, among other 

items. We concur or partially concur with five of the six recommendations. 

Specifically, we did not concur with the recommendation for the Department to 

monitor and report on the extent to which Service Members who elect to participate 

in supplementary 2-day tracks are able to receive training. The Air Force focuses 

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tive 2-day tracks were developed and made available on a voluntary basis to assist 

Airmen and supplement the Standards.. The additional 2-day tracks are electives 

available for all Airmen via a classroom setting and online through Joint Knowledge 

Online. While the Department does track the 2-day class attendance, we would like 

to highlight that Standards attainment is the overarching goal. That said, we will 

work with our partners to identify whether access or availability barriers exist to 

Airmen who desire to attend the optional 2-day tracks. 

Additionally, we partially-concurred with the study’s recommendation that the 

Department publicly report performance and career readiness attainment for all 

Program-eligible Total Force Airmen rather than exclude those for whom data are 

missing, or clarify the extent of the missing data. We acknowledge our participation 

rate information collection system lacked the fidelity to account for all Program-related data, resulting in missing data on some Airmen who may or may not have 

completed requirements. Specifically, our FY16 Agency Priority Goals performance 

measures provided to the public did not provide a clear explanation regarding the 

exclusion of the missing separation data from the reported performance totals. It 

was never our intent to misrepresent the Act’s reported performance measures. 

Therefore, in FY17, we addressed the missing and unknown information concern by 

submitting language with the Office of Secretary of Defense’s Agency Priority Goals 

performance measures data. Our intent is to ensure a clear description of the extent 

of the missing and unknown data is included along with the reported compliance 

rates for appropriate context. We are also working to reduce the occurrence of missing and unknown information and to improve our ability to track critical data required to validate the Act’s compliance for all transitioning Airmen. 

Lastly, we partially concurred with Government Accountability Office’s recommendation that the Department provide commanders access to timeliness, 2-day 

tracks, and the use of online Transition Assistance Program data. We partially concurred because we agree this is useful information for installation command leadership; however, it is already provided to commanders regularly through our Airman 

and Family Readiness Centers. 

As we continue to look for every opportunity to improve transition assistance for 

our Total Force Airmen and their families, we acknowledge tracking participation 

in the Program is valuable for ensuring Airmen receive effective transition assistance. The Air Force currently has the ability to retrieve data documenting when an 

Airman begins the Program process (via the Pre-Separation/Transition Counseling 

signature date) and his or her separation date to validate timeframe compliance. 

However, currently collected information will not allow for parsing out Airmen with 

short-notice separations (i.e., medical evaluation board decisions, disciplinary reasons, etc.) who could not adhere to the prescribed timeframes. The capability to extract such information is critical for proper interpretation of the data and use of this 

data for future Program improvements. We will research the information technology 

requirements and associated costs to procure this capability as we continue to work 

to improve our Program compliance. 

In addition to improved data reporting, the Air Force continues to change its 

Transition Assistance Program culture by embracing a ‘‘begin with the end in mind’’ 

framework. We recognize some Airmen will transition to civilian life before retirement eligibility and we prepare our Airmen for civilian life from the start of their 

military careers. We do this by leveraging our existing professional development 

programs as touchpoints in the Military Life Cycle Transition model along with encouraging greater cooperation between the various offices collaborating on transition 

initiatives. For example, for years, enlisted Airmen have been required to attend the 

First Term Airmen’s Center program at their first permanent duty station. During 

this multi-day program, Airmen are introduced to many topics—including professional development opportunities and a four-hour financial readiness lesson, which 

includes developing a personal budget to help foster financial success, and ultimately mission readiness. Airmen are also introduced to the Military Life Cycle, 

which showcases how transition assistance information will be addressed throughout their career. Our Transition Assistance Program’s Military Life Cycle 

touchpoints also include reenlistment, deployment, and permanent change of station 

counselings as well as off-duty education briefings and professional development information sessions. All aspects are designed to help prepare Airmen for success in 

the civilian sector after transitioning from military service. 

CONCLUSION 

Airmen and their families serve, dedicated to answering our nation’s call, making 

sacrifices for the good of the mission. We do everything we can to foster their success while in uniform, as well as during their transition from the military. Investments in them are inextricably linked to the Air Force’s ability to recruit, train, deLeonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

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velop, support and retain a world-class, all-volunteer Force. The Air Force remains 

committed to ensuring Airmen are ready for the challenges and opportunities of civilian life and we extend a great deal of gratitude to our private sector partners in 

supporting the ease of transition. With continued Congressional backing and the collective commitment of our interagency partners and Air Force leadership, we will 

ensure America’s Total Force Airmen are ready when they transition to the private 

sector. 

f 

Prepared Statement of Brigadier General Kurt W. Stein 

INTRODUCTION 

Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member O’Rourke, and distinguished Members of 

the Subcommittee, it is my privilege to appear before you today to provide an update on the Marine Corps’ Transition Readiness efforts. Your Marine Corps is by 

far the smallest military service in the Department of Defense, yet, by design, separates a much higher percentage of its force each year. Therefore, it is imperative 

that we ensure our Marines have the right preparation to reach personal goals and 

effectively translate their military experiences to a successful civilian life. 

BACKGROUND 

The Marine Corps’ Transition Readiness Program is a comprehensive transition 

and employment assistance program for Marines and their families, emphasizing a 

proactive approach that enables Marines to formulate effective post-transition entrepreneurship, employment, and educational goals. It provides Marines and their families with the tools and resources needed to complete Department of Defense (DoD) 

directed Career Readiness Standards (CRS). Overall, our efforts help ensure that 

Marines are prepared for their transition from military to civilian life. 

The Marine Corps’ Transition Readiness Program incorporates a life cycle approach, called the Marine For Life Cycle (M4LC). The M4LC allows Marines to 

proactively gain awareness of career readiness preparations through nine defined 

action points throughout their military career. These action points are: (1) First Permanent Duty Station, (2) Re-enlistment (3) Promotion, (4) Deployment/Redeployment, (5) Permanent Change of Station, (6) Mobilization/Demobilization, (7) Major 

Life Events, (8) Separation/Retirement/Deactivation, and (9) Veteran. In further 

support of the M4LC, there is a dedicated website featuring the M4LC infographic, 

with action point checklists containing ‘‘Things to Do’’ and ‘‘Things to Know’’ to assist Marines in being proactive throughout their military career. 

In three of the nine action points, we ask Marines to devote significant time and 

energy to their transition readiness: 

• Personal Readiness Seminar (PRS). Four-hour seminar for Marines upon arrival 

at their first permanent duty station. The curriculum provides an overview of 

Personal & Professional Development services, as well as financial topics such 

as banking and financial services, saving and investing, the Blended Retirement 

System (BRS), living expenses, understanding debt, and service members’ 

rights. 

• ‘‘Your Readiness’’ Training. Online training hosted through our MarineNet portal that provides an overview of Personal & Professional Development services, 

reenlistment process, transition process, and the Individual Transition Plan. As 

an element of ‘‘Leading Marines,’’ this training is required for promotion to Corporal. In FY17, 32,188 Marines completed this training. 

• Transition Readiness Seminar (TRS). A week-long program consisting of a 

standardized core curriculum to include Resilient Transitions, Military Occupation Specialty Crosswalk, Department of Labor Employment Workshop, Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits I and II Briefs, and Financial Planning. 

Additionally, the Marine Corps provides Skillbridge programs to provide career 

skills that connect military talent to in-demand careers in fields such as Trade 

Skills, Information Technology, Project Management, and Commercial Driver’s licensing opportunities. Service members may participate in these programs within 

180 days of their transition. 

Lastly, Marines are introduced to the Marine For Life Network, which facilitates 

the reach back and support to Marines and Marine veterans by identifying opportunities and exposure through our virtual LinkedIn and Facebook online community. 

Overall, the Marine For Life Network’s online presence has experienced a 70 percent increase in social media subscribers since April 2016. 

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VOW ACT COMPLIANCE AND IMPROVEMENTS 

The Marine Corps carefully monitors our ‘‘VOW to Hire Heroes Act (VOW Act)’’ 

compliance rate. In FY17, total VOW Act compliance from October 2016 to August 

2017 for all Marines was 73 percent for Active Component and Reserve Component. 

The percentages are based on the number of Marines who completed Pre-separation 

Counseling, VA Benefits, and the Department of Labor Workshop. Missing information for all eligible separating Marines remains a concern, and the Marine Corps 

will continue to seek answers to the causes and develop solutions for the Total Force 

that will increase VOW Act compliance. 

• DoDTAP eForm. Effective 7 November 2016, the Transition Assistance Program 

(TAP) Electronic (eForm) and Enterprise Database was deployed DoD-wide. 

This combined the DD Form 2648/-1 and DD Form 2958 into a single electronic 

DD Form 2648 to ease the transition process and improve data collections efforts. This database currently serves as the single authoritative source for all 

transition data, streamlining the data collection process for measuring VOW Act 

and CRS compliance, while creating efficiencies throughout the transition process. This has contributed to the steady increase in compliance for the Marine 

Corps as a fully functioning electronic process versus the previous paper-based 

system. • Personal Readiness Seminar (PRS). Having conducted this course for the past 

two years, we are starting to get feedback on the efficacy of this program. We 

reach back to participants annually and have found that our Marines are using 

principles taught in PRS to take advantage of opportunities aboard installations 

(i.e. financial and education counseling, credentialing, tuition assistance, etc.) 

and maintain their personal financial wellness. • Virtual Training Tools. The Marine Corps has established an online tool kit 

through the Transition Readiness Program Sharepoint portal to support Commander’s, Unit Transition Coordinators, and installation service providers. Materials in this portal include training materials, policies, inspections guides, 

checklists, and links to other resources in order to aid Commanders efforts in 

supporting their Marines successful transition. • Command Profile. Currently there are tracking mechanisms in place to identify 

completion and timeliness of PRS, TRS and Capstone for Marines. In addition 

to this capability, the Marine Corps is integrating a dashboard in the Command 

Profile system that will provide current VOW Act compliance rate to all commands. 

GAO TAP RECOMMENDATIONS 

The Marine Corps currently provides DoD with all prescribed data and will continue to collaborate on the respective DoD working groups to improve metric performance and provide any additional metrics required. With the advent of the 

eForm, we expect to be able reduce our gap with regard to missing data, therefore 

increasing compliance rates. 

Tracking Marines participation in TAP is valuable for ensuring Marines are prepared for their transition. In order to improve the timeliness of Marines participation in TAP, the Marine Corps has made the Transition Readiness Program part 

of the Inspector General of the Marine Corps’ 37 Critical or Requiring Evaluation 

programs. This process includes a checklist identifying key items as part of the formal inspection, to include timeliness for the achievement of TRS and Capstone. Additionally, a separate tracking system within the Marine Corps has been implemented to track these two milestones. 

Current Marine Corps policy directs Commanding Officers to allow Marines the 

opportunity to attend the voluntary 2-day track programs in addition to the TRS. 

Along with TRS, and programs like Skillbridge, the 2-day track programs offer Marines the option to increase their knowledge in desired post transition subjects. For 

FY17, these post transition subjects included the Career Technical Training Track 

(158 sessions with 334 participants), Boots to Business (130 sessions with 642 participants), and Accessing Higher Education (248 sessions with 1,354 participants). 

The Marine Corps requires Marines to attend TAP in a classroom setting unless 

the Marine’s duty station is more than 100 miles away from a transition service provider’s installation or if he or she is incarcerated. Commanders are authorized to 

utilize Operations and Maintenance funds to support travel to a transition service 

provider. In all cases, authorization of an alternative virtual curriculum has to be 

approved by local supporting transition staff prior to completion. 

In the Marine Corps the first stage of Capstone review is conducted by trained 

and credentialed civilian transition staff who use the electronic DD Form 2648 as 

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the guide to conduct important transition conversations with transitioning Marines, 

as well as to capture the outcome of those conversations for use by Commanders 

during the final stage of the Capstone process. Upon completion of Capstone review, 

the Commander (or designee) conducts the final interview and, if necessary, 

handover to inter-agency partners or back to the transition readiness staff for further support. Additionally, for new staff, we provide a Capstone quality review guide 

to assist and supplement the review of CRS. For Marines who are in geographically 

isolated locations, virtual Capstone review is provided by Marine Corps transition 

readiness staff to complete the process. 

CONCLUSION 

Overall, the Marine Corps is proud of our Transition Readiness Programs. Our 

efforts result in an innovative program that meets the needs of our Marines and 

their families as they progress through their military life cycle and helps them transition successfully to civilian life. By providing these tangible learning or experienced based opportunities throughout the Marine for Life Cycle, we enable Marines 

and their families to be more effective and more ready for a successful transition 

from the Marine Corps. Nevertheless, we are always working with DoD and our Sister Services to assess our programs and make improvements, including leveraging 

new IT systems to improve participation and compliance with the VOW Act. 

Marines are the foundation of our Corps and are our most precious asset. They 

are proud of what they do. They are proud of the ‘‘Eagle, Globe, and Anchor’’ and 

carry this ethos with them as they transition from the Corps. By ensuring that we 

take care of all Marines and their families, we fulfill our responsibility to keep faith 

with the honor, courage, and commitment they have so freely given. 

Thank you for the opportunity to present this testimony. 

f 

Statements For The Record 

ACCELERON LEARNING ON DoD TAP 

To the Honorable Members of the Economic Opportunity Sub-Committee: 

We’ve been invited by Chairman Arrington and Ranking Member O’Rourke to provide feedback on potential improvements to DoD TAP. 

Our organization, Acceleron Learning, teaches life skills - career, financial, legal, 

and personal wellness - in over 350 organizations around the U.S. Our products are 

used by K–12, higher education, correctional institutions, and business organizations - and we specialize in helping people manage life transitions. 

Of particular note, we offer highly effective transition assistance curricula to 

around 50,000 offenders in state prisons annually (www.acceleronlearning.com/conduits/). While situational factors differ, the needs of offenders re-entering civilian 

life are quite like the needs of servicemembers in transition. 

After conversations with Rep. Arrington’s and Rep. O’Rourke’s staffs, we were encouraged to offer feedback on DoD TAP, given our particular expertise. 

The feedback points below make reference to our Re-Entry Roadmap product, 

which is used by offenders. Attached to this letter is a supporting slide presentation 

about the Re-Entry Roadmap. This product is very user friendly, portable, and 

consumable. We believe it serves as a helpful illustration. 

Our feedback is based upon review of publicly available information about DoD 

TAP. We see opportunities for improvement in three distinct areas: 

1. Specificity of Guidance - While the Individual Transition Plan provides reasonably good detail on the ‘‘whats’’ of transition (family needs, benefits, financial 

needs etc.) it does not provide specificity of guidance on the ‘‘hows’’. For example, 

a prompt in Section I A reads ‘‘Assess impact of individual/family requirements on 

relocation options (e.g. quality of schools, availability of medical care, spouse employment etc.).’’ To this end: 

• How does one assess the quality of schools? Or availability of medical care? Or 

the sufficiency of spouse employment? 

• What is a step-by-step process to remediate these kinds of issues? 

• What specific personal information will be required to bring closure to these 

issues? 

• Finally, what resources are available (likely web-based) to aid in research? 

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Across a wide variety of audiences (college students, offenders etc.) we have found 

that most people fail in transition because they lack very specific guidance on the 

‘‘hows.’’ Oftentimes, far too many assumptions are made about a person’s critical 

thinking skills, ability to parse issues, ability to understand process/sequencing, and 

ability to conduct research. 

The DoD TAP would benefit greatly from a significant investment in unpacking 

the ‘‘hows’’ for the various ITP elements, especially those not directly related to 

one’s career. It would also benefit from a systematic inventory of the ‘‘whats’’ to ensure the right items are included at the proper level of detail. 

The format of our Re-Entry Roadmap activity cards and timeline offers a concise, 

yet thorough inventory of the ‘‘whats’’ and the ‘‘hows’’ for offenders. Further, our 

reentryhelp.com resource portal offers an example of topically organized research 

tools. 

2. Whole-Family Adjustment - While the DoD TAP references spousal participation in its career path programming, it does not seem to address the highly likely 

shift in roles between the spouses when the servicemember begins a civilian job. In 

fact, the entire family - spouse, children, extended family/supporters - may take on 

new roles and responsibilities following the transition. 

Educating the whole family on the dynamics of the transition, as well as equipping them with specific skills related to the transition, will help them to better support and encourage one another. A servicemember is likely to feel overwhelmed by 

the (seemingly) individual burden of managing the many moving pieces, but it 

doesn’t have to be this way. 

For example, we offer video lectures on over 120 topics in career, financial, legal, 

and personal wellness education which are relevant to enabling success of the whole 

family. The DoD TAP would benefit from similar content, or at least, from content 

that speaks directly to the needs of the spouse and family. 

Servicemember Workforce Integration - The March 28, 2017 Wall Street 

Journal included an article titled: ‘‘Hiring Veterans Is Easy, Keeping Them Is 

Hard,’’ which unpacked the need for cultural acclimation to civilian work environments. 

This kind of cultural literacy is akin to our work with postdoctoral students who 

have spent years in the lab, away from the day-to-day of workplace environments. 

Key to their success is simulating the kinds of teamwork, personality, leadership, 

and work styles that they will eventually encounter in a professional setting. The 

WSJ article reports that private industry is designing specific training to address 

this issue for veterans, and DoD TAP would do well to incorporate more of the same. 

If we can be of any assistance in the future development of DoD TAP, please let 

us know. 

We commend the good work of DoD TAP to date, and thank you for reviewing 

this statement. 

Best, 

Ryan Jackson 

CEO - Acceleron Learning 

rjackson@acceleronlearning.com 

(915) 203–2362 

f 

VETERANS EDUCATION SUCCESS (VES) 

Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member O’Rourke, and Members of the Subcommittee: 

Veterans Education Success (VES) appreciates the opportunity to share its perspective on the Review of the Interagency Transition Assistance Program and the 

Need for Enhanced Outcome Measurements. 

VES is a non-profit organization focused on protecting the integrity and promise 

of the GI Bill and other federal educational programs for veterans and 

servicemembers. 

We appreciate the committee’s desire to look at the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and the need for outcome measures. Ensuring a seamless transition 

from military service into the civilian workforce is paramount to the long-term success of the veteran. While much has been accomplished in this area, much is still 

left to be done. We believe the TAP program should be viewed as a way to improve 

veteran outcomes by enhancing its ability to help transitioning service members 

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make the best use of their GI Bill benefits. With that goal in mind, we recommend 

the following five improvements: 

1. Start the Transition Assistance Program earlier on in the military 

lifecycle. As service members prepare to transition out of the military, their focus 

is on their basic necessities, such as identifying a place of residence and addressing 

the reality of a significant change in their day-to-day living. The current timing of 

TAP classes, as servicemembers are trying to walk out the door, is not scheduled 

well to capture their attention. In addition, because many servicemembers start to 

use their benefits while still in the service (such as using GI Bill ‘‘top up’’ or selecting a college for Defense Department Tuition Assistance and then staying with that 

college for the GI Bill), VES believes that starting the discussion earlier in the military life cycle will help the service member better retain the information and provides opportunity for them to take the time needed to identify institutions and degree programs that will help them make best use of their benefits. As one former 

officer told the previous Education Secretary, much of the content in the TAP curriculum should really start during boot camp. 

2. Improve Consumer Fraud Warnings. 

The TAP curriculum needs stronger consumer fraud warnings. Servicemembers 

and veterans are frequently targets of consumer fraud, from pay day lenders and 

used car dealers located outside military bases, to financial companies that violate 

military families’ legal rights, to bad actor colleges that prey on veterans for their 

GI Bill. 

3. Ensure Those Providing Academic Advisement are from Neutral Parties. 

It is imperative that the trainers and instructors leading TAP classes provide 

transitioning veterans with neutral, objective information, and with no vested interest in where the service members choose to pursue higher education. For example, 

some non-profit organizations sponsored by or representing for-profit college are reportedly trying to secure roles leading TAP classes with the goal of pushing veterans 

to use their benefits at these schools. Having neutral advisors ensures the advisement is focused on what is in the best interest of the student. Only government representatives or veterans service organizations taking no funding from colleges 

should lead these classes. 

4. Remove Pay-to-Play Lists from TAP. 

Currently, pay-to-play lists such as the ‘‘Military Friendly Schools’’ list and GI 

Jobs magazine from Victory Media Corporation are being distributed in TAP classes. 

FTC recently settled a lawsuit with Victory Media over their deceptive promotion 

of schools that made the list because they paid to be on it. Distribution of these lists 

in TAP classes instills a false sense of endorsement by the federal government and 

consequently can cause a transitioning service member to choose a school that 

leaves them with a useless degree that wasted their GI Bill benefits. 

5. Align TAP Curriculum to the Real-Life Experiences of Service Members 

The current TAP curriculum gives service members a laundry list of available resources, but those ‘‘death by power point’’ presentations do not always resonate with 

real life experiences. For example, VA briefings focus on health care, then benefits, 

and then cemeteries but don’t answer why these benefits are important to the service member. Courses should incorporate questions service members are asking 

themselves, such as ‘‘how will I support myself’’ or ‘‘what do I do if I get sick’’ or 

‘‘how do I choose a school and degree program that will best meet my needs?’’ VES 

believes TAP should be more ‘‘servicemember-focused’’ and less about the organizational hierarchy of each agency giving the briefings. 

f 

Questions For The Record 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR VETERANS’ EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING 

SERVICE 

1. What does DOL consider a successful transition for a service member 

leaving the Department of Defense (DoD)? 

Response: DOL agrees with the DoD perspective that attainment of the Career 

Readiness Standards (CRS) is one of the key objectives of TAP. Additionally, in line 

with the TAP Evaluation Framework DOL considers the transition a success if the 

veteran obtains employment, starts a business, or ispursuing education/training to 

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secure a credential. As part of the 60-day taskfrom the HVAC EO Subcommittee, 

the interagency partners are working collaboratively to refine the definition of success. 

1a. What metrics does DOL use to measure this success? 

Response: As part of the OMB approved Interagency TAP Evaluation Plan, DOL 

tracks thefollowing outcome measures/indicators: amount of Unemployment Compensation/or Ex-service members’ (UCX) benefit payments by service branch; percentage of unemployed post-9 111 veterans ages 18–24; and percentage of unemployed post-9111 veterans ages 25–34. DOL collects data on three additional performance metrics gathered at the 2,400 American Job Centers nationwide. These 

three measures align with theperformance indicators prescribed in the Workforce 

Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and are: the employment rate in the second 

quarter after program exit; employment rate in the fourth quarter after program 

exit; and median earnings in the second quarter after program exit. In partnership 

with the Employment and Training Administration, DOL VETS collects data on all 

WIOA- funded activities and canfilter out resultsfor those veterans or transitioning 

service members who have gone through TAP. Theperformance measures above will 

be calculated for only those WIOA participants who have gone through TAP. 

2. Has DOL identified certain groups that are at higher risk for homelessness, unemployment, or mental health issues during or after transition? 

Response: In 2014, VETS defined Significant Barriers to Employment (SBE) as 

an eligible veteran or eligible spouse who meets at least one of thefollowing criteria: 

disabled or special disabled; homeless; long-term unemployed (at least 27 weeks in 

the past year); ex-offender released in the past 12 months; lacking a high school diploma or equivalent; or considered to be /ow-income. These categories were established based on evidence-driven decisions sourced from Workforce Investment Act 

data. The criterion of having at least one SBE is what allows a veteran to be served 

by a Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) specialist under the Jobsfor Veterans State Grantsprogram. 

Additionally, VETSfunds roughly 150 Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program 

(HVRP) grantees per year. From the SBE definition, all of the participants served 

under the HVRP are considered to have a significant barrier to employment. 

2a. If so, is DOL tracking any specific statistics or metrics for those at 

risk groups, and what are those statistics? 

Response: The metrics collected for these at risk populations are the same as the 

ones VETS collectsfor all veterans receiving services: employment in the second 

quarter after exit; employment in thefourth quarter after exit; and median earnings 

in the second quarter after exit. Collecting uniform peiformance metrics allowsfor 

standardized comparisons across different programs. Thesepeiformance metrics are 

publicly reported via the VETSAnnual Report to Congress; the latest version of the 

report (FY 2016) can befound here: https://www.dol.gov/vets/media/VETS FY16 Annual Re port to Congress.pd( 

2b. Does DOL consider service members receiving a discharge other than 

‘‘Honorable’’ to be at higher risk for homelessness, unemployment, or mental health issue when compared to the general transitioning population? 

Response: DOL provides the DOL Employment Workshopfor all transitioning 

service members regardless of type of discharge. DOL regularly provides the DOL 

Employment Workshop to transitioning service members in military 

correctionalfacilities. Additionally, those transitioning service members are referred 

to the American Job Center (AJC) system for further assistance. This referral, or 

warm handover, can beperson-to-person if the local AJC has a presence on or near 

the installation, or by connecting the service members with the AJC nearest their 

eventual transition destination. All transitioning service members who separated 

under ‘‘honorable, ‘‘ or other than ‘‘honorable, ‘‘ conditions also receive Priority of 

Service in all DOL-fimded orpartially-fimded programs at American Job Centers. 

3. In her testimony, Ms. Margarita Devlin, Executive Director of Benefits 

Assistance Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, the Department of 

Veterans Affairs, spoke about collecting information on post- separation 

outcomes. Does DOL plan to participate in crafting this survey? 

Response: As a member of the interagency TAP Peiformance Management Working Group, DOL provided input to the VA on the post-separation TAP assessment 

survey, and looksforward to seeing the results. 

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3a. What outcomes and metrics will DOL be focusing on and measuring 

in this survey? 

Response: DOL willfocus on the survey results associated with the veterans’ employment status, nature of their employment, and the value/quality of assistance received from DOL resources. 

4. How does DOL evaluate the programs taught at TAP? 

Response: DOL uses the resultsfrom the Transition GPS Participant Assessment 

provided by DoD. The assessment collects demographic data and includes questions 

to assess the quality of the course curriculum, course materials, facilitators, 

andfacilities. The DOL Employment Workshop consistently receives high evaluation 

scoresfrom participants, averaging 96 percent satisfaction on information learned, 

98 percent on effectiveness of thefacilitators, and 95 percent on confidence gained 

from the workshop. DOL uses theparticipant narrative comments to resolve issues 

encountered at specific installations, and as inputfor the regular review and revision 

of the workshop curriculum. 

DOL VETS Federal field staff conducts regular site visits to the military installations in their respective states to evaluate the workshopfacilitators and meet with 

the installation transition services personnel to address any site specific issues. 

f 

From Full Committee Ranking Member Tim Walz to U.S. Department of 

Defense 

Questions 

Department of Defense (DoD) 

1. With the increase utilization of the National Guard and Reserve forces, which 

seems to be only increasing going forward, has DoD spent any time looking beyond 

TAP and looking at the larger picture of employment for these soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen when they return? 

a. The Army is talking about 60+ days a year of collective training for some units, 

with service members being required to do additional days for military schools necessary for career advancement. That’s approaching a quarter of the year that these 

service members will be in uniform. How is that affecting their employers and how 

can the TAP program help with efforts to keep these service members employed? 

b. We are hearing anecdotal evidence, as well as articles in the press, that employers are avoiding hiring Guardsmen and Reservists, or deciding against retaining 

them. Does DoD see addressing this issue as an extension of DoD’s commitment to 

help service members successfully transition off of active duty? Ifso, has DoD done 

any data collection in this area? 

c. Does DoD view unemployment of National Guardsmen and Reservists as a 

readiness issue? 

d. Has the Secretary taken any steps to mitigate the decrease in hiring and retention rates of National Guardsmen and Reservists in their civilian employment due 

to the increased utilization of the Guard and Reserves - especially for those units 

that will be doing 60+ unit collective training days a year? 

e.Has the Secretary tailored transition policies specifically for National Guardsmen and Reservists? For instance, as any thought been given to allowing Guardsmen and Reservists to return home, get their feet under them and assess their situation during their terminal leave, and then take the TAPS classes during their yellow ribbon events? 

2.Does DoD collect data on service member’s educational backgrounds before they 

enter military service? 

a.If so, how is that data used? 

b. Does the DoD use data on service member’s educational background to identify 

shortcomings that could hinder their transition to the private sector or to higher 

education? Ifthese shortcomings are identified, how are they remedied? 

3. How is Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) addressing the varied rates 

of compliance among the services? In other words, is there a larger effort within 

OSD to address the lower rates of compliance among the Navy and Marine Corps 

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to bring them up to the 85% goal or is it left up to the individual services to deal 

with? 

4. Does the Secretary see it as a future recruitment issue if service members are 

not successfully transitioned into civilian life? 

5. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found very low rates of attendance for the supplemental TAP courses on accessing higher education, career 

and technical training, and entrepreneurship. There is concern that because these 

courses are seen as optional, unit commanders are not allowing attendance of interested service members. Has OSD thought about mandating that service members 

attend at least one of these currently supplemental programs to ensure their ability 

to attend if they are interested? 

a.From visits to military bases and asking service members about their transition 

process, the Committee has heard that commanders are often unwilling to let service members attend additional supplemental classes or repeat classes that service 

members might feel like they need to repeat. Often the reason given is that the unit 

is short-staffed and that the commander is unable to get a replacement for that 

service member until they are out-processed from the military, so they need them 

to continue training to hit readiness numbers. Have the services considered changing policy to allow the unit to request a fill for a service member they know is or 

will be transitioning out? 

b.Have the services considered manning units to be over 100% strength? 

c.We have also heard troubling anecdotes of commanders telling their units to 

sign in to their TAP classes so that their attendance is recorded but then to leave 

and return to work without actually sitting through the class. And GAO reported 

that unit commanders sometimes require their service members to work a full shift 

after attending TAP class to make up for having attended TAP class. Have the services looked at how DoD can better monitor and address deliberate subversion of the 

rules? 

d.How are commanders at the lower echelons being educated about the importance of preparation and TAP courses for a successful transition? 

e.Have the services considered including transition numbers and metrics in commanders’ evaluations, similar to how they are evaluated on readiness? 

6.The Army has focused on building Career Skills Programs (CSP) for 

transitioning service members. Are similar programs being implemented in other 

services through the SkillBridge program? 

a.What is the current participation rate in CSPs (or CSP like programs) across 

the services? 

b.How is DoD measuring success in CSPs? 

7.Has DoD identified certain groups that are at higher risk for homelessness, unemployment, or mental health issues during or after transition? 

a.Ifso, is DoD tracking any specific statistics or metrics for those at risk groups, 

and what are those statistics? 

b.Does DoD consider service members receiving a discharge other than ‘‘Honorable’’ to be at higher risk for homelessness, unemployment, or mental health issue 

when compared to the general transitioning population? 

8.Has DoD considered moving TAPs classes from the final year (or 18 months in 

the case of a retiring service member) to a model that focuses on continual learning 

within a service member’s military career? 

9.From DoD’s perspective, what does a successful transition look like and what 

metrics should be used to evaluate for that? 

a.What follow-up does DoD conduct with service members after their transition? 

b.What data does DoD need from Department of Labor and VA to improve transition programs? 

10.When flag officers testify to Congressional Committees or conduct office calls, 

are they encouraged or directed to attend with their senior enlisted advisor? 

a.Would it be beneficial for Congressional Committees to hear testimony directly 

from senior enlisted advisors? 

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Requestors Rep Timothy J. Walz 

QFR Title: Supplemental TAP Courses and Backfilling Transitioning Service Members 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Cook, Kathleen A 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–005 QFR 

Question Number: 5 

Question: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found very 

low rates of attendance for the supplemental TAP courses on accessing 

higher education, career and technical training, and entrepreneurship. 

There is concern that because these courses are seen as optional, unit 

commanders are not allowing attendance of interested service members. 

Has OSD thought about mandating that service members attend at lease 

one of these currently supplemental programs to ensure their ability to 

attend if they are interested? a. From visits to military bases and asking 

service members about their transition process, the Committee has heard 

that commanders are often unwilling to let service members attend additional supplemental classes or repeat classes that service members might 

feel they need to repeat. Often the reason given is that the unit is shortstaffed and that the commander is unable to get a replacement for that 

service member until they are out-processed from the military, so they 

need them to continue training to hit readiness numbers. Have the services considered changing policy to allow the unit to request a fill for a 

sercie member they know is or will be transitioning out? b. Have the 

services considered manning units to be over 100% strength? c. We have 

also heard troubling anecdotes of commanders telling their units to sign 

in to their TAP classes so that their attendance is recorded but the to 

leave and return to work without actually sitting through the class. And 

GAO reported that after attending TAP class to make up for having attended TAP class. Have the services looked at how DoD can better monitor and address deliberate subversion of the rules? d. How are commanders at the lower echelons being educated about the importance of 

preparation and TAP courses for a successful transition? e. Have the 

services considered including transition numbers and metrics in commanders’ evaluations, similar to how they are evaluated on readiness? 

Answer: a. Members are assigned to their unit until they separate or retire. The 

AF Personnel Center fills positions once the member is no longer assigned to the 

unit. Commanders may authorize permissive temporary duty up to 20 days for 

CONUS based members and 30 days for members stationed overseas within 180 

days of separation/retirement for job or residence search. Additionally, members 

may request terminal leave, so determining when a member will have their final 

day at work is not trackable across the enterprise. Finally, for officers, Services 

must manage to the Congressionally-mandated grade ceilings. b. The AF is unable 

to man units over 100% and maintain Congressionally-mandated end-strength. 

Students and transients are counted against Congressionally-mandated end 

strength so we could not overman. Therefore, most Air Force Specialty Codes do 

not have the inventory to support 100% manning across the enterprise. c. Air 

Force installation level Transition Assistance Program Counselors monitor workshop participation to ensure service members’ full attendance through initial attendance sign-in and course completion by signing sections III and IV of eForm 

DD 2486 certifying compliance. For Service member who do not return to complete all elements of the program, counselors inform the unit commander or his/ 

her representative for action and rescheduling as required. d. Understanding the 

Air Force will implement 2017 GAO recommendations as directed by the Department of Defense, we’re currently performing comprehensive upgrades to our TAP 

processes based on the challenges with VOW compliance. Commanders at all levels are being educated about the importance of preparation and TAP courses for 

a successful transition through a variety of efforts. From providing annual training sessions for all readiness NCOs, to working with the Defense Manpower Data 

Center to validate eligibility data and database accuracy, and seeking IT solutions 

to add a ‘‘flag notification’’ to the system; all the way to changing out processing 

checklists, messaging our AD and Guard/Reserve Force Support Squadrons, briefing commanders, first sergeants and chiefs at our professional military education 

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and leadership courses and mandating Airman and Family Readiness Center Directors brief incoming commanders on VOW compliance within 30 days. We are 

also adding text to Airmen monthly leave and earning pay statements to highlight 

TAP requirements. Our commanders are being inspected in both the AD and 

Guard/Reserve for compliance, and we’ve updated our AF instruction to stress 

commander responsibility and accountability. And specifically to the Reserve component, should all this still result in someone missing the opportunity to complete 

TAP, AF Reserve Command is tracking every member and will bring members 

back on active status to complete the training as needed. Across the board, we’re 

focused on attaining 100% compliance and ensuring commanders at all levels are 

being educated on the importance of service members full participation in transition assistance program. e. Air Force commanders are evaluated annually on the 

performance of their day-to-day operations, readiness, compliance requirements 

(to include TAP), exercises and audits. With this evaluation capability in place, 

the Air Force does not see a need to specifically identify TAP compliance in commanders’ annual evaluations. 

QFR Title: Career Skills Programs 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Cook, Kathleen A 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–006 QFR 

Question Number: 6 

Question: The Army has focused on building Career Skills Programs (CSP) 

for transitioning service members. Are similar programs being implemented in other services through the Skillbridge program? a. What is the 

current participation rate in CSPs (or CSP like programs) across the 

services? b. How is DoD measuring success in CSPs? 

Answer: a. The Air Force developed policy and implemented a number of unified 

outreach initiatives to create a streamlined program process, and ensure Airmen 

are informed of SkillBridge programs. These outreach efforts include: 

• An automated application to expedite and streamline the process. • A marketing strategy to ensure program awareness among installations and 

Service members. • Targeted messages to Airmen within one year of separation and outreach to 

commanders via e-mail messages and briefings. • A standardized Vetting Checklist for Airmen, to ensure all training providers 

and the program align with SkillBridge training policies. • Partnerships at the local level, between installations and training providers. • A comprehensive training program explaining SkillBridge policy and programs 

for installation education counselors. Since the inception of the program in August 2016, over 240 Airmen from 39 installations have enrolled in 43 different 

Career Skills Programs. 

The Air Force has three job skills training initiatives and is committed to expanding these programs over the next year: 

• Solar Ready Vets, conducted in partnership with Department of Energy, which 

prepares Airmen for positons in the growing solar power industry; 

• Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program, which provides transitioning 

Service members with management training and hands-on experience in the civilian workforce; and, 

• South Seattle College apprenticeship program, which combines on-the-job training with classroom work in skills supporting aircraft and construction industries. b. The Air Force measures success by the number of programs, the number of installations participating, the number of Airmen receiving and completing training. The Air Force also tracks placements when reported. 

QFR Title: Flag and General Officers and Senior Enlisted Advsiors 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Cook, Kathleen A 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–010 QFR 

Question Number: 10 

Question: When flag officers testify to congressional committees or conduct office calls, are they encourage or directed to attend with their senior 

enlisted advisor? a. Would be beneficial for congressional committees to 

hear testimony directly from senior enlisted advisors? 

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Answer: General Goldfein, our Chief of Staff, and Chief Master Sergeant Wright 

our Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force are keenly focused on revitalizing 

squadrons. Gen Goldfein believes squadrons are the heartbeat of our Air Force 

and we succeed or fail in our mission based on that squadron experience. And as 

you know, at the center of that squadron experience is the commander. Translated, the well-being, resiliency and effectiveness of our Airmen and their families 

is directly tied to the squadron and its leadership team. Successfully transitioning 

our Airmen also depends on informed and engaged leadership. In my opinion, the 

primary solution to improving VOW compliance is two-fold; first, it requires fully 

educating our Total Force members on the requirement for TAP and second, Commanders and their Senior Enlisted leaders who support them are held accountable 

for compliance as they are the critical links to ensure Airmen complete TAP. The 

Air Force is always open to Senior Enlisted leaders’ participation in congressional 

testimony and will take advantage of opportunities to include them in the future. 

QFR Title: TAP for National Guard and Reserve 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Lyons, Judd 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–001 QFR 

Question Number: 1 

Question: With the increased utilization of the National Guard and Reserve forces, which seems to be only increasing going forward, has DoD 

spent any time looking beyond TAP and looking at the larger picture of 

employment for these soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen when they return? a. The Army is talking about 60+ day aa year of collective training 

for some units, with service members being required to do additional days 

for military schools necessary for career advancement. That’s approaching 

a quarter of the year that these service members will be in uniform. How 

is that affecting their employers and how can the TAP program help with 

efforts to keep these service members employed? b. We are hearing anecdotal evidence, as well as articles in the press, that employers are avoiding 

hiring Guardsmen and Reservists, or deciding against retaining them. Does 

DoD see addressing this issue as an extension of DoD’s commitment to help 

service members successfully transition off of active duty? if so, has DoD 

done any data collection in this area? c. Does DoD view unemployment of 

National Guardsmen and Reservists as a readiness issue? d. Has the Secretary taken any steps to mitigate the decrease in hiring and retention 

rates of National Guardsmen and Reservists in their civilian employment 

due to increased utilization of the Guard and Reserves - especially for thos 

units that will be doing 60+ collective training days a year? e. Has the Secretary tailored transition policies specifically for National Guardsmen and 

Reservists? For instance, has any thought been give to allowing Guardsmen 

and Reservists to return home, get their feet under them and assess their 

situation during their terminal leave, and then take the TAPS classes during their yellow ribbon events? 

Answer: 1. Yes; DoD looks beyond the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) at the 

larger picture of employment for members of the National Guard and Reserve 

when they return to home station. For example, DoD’s Employer Support of the 

Guard and Reserve (ESGR) program is supported by a network of more than 

3,750 volunteers located across 50 states, U.S. Territories and the District of Columbia. Volunteers from small business, industry, government, education, and 

prior military service bring a vast wealth of experience to supporting employers, 

Service members, and their families. The ESGR staff and a small cadre of contracted full-time support staff work to promote and enhance employer support for 

military service in the National Guard and Reserve. The four ESGR missions executed through 54 committees are: 

• Employer Outreach: Promote a culture where all employers support and value 

military service through education, recognition, and mediation. 

• Military Outreach: Make Service members aware of their rights and responsibilities under the law and the value of employer support and recognition. 

• Employment: Increase career opportunities through strategic relationships with 

employers, state and federal government partners, and professional associations. 

• Ombudsman Services: Provide mediation for issues or conflicts between employers and Service members before they escalate. Another DoD program that 

goes beyond TAP is the Department’s Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program 

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(YRRP). This DoD-wide effort promotes the well-being of National Guard and 

Reserve members and their families, by connecting them with resources 

throughout the deployment cycle. Commanders and leaders play a critical role 

in ensuring that National Guard and Reserve Service members and their families attend YRRP events where they can access information on healthcare, education, employment, and financial and legal benefits. YRRP: • Provides education and supports the readiness of Service members of the unit 

and their families for the rigors of deployment. • Implements reintegration curriculum throughout the deployment cycle that 

builds resilience for current and future deployments. • Educates Service members and their families about resources available and 

connects them to service providers who can assist them in overcoming the challenges of reintegration. ESGR and YRRP provide Service members information 

about and referrals to programs, services, and employment assistance. The Department is also part of a broader interagency effort to support transitioning 

Service members. Service members attending TAP receive employment assistance during the Department of Labor Employment Workshop (DOLEW), which 

includes information on topics such as resume writing, networking, and job 

search skills, to name a few. During the DOLEW Service members are also informed about and strongly encouraged to register at one of the 2,500 Department of Labor American Job Centers (AJC) located throughout the United 

States. The AJCs provide resources for veterans and transitioning Service members (including National Guard and Reserve members) after TAP. The AJCs 

provide priority of service for veterans and eligible spouses in all qualified job 

training programs. The Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service provides funding for state and local Workforce Investment Boards, 

public agencies, non-profit organizations (including faith-based and communitybased) and neighborhood partnerships to serve specific areas and populations 

with proven effective and timely programs. The Jobs for Veterans State Grants 

program provides Federal funding, through a formula grant, to 54 state workforce agencies to hire dedicated staff to provide individualized career and training-related services to veterans and eligible persons with significant barriers to 

employment and to help employers fill their workforce needs with job-seeking 

veterans. 1a. Any time a member of the National Guard or Reserve spends time 

away from their civilian job to perform their military duty, stress can result to 

the employer, the Service member, and their family. DoD helps to mitigate that 

stress through advance notification of military duty to the employer, encouraging continuous communication between the employer and Service member 

through the ESGR and TAP. ESGR educates both employers and Service members about their rights and responsibilities under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). It also provides information and resources that mitigate the challenges employers and Service members 

face during transitions to and from periods of military duty. ESGR will continue 

to work closely with the Army National Guard and Army Reserve to identify 

those employers who may be affected by any proposed Army National Guard 

and Army Reserve enhanced readiness initiatives. ESGR staff actively supports 

all Reserve Components (RC) to develop strategies and communication tools 

that prepare employers for potential changes in training tempos. More than 

3,750 ESGR volunteers located across the Nation stand by to conduct targeted 

outreach to those industries and specific employers affected by units in any proposed new training paradigm. Outreach efforts continue to focus on the value 

RC members bring to the workforce, how the additional training may benefit 

employers, and incentives available to employers for hiring and retaining RC 

employees. In 2017, ESGR engaged more than 81,000 employers nationwide. 1b. 

While anecdotal evidence and press coverage serve as important reminders of 

the need to continue TAP and ESGR’s outreach and education efforts, the Department’s data collected via the Status of Forces Survey-Reserve Component 

shows a downward trend in overall employment issues. The 2016 survey reports 

69 percent of RC members’ employers favor their RC member’s continued participation in RC service, up from a baseline of 56 percent in 2000 and a post9/11 low of 59 percent in 2005. When asked about their co-workers’ view of their 

RC service, members reported a 73 percent rate of support, up from a baseline 

of 59 percent in 2000 and a post-9/11 low of 67 percent in 2005. The 2017 Status of Forces Survey-Reserve Component is being prepared for distribution and 

will contain the same series of employment-related questions from previous 

iterations. 1c. Yes. The Department views civilian employment as one of the pillars of RC members’ readiness. DoD cannot retain RC Service members and 

maintain the level of readiness required in the current operational environment 

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without them having stable and fulfilling civilian employment. The latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show a downward trend in post9/11 veteran unemployment. The November 2017 BLS report shows an unemployment rate of 3.6 percent among that population, down from 4.7 percent in 

November 2016. 1d. Through ESGR and YRRP, the Department provides employment information and resources to RC members and their families, 

leveraging partnerships inside and outside of government. Working with government agencies (e.g., the Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and 

Training Service) and private sector organizations (e.g., the Society for Human 

Resource Management), these programs help connect potential employees with 

employers and mentors. ESGR works directly with the Army National Guard 

and Army Reserve employment programs such as the Employment Support Program and Public-Private Partnership, to support their efforts. YRRP receives 

Congressional funding which is disbursed by the Department to fund statebased RC employment programs under the Department’s ‘‘Beyond the Yellow 

Ribbon’’ initiative. DoD informs these initiatives by ongoing communication 

with RC leaders at the national and state level, and places special emphasis on 

units impacted by increased training requirements. ESGR conducts numerous 

employer-oriented events such as ‘bosslifts’ on military aircraft or ships that increase employer understanding of Service member/employee requirements. 

‘bosslifts’ bring employers to military duty locations around the nation to show 

them the training their employees receive. For example, ESGR is planning a 

‘bosslift’ in support of the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 278th Armored 

Cavalry Regiment rotation to the National Training Center in May 2018. Employers from Tennessee will travel via military aircraft to Fort Irwin, CA, to see 

their employees in action, learn about their mission, and understand the importance of the role they play in our national security. Additionally, ESGR helps 

facilitate communication between employers and the appropriate military authority for the Service member in order to discuss any concerns over the timing, 

frequency or duration of military duty. 1e. Title 10, United States Code (U.S. 

Code) mandates transition requirements be completed while in a full-time Title 

10 active duty status. Conducting TAP during Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program events would not be in compliance with Title 10, U.S. Code, as these 

events occur after a Service member leaves full-time Title 10 active duty status. 

Apart from noncompliance with current statute, the Yellow Ribbon events as 

currently programmed (approximately 2 ° days in length over a weekend) simply do not provide sufficient time for RC Service members to complete all TAP 

requirements. To expand Yellow Ribbon events to include TAP would also keep 

RC Service members away from work or school even longer after their return 

from deployment or activation. However, DoD has tailored transition policy to 

better meet the needs of the Reserve Components while remaining in compliance with Title 10, U.S. Code. To avoid RC members having to repeat pre-separation counseling, they may decline pre-separation or transition counseling for 

each successive period of full-time active duty in Title 10 status consisting of 

180 days or more of continuous active duty. Other transition policies for members of the RC include exemption from the 3-day DOLEW if they are retiring 

with 20 or more years of qualifying military service; can document civilian employment post-demobilization or deactivation; can provide documented acceptance into an accredited career technical training, undergraduate or graduate degree program; or have previously participated in the DOLEW. All exemptions 

are documented. Members of the RC may be exempted from the requirement 

to begin pre-separation or transition counseling no less than 90 days from separation if being demobilized or deactivated from active duty under circumstances 

in which operational requirements, as determined by the Secretary concerned, 

make the 90-day requirement unfeasible. Similarly, for RC members being released from active duty, in which operational requirements as determined by 

the Secretary concerned make the timeline to complete Capstone unfeasible, 

Capstone must begin no later than the date of release from active duty as reflected on the DD Form 214. 

QFR Title: Service Members Educational Background 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Lyons, Judd 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–002 QFR 

Question Number: 2 

Question: Does DoD collect data on service member’s educational backgrounds before they enter military service? a. If so, how is that data 

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used? b. Does the DoD use data on service member’s educational background to identify shortcomings that could hinder their transition to the 

private sector or to higher education? If these shortcomings are identified, how are they remedied? 

Answer: Yes, DoD does collect data on Service member’s educational background before they enter the military. 2.a. These data are used for a number of purposes. 

For officer candidates, education attainment and the source of the education credential may be used as a factor in determining a person’s competitiveness for a 

given program. For example, an individual with an advanced technical degree 

from a well-known university would likely be more competitive than an individual 

with a non-technical degree from a lesser known school. In the enlistment process, 

these data are used to classify new recruits and to project attrition rates. Data 

show that individuals with high school diplomas are more likely to complete their 

first-term of enlistment than individuals with other education credentials. In Fiscal Year 2017, nearly 96 percent of all new enlisted accessions had at least a high 

school diploma. 2.b. No, DoD does not use data on Service member’s educational 

background at accession to identify shortcomings that could hinder their transition to the private sector or to higher education. Generally, the dramatic change 

in experience and education gained during service would make such an accession 

evaluation moot. As mentioned above, these data are used for classifying new recruits and for projecting attrition. 

QFR Title: Rates of Compliance 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Lyons, Judd 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–003 QFR 

Question Number: 3 

Question: How is the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) addressing 

the varied rates of compliance among the Services? In other words, is 

there a larger effort within OSD to addrest the lower rates of compliance 

among the Navy and the Marine Corps to bring them up to the 85% goal 

or is it left up to the individual services to deal with? 

Answer: It is important to note that DoD relies on compliance information based 

on completed records in our IT system of record for computing Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act and Career Readiness Standards compliance. Based on 

known information reflecting only the Service members for whom a completed DD 

Form 2958 was received by the Department for Fiscal Year 2016, all Services (including Navy and Marine Corps) met the 85% threshold. The Department is working with the Military Services and the Defense Manpower Data Center to reduce 

the amount of missing data for compliance reporting. For example, in Fiscal Year 

2017, we launched a department-wide, TAP–IT Enterprise System that streamlined the data collection process and will enhance the Department’s ability to 

maintain accountability. The Department will continue to improve data tracking 

and work with the Services to reduce the extent of missing data. 

QFR Title: Successful Transitions 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Lyons, Judd 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–004 QFR 

Question Number: 4 

Question: Does the Secretary see it as a future recruitment issue if service 

members are not successfully transitioned into civilian life? 

Answer: Yes, the successful transition of Service members is important for future 

recruiting efforts. Both potential recruits and the influencers that help those recruits make their decision about serving in today’s military look at how the individuals that served before them have fared. Today, more than ever, youth believe 

the risks associated with serving far outweighs the benefits. It is important that 

potential recruits and influencers see service in today’s military as an opportunity 

to better prepare themselves for a career after the military. The Department believes our strongest recruiting tool is a successfully transitioned Service member 

contributing to the Nation and their community in a meaningful way. Conversely, 

unprepared transitioning Service members are a risk to the recruiting pool for the 

All-Volunteer Force by lowering the propensity for Service members to serve as 

ambassadors and not recommend military service to others. The Nation must see, 

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consistently, that those who serve also thrive in civilian life. The Department is 

changing its culture from an end-of-service transition planning to a Military Life 

Cycle approach, emphasizing career readiness planning throughout a Service 

member’s career. In doing so, we ensure mission readiness is maintained, while 

also sustaining the All-Volunteer Force for both the Active and Reserve Component. 

QFR Title: Supplemental TAP Courses and Backfilling Transitioning Service Members 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Lyons, Judd 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–005 QFR 

Question Number: 5 

Question: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found very 

low rates of attendance for the supplemental TAP courses on accessing 

higher education, career and technical training, and entrepreneurship. 

There is concern that because these courses are seen as optional, unit 

commanders are not allowing attendance of interested service members. 

Has OSD thought about mandating that service members attend at lease 

one of these currently supplemental programs to ensure their ability to 

attend if they are interested? a. From visits to military bases and asking 

service members about their transition process, the Committee has heard 

that commanders are often unwilling to let service members attend additional supplemental classes or repeat classes that service members might 

feel they need to repeat. Often the reason given is that the unit is shortstaffed and that the commander is unable to get a replacement for that 

service member until they are out-processed from the military, so they 

need them to continue training to hit readiness numbers. Have the services considered changing policy to allow the unit to request a fill for a 

sercie member they know is or will be transitioning out? b. Have the 

services considered manning units to be over 100% strength? c. We have 

also heard troubling anecdotes of commanders telling their units to sign 

in to their TAP classes so that their attendance is recorded but the to 

leave and return to work without actually sitting through the class. And 

GAO reported that after attending TAP class to make up for having attended TAP class. Have the services looked at how DoD can better monitor and address deliberate subversion of the rules? d. How are commanders at the lower echelons being educated about the importance of 

preparation and TAP courses for a successful transition? e. Have the 

services considered including transition numbers and metrics in commanders’ evaluations, similar to how they are evaluated on readiness? 

Answer: TAP interagency partners have previously discussed making the additional tracks mandatory; however, not all Service members’ transition plans include topics covered in those tracks. Participant assessment feedback on the TAP 

has also emphasized Service members’ preference for flexibility and not pursuing 

a one-size-fits-all approach. The Department’s focus is for transitioning Service 

members to meet Career Readiness Standards (CRS). There are nine common 

CRSs applicable to all Service members. Service members interested in pursuing 

higher education and/or career technical training must also meet four additional 

education-oriented CRS. The 2-day tracks were developed and made available to 

help those who require assistance in meeting these additional CRS. Transitioning 

Services members are encouraged to take advantage of these additional tracks. All 

curriculum, both core and additional, are offered frequently, and advertised 

through multiple means and platforms. All Service members are able to participate in the additional 2-day tracks, as these tracks are available both via classroom setting and virtually through Joint Knowledge Online. Once the Service 

member begins pre-separation counseling, they register for the mandatory curriculum and are made aware of the benefits of additional tracks to support their 

long-term goals and encouraged to attend. 

QFR Title: Homelessness, Unemployment or Mental Health Issues 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Lyons, Judd 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–007 QFR 

Question Number: 7 

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Question: Has DoD identified certain groups that are at higher risk for 

homelessness, unemployment, or mental health issues during or after 

transition? a. If so, is DoD tracking any specific statistics or metrics for 

those at risk groups, and what are those statistics? b. Does DoD consider 

service members receiving a discharge other than ‘‘Honorable’’ to be at 

higher risk for homelessness, unemployment, or mental health issues 

when compared to the general transitioning population? 

Answer: The Department has identified that eligible transitioning Service members 

who have not met all applicable career readiness standards (CRS), do not have 

a viable post-transition transportation or post-transition housing plan that meets 

their personal/family needs, and/or those with an ‘other than honorable’ discharge 

may be at greater risk, for example, for homelessness or unemployment challenges. These individuals are provided with a ‘warm handover’ referral by the 

Military Services to appropriate partner agencies and other relevant resources, 

with referrals made to specific program sites based upon the expected geographic 

location of theService member following transition. For example, for those failing 

to meet an employment-related CRS, a warm handover is provided to an on-site 

Department of Labor (DOL) representative, if available at the site, or a designated POC at the appropriate DOL American Job Center (AJC). As another example, for those without a viable post-transition transportation or housing plan, 

the expectation is that Service members transitioning with an honorable discharge status will be referred to a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Capstone 

Liaison who will connect the Service member to the appropriate VA Homeless 

Program contact or Healthcare Liaison based on the installation and Service 

member’s post-transition address. The expectation is that Service members 

transitioning with an other than honorable discharge status will be referred to an 

on-site DOL representative, if available at the site, or a designated POC at the 

appropriate DOL AJC. Further, there are occasions when transitioning Service 

members may be referred to both VA and DOL. Twenty-one (21) DoD locations 

have an on-site Veterans Health Administration Liaison who manages these referrals. At approximately 300 other sites, these referrals are facilitated through contracted Veterans Benefits Administration Benefits Advisors or by DoD personnel. 

7a. Yes, the Department tracks eligible transitioning Service members who do not 

meet all applicable career readiness standards (CRS) or do not have a viable posttransition transportation or post-transition housing plan, and whether these individuals receive a ‘warm handover’ by the Military Services to appropriate partner 

agencies. The Department also tracks eligible transitioning Service members that 

are separating with an ‘other than honorable’ discharge and receive a warm 

handover to Department of Labor. Through August Fiscal Year to Date (FYTD) 

2017, the Department received 138,671 completed DD Form 2648 (or legacy DD 

Form 2958). Of this, 135,096 (97.4 percent) either met CRS or received a warm 

handover to a partner agency (e.g., VA or DOL). Specifically, 132,063 Service 

members met CRS, while 3,033 members received a warm handover. The remaining 3,575 Service members (2.6 percent) did not meet CRS and did not receive 

a warm handover in FYTD 2017. The Department is working to close this remaining gap, so that all Service members either meet CRS or receive a warm handover 

for additional support. Note that this CRS compliance rate reflects only the Service members for whom a completed DD Form 2648 (or legacy DD Form 2958) was 

received by the Department. The Department is working with the Military Services and the Defense Manpower Data Center to reduce the amount of missing 

data for compliance reporting. In FY 2017, we launched a department-wide, TAP– 

IT Enterprise System that streamlined the data collection process and will enhance the Department’s ability to maintain accountability. The Department will 

continue to improve data tracking and work with the Services to reduce the extent 

of missing data. The Department also tracked eligible transitioning Service members at risk of homelessness. 197,307 Service members transitioned from active 

duty during the period between October 2015 and September 2016. The Department received more than 143,000 DD Form 2958’s from the Military Services. Of 

the more than 143,000 forms received, 4,504 Service members (3.1 percent) had 

not evaluated their post-military housing requirements and developed a plan to 

meet personal and family needs prior to their separation, retirement, or release 

from active duty. Of those 4,504 Service members, 1,671 (37.1 percent) received 

a warm handover to at least one partner agency (VA, DOL, or other agency). Specifically for VA, 1,628 members (36.2 percent of those 4,504 Service members) 

were documented as having received a warm handover to the VA for additional 

assistance. This is an improvement as compared to the year prior (October 2014 

- August 2015), where 483 Service members (8.0 percent of 6,044 Service members) without a post-military housing plan received a warm handover to the VA. 

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FY 2017 data will be available in FY 2018. 7b. Yes, based on studies, survey data 

and anecdotal comments, DoD believes Service members receiving a discharge 

other than ‘‘Honorable’’ are at a higher risk when compared to the general 

transitioning Service member population. However, it should be noted that the 

Department does not have available post-transition data on these Service members; the Department must rely on data from our TAP interagency partner agencies and other stakeholders. The Department is also aware of reports that Service 

members with discharge characterizations other than Honorable or 

uncharacterized may be at higher risk of suicide. In April 2016, the Department 

issued the memo ‘Warm Handover Guidance for Transitioning Service Members 

Who Do Not Separate with an Honorable Discharge’ for commanders or their designee to execute warm handovers during the Capstone event and document those 

handovers on DD Form 2958. The Department expects that Service members 

transitioning with an other than honorable discharge will be referred to an onsite DOL representative, if available at the site, or a designated POC at the appropriate DOL American Job Center (AJC). There are occasions when 

transitioning Service members may be referred to both VA and DOL. 

QFR Title: TAP Classes 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Lyons, Judd 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–008 QFR 

Question Number: 8 

Question: Has DoD considered moving TAPs classes from the final year (or 

18 months in the case of a retiring service member) to a model that focuses on continual learning within a service member’s military career? 

Answer: The Department expanded career preparation and transition activities 

through development and implementation of the Transition Preparation Military 

Life Cycle (MLC) model. The MLC model provides Service members the time and 

resources to plan for their inevitable transition from Active Duty; reduces mission 

impact as many transition-related actions are completed during the normal course 

of business instead of at the end of a Service member’s time on Active Duty; and 

allows increased flexibility for transition service delivery. The MLC model provides Service members, at various key touch points throughout their MLC, with 

opportunities to align their military career with their civilian goals. They are 

made aware of the Career Readiness Standards they must meet before their intended retirement, separation, or release from active duty, and they remain engaged throughout their military careers in mapping and refining their individual 

development plan to achieve their military goals and their post-military goals for 

employment, education, career technical training, and/or starting their own business. This will enable transition to become a well-planned, organized process that 

empowers Service members to make informed career decisions and take responsibility for advancing their personal goals. While implementation varies for each 

Service, career preparation and transition assistance activities occur at key touch 

points throughout a Service member’s career, to include: accessions/initial drilling 

weekends; first permanent duty station; reenlistment; promotion; change of duty 

station; deployment and redeployment; mobilization, demobilization, and deactivation; and separation, retirement, or release from active duty. Such activities include development/update of an Individual Development Plan, financial planning, 

eBenefits registration, personal skills/aptitude/interests assessment, review of 

Military Occupational Code alignment to civilian occupations, the five day TAP 

curriculum, and the training tracks for accessing higher education, entrepreneurship, and career technical training. 

QFR Title: Successful Transition 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Lyons, Judd 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–009 QFR 

Question Number: 9 

Question: From DoD’s perspective, what does a successful transition look 

like and what metrics should be used to evaluate for that? a. What followup does DoD conduct with service members after their transition? b. 

What data does DoD need from the Department of Labor and VA to improve transition programs? 

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Answer: Currently, the Department believes a successful transition is one in which 

a Service member is career-ready when he or she separates, retires, or is released 

from active duty; whether they are pursuing additional education, finding a job 

in the public or private sector, or starting their own business. Career readiness 

is assessed by the Department as attainment of Career Readiness Standards 

(CRS). The provision of a warm handover by the Military Services to appropriate 

partner agencies for those Service members needing additional transition support 

is also critical. The Interagency TAP Evaluation Plan for FY 2017–2018, approved 

by the Office of Management and Budget, includes attainment of CRS or a warm 

handover as one of the examined program output measures. In addition, the plan 

includes a set of assessment methods and tools to assess the processes for TAP 

delivery, immediate results of program delivery (e.g., whether separations comply 

with statute and policy), and the desired systematic impacts (e.g., whether veterans successfully obtain employment, start new business, and/or seek addition 

education). Further, as part of the 60-day request from the HVAC EO Subcommittee, the TAP interagency partners are further working together to collaboratively define success (including desired outcomes and success metrics of the 

TAP). 9a. The Department coordinates with our TAP interagency partners (e.g., 

VA, DOL, and the Small Business Administration) on their follow-up assessments 

and evaluations of Service members after they transition. The TAP interagency 

partners collaborate together to develop post-separation assessments and evaluations (such as the planned VA Post-Separation Assessment). The TAP interagency 

partners have shared (or will share) their findings with the Department. Such coordination with the interagency partners allows the Department to learn about 

Service members after their transition. 9b. The Department is currently working 

with DOL and VA to address the question of what additional services our 

transitioning Service members receive if they are provided a warm handover to 

DOL or VA (e.g., due to failing to meet CRS or failing to have a viable post-transition housing plan), as well as the outcomes of these additional services. The Department needs this data to determine if our existing warm handover processes 

are successful and to inform any needed improvements. The Department is also 

coordinating with our TAP interagency partners on their post-transition assessments, evaluations, and outcome measures/indicators. The TAP interagency partners have shared (or will share) their findings and data with the Department. 

This information is needed to inform the effectiveness of the program post-transition 

QFR Title: Supplemental TAP Courses and Backfilling Transitioning Service Members 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Stein, Kurt W 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–005 QFR 

Question Number: 5 

Question: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found very 

low rates of attendance for the supplemental TAP courses on accessing 

higher education, career and technical training, and entrepreneurship. 

There is concern that because these courses are seen as optional, unit 

commanders are not allowing attendance of interested service members. 

Has OSD thought about mandating that service members attend at lease 

one of these currently supplemental programs to ensure their ability to 

attend if they are interested? a. From visits to military bases and asking 

service members about their transition process, the Committee has heard 

that commanders are often unwilling to let service members attend additional supplemental classes or repeat classes that service members might 

feel they need to repeat. Often the reason given is that the unit is shortstaffed and that the commander is unable to get a replacement for that 

service member until they are out-processed from the military, so they 

need them to continue training to hit readiness numbers. Have the services considered changing policy to allow the unit to request a fill for a 

sercie member they know is or will be transitioning out? b. Have the 

services considered manning units to be over 100% strength? c. We have 

also heard troubling anecdotes of commanders telling their units to sign 

in to their TAP classes so that their attendance is recorded but the to 

leave and return to work without actually sitting through the class. And 

GAO reported that after attending TAP class to make up for having attended TAP class. Have the services looked at how DoD can better monitor and address deliberate subversion of the rules? d. How are comLeonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

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manders at the lower echelons being educated about the importance of 

preparation and TAP courses for a successful transition? e. Have the 

services considered including transition numbers and metrics in commanders’ evaluations, similar to how they are evaluated on readiness? 

Answer: 5.a Currently, the Marine Corps does not mandate or has considered mandating the attendance of supplemental courses, but does support the attendance 

of Marines through Marine Corps Order 1700.31. Specific guidance to Commanders is to allow all Marines necessary time off to attend the 2-day Track options. Additionally, Commanding Officer support for attendance at 2-day tracks is 

validated as part of the current Inspector General command inspection process. 

5.b. It would be beneficial to have additional manning. However, funding, end 

strength limitations, and training cycles are limiting factors in manning all units 

at or above 100%. 5.c. The Marine Corps monitors attendance to TRS through 

morning and afternoon check in procedures. Policy prohibits any Marine from 

being pulled out of class as TRS is considered their place of duty. Additionally, 

Unit Transition Coordinators, who are liaisons in the unit that facilitate transition activities, are required by policy to ensure that Marines assigned to TRS do 

not have any scheduled appointments or commitments during TRS. Any Marine 

that does not complete an entire day must reschedule to complete that portion of 

the class before credit is provided. 5.d Commanders are educated on the TRP in 

several different ways: Commander’s courses, through the Unit Transition Coordinators who liaise with the transition offices, and regularly scheduled briefs 

through installation Transition Managers. Information dissemination is further 

supported via Transition Readiness Training materials toolkit online and 

MARADMINS. The Marine Corps is currently implementing a CO’s dashboard 

specifically for the TRP which will provide compliance status for Marines scheduled to transition. 5.e As part of the Inspector General’s Critical or Requiring 

Evaluation program, inspection results are part of a ‘‘Commander’s Report Card’’ 

that is reported to the CMC. Any findings are to be resolved and confirmed with 

the IG’s office within 30 days of inspection. 

QFR Title: Supplemental TAP Courses and Backfilling Transitioning Service Members 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Bennett, Robert 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–005 QFR 

Question Number: 5 

Question: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found very 

low rates of attendance for the supplemental TAP courses on accessing 

higher education, career and technical training, and entrepreneurship. 

There is concern that because these courses are seen as optional, unit 

commanders are not allowing attendance of interested service members. 

Has OSD thought about mandating that service members attend at lease 

one of these currently supplemental programs to ensure their ability to 

attend if they are interested? a. From visits to military bases and asking 

service members about their transition process, the Committee has heard 

that commanders are often unwilling to let service members attend additional supplemental classes or repeat classes that service members might 

feel they need to repeat. Often the reason given is that the unit is shortstaffed and that the commander is unable to get a replacement for that 

service member until they are out-processed from the military, so they 

need them to continue training to hit readiness numbers. Have the services considered changing policy to allow the unit to request a fill for a 

sercie member they know is or will be transitioning out? b. Have the 

services considered manning units to be over 100% strength? c. We have 

also heard troubling anecdotes of commanders telling their units to sign 

in to their TAP classes so that their attendance is recorded but the to 

leave and return to work without actually sitting through the class. And 

GAO reported that after attending TAP class to make up for having attended TAP class. Have the services looked at how DoD can better monitor and address deliberate subversion of the rules? d. How are commanders at the lower echelons being educated about the importance of 

preparation and TAP courses for a successful transition? e. Have the 

services considered including transition numbers and metrics in commanders’ evaluations, similar to how they are evaluated on readiness? 

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Answer: The Army does not believe DoD has mandated Service members attend 

supplemental programs. Career Tracks are optional, supplemental TAP courses 

that are offered to Soldiers looking for specialized training during pre-separation, 

initial counseling, and in the developmental stage of their Individual Transition 

Plan (ITP). a. No. The Army’s inventory of Soldiers is not sufficient to offset losses 

any earlier than at separation date. b. No. The Army’s inventory of Soldiers is 

not sufficient to man all units at over 100% strength. c. Yes. The Army requires 

transitioning Soldiers to sign in on rosters at all installations to ensure a Soldier’s 

attendance is captured and recorded into the system of record. The Army has assigned Transition NCOs in each unit who monitor and report Soldiers not in attendance. Rosters are validated by roll call at least twice during the morning and 

afternoon sessions. If a Soldier is not present, they receive a ‘‘no-show’’ on the roster, which is followed by a report to the commander from the Transition Services 

Manager at the center. d. Each installation conducts professional development for 

commanders and leaders at lower echelons. Transition requirements are also 

taught at the commander and first sergeant courses, pre-command courses, the 

general officer transition course, and the command sergeant major transition 

course. In addition, Army Regulation 600–81, Soldier for Life - Transition Assistance Program (SFL–TAP) directs leaders to send their Soldiers to SFL–TAP. To 

encourage additional education, the Army provides contact avenues on the SFL– 

TAP website and in the regulation that allow leaders to get questions answered 

by subject matter experts. The Army educates leaders and Soldiers on the 24/7 

SFL–TAP Virtual Center and phone line, which offers Commanders flexibility in 

helping Soldiers complete SFL–TAP CRS requirements during non-duty hours 

and without interfering with mission duties. e. Yes. Currently commanders are 

authorized to include SFL–TAP percentages in personnel evaluations. 

QFR Title: Career Skills Programs 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Bennett, Robert 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–006 QFR 

Question Number: 6 

Question: The Army has focused on building Career Skills Programs (CSP) 

for transitioning service members. Are similar programs being implemented in other services through the Skillbridge program? a. What is the 

current participation rate in CSPs (or CSP like programs) across the 

services? b. How is DoD measuring success in CSPs? 

Answer: Yes, The Army collaborates with the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps 

in order to share best practices, grow the enterprise of programs, and to make 

programs available to transitioning service members from all Services. For example, there is currently one Air Force member attending the Microsoft Software & 

Systems Academy (MSSA) CSP being held at Fort Benning, GA. a. Army CSP 

data/metrics are tracked with the Installation Management Command Common 

Operating Picture (COP) (as of 27NOV17). In FY16, 2,436 Soldiers enrolled, with 

2,271 Soldiers completing a CSP (93%). As a result, 2,013 Soldiers received job 

placement (89%). In FY17, 4,251 Soldiers enrolled, with 3,930 Soldiers completing 

a CSP (92%) and to date, 3,722 Soldiers have received job placement (95%). b. For 

the Army, success is measured by achieving a 90% job placement rate upon transition from active duty for Soldiers completing a CSP. For the past two years, the 

Army has exceeded this goal and is on track to continue this standard of excellence in FY18. 

QFR Title: Career Skills Programs 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Stein, Kurt W 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–006 QFR 

Question Number: 6 

Question: The Army has focused on building Career Skills Programs (CSP) 

for transitioning service members. Are similar programs being implemented in other services through the Skillbridge program? a. What is the 

current participation rate in CSPs (or CSP like programs) across the 

services? b. How is DoD measuring success in CSPs? 

Answer: The Marine Corps has nine SkillBridge programs that include welding, 

cyber security, emergency medical services, and commercial driving training 

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across various installations, bases, and stations. In FY17, 755 Marines participated in these Skillbridge programs. 

QFR Title: Flag and General Officers and Senior Enlisted Advsiors 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Stein, Kurt W 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–010 QFR 

Question Number: 10 

Question: When flag officers testify to congressional committees or conduct 

office calls, are they encourage or directed to attend with their senior enlisted advisor? a. Would be beneficial for congressional committees to 

hear testimony directly from senior enlisted advisors? 

Answer: The senior enlisted advisor provides important feedback and guidance to 

general officers. They may choose to consult with their senior enlisted advisor 

prior to testifying before Congress, however, each congressional engagement is 

unique and may not require their attendance. Congressional committees do hear 

testimony directly from senior enlisted advisors. The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps typically testifies each year on quality of life issues affecting Marines 

and their families. 

QFR Title: Flag and General Officers and Senior Enlisted Advsiors 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Bennett, Robert 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–010 QFR 

Question Number: 10 

Question: When flag officers testify to congressional committees or conduct office 

calls, are they encourage or directed to attend with their senior enlisted advisor? 

a. Would be beneficial for congressional committees to hear testimony directly 

from senior enlisted advisors? 

Answer: Flag officers are not directed to attend with their Senior Enlisted Leaders 

(SEL). a. Yes. Also, the Sergeant Major of the Army, SMA Dailey, often encourages Army SELs to engage with Members and their staffs in an open dialogue 

when the voice of the enlisted force can offer an additional perspective unique to 

their respective formations. 

QFR Title: Supplemental TAP Courses and Backfilling Transitioning Service Members 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Thomas, Karl O 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–005 QFR 

Question Number: 5 

Question: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found very 

low rates of attendance for the supplemental TAP courses on accessing 

higher education, career and technical training, and entrepreneurship. 

There is concern that because these courses are seen as optional, unit 

commanders are not allowing attendance of interested service members. 

Has OSD thought about mandating that service members attend at lease 

one of these currently supplemental programs to ensure their ability to 

attend if they are interested? a. From visits to military bases and asking 

service members about their transition process, the Committee has heard 

that commanders are often unwilling to let service members attend additional supplemental classes or repeat classes that service members might 

feel they need to repeat. Often the reason given is that the unit is shortstaffed and that the commander is unable to get a replacement for that 

service member until they are out-processed from the military, so they 

need them to continue training to hit readiness numbers. Have the services considered changing policy to allow the unit to request a fill for a 

sercie member they know is or will be transitioning out? b. Have the 

services considered manning units to be over 100% strength? c. We have 

also heard troubling anecdotes of commanders telling their units to sign 

in to their TAP classes so that their attendance is recorded but the to 

leave and return to work without actually sitting through the class. And 

GAO reported that after attending TAP class to make up for having attended TAP class. Have the services looked at how DoD can better monLeonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER

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itor and address deliberate subversion of the rules? d. How are commanders at the lower echelons being educated about the importance of 

preparation and TAP courses for a successful transition? e. Have the 

services considered including transition numbers and metrics in commanders’ evaluations, similar to how they are evaluated on readiness? 

Answer: The supplemental transition courses generally receive positive comments 

from Service members who attend across the Services. Consideration was given 

to mandate attendance, however, as an alternative it is Navy policy for the Sailor 

to participate if both the Sailor and command transition officer determine participation is required to achieve career readiness standards, which are based on Service member-defined objectives that must be achieved in order to meet their postmilitary service goals. The majority of Sailors look to reenter the civilian workforce after separation and many are already accessing higher education through 

our Navy Voluntary Education Program, which does not require them to attend 

the supplemental courses on accessing higher education, career and technical 

training or entrepreneurship to meet their career readiness standards. Commanders currently have the ability to request fills for transitioning Sailors, however, they are not always provided in time to help the separating Sailor prepare 

full-time for transition. While each unit’s needs and capacity differ, transitioning 

Sailors are afforded time to prepare beginning at the start of their career and 

through their entire military life cycle and are provided information and guidance 

at career development boards for enlisted and mid-term counseling for officers. 

The military life cycle model provides Service members the time and resources to 

plan for their inevitable transition from Active Duty; reduces mission impact as 

many transition-related actions are completed during the normal course of business instead of at the end of a Service member’s time on Active Duty; and allows 

increased flexibility for transition service delivery. Manning units above 100 percent is not feasible within existing funded and authorized end strength. Manpower requirements are based on Navy’s force structure and manning units above 

100 percent within existing funded end strength would create gaps in other valid 

manpower requirements ultimately degrading readiness. Our focus instead is on 

the military life cycle and ensuring preparations for transitioning out of the Navy 

commence at the beginning of a Sailor’s military career, and continue throughout. 

Navy does not give credit for attendance if Sailors do not attend all modules of 

the transition assistance program curriculum. If members are called out of class 

by their command then they must reschedule to attend missed modules. However, 

in an effort to better capture and evaluate Sailor participation, the Navy has been 

working with Department of Defense and other Services to change the participant 

assessment to include questions on command support, timeliness of participation 

and reasons for virtual course participation vice brick and mortar. We leverage 

an extensive personal and professional Navy network to keep the Fleet informed 

of new policy changes and transition assistance program implementation challenges. We work with Fleet engagement teams to coordinate and provide training 

to commanders worldwide on procedures, policies, new aspects of the transition 

assistance program and reporting requirements. We also coordinate efforts with 

our Fleet and Force Career Counselors to provide timely and pertinent information through release of instructions, Navy Administrative Messages, emails, the 

transition webpage, and Plain Talk for Sailors bulletins. The addition of Transition Assistance Program compliance to the annual ‘‘Golden Anchor’’ retention 

award since 2016 increased self-awareness and provided motivation to improve 

transition performance at the Commander level. Navy provides transition assistance program metrics to Commanders and Commanding Officers. With this tool 

in place, my team worked with Fleet Commanders to add transition assistance 

program compliance as a criterion for the annual ‘‘Golden Anchor’’ retention 

award, which recognizes commands with exceptional Sailor retention programs. 

We also include Transition Assistance Program metrics in our Chief of Naval Operations Health of the Force report, which provides comprehensive information on 

personnel readiness issues. 

QFR Title: Career Skills Programs 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Thomas, Karl O 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–006 QFR 

Question Number: 6 

Question: The Army has focused on building Career Skills Programs (CSP) 

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mented in other services through the Skillbridge program? a. What is the 

current participation rate in CSPs (or CSP like programs) across the 

services? b. How is DoD measuring success in CSPs? 

Answer: Yes, Navy has 16 employment skills programs with 8 additional programs 

in the planning stages for fiscal year (FY) 2018. As of June 2017, 158 Navy personnel have completed SkillBridge programs with a job placement rate of 65 percent. Programs such as Onward-to-Opportunity (O2O) provide up to six to eight 

weeks of training for in-demand fields such as cybersecurity and software engineering. The O2O program is currently hosted at three Navy locations including 

Norfolk, VA, Jacksonville, FL, and San Diego, CA. Navy is also partnering with 

Microsoft and Amazon to provide employment skills training programs for FY2018 

at various locations throughout the Navy enterprise including Gulfport, MS, Pensacola, FL, and Ventura County, CA. The Veterans-in-piping (VIP) pre-apprenticeship training at Naval Station Norfolk is considered a best practice program for 

Department of Defense SkillBridge. The VIP is designed to fill a critical workforce 

need for welders in Norfolk and Hampton Roads, VA, and involves 18 continuous 

weeks of full-time classroom and on-the-job training sessions. Navy actively seeks 

to collaborate with companies and training providers to establish more SkillBridge 

training programs on, or near, Navy installations. 

QFR Title: Flag and General Officers and Senior Enlisted Advsiors 

Requestors: Rep Timothy J. Walz 

Witness: Thomas, Karl O 

QFR ID: HVAC–01–010 QFR 

Question Number: 10 

Question: When flag officers testify to congressional committees or conduct 

office calls, are they encourage or directed to attend with their senior enlisted advisor? a. Would be beneficial for congressional committees to 

hear testimony directly from senior enlisted advisors? 

Answer: The senior enlisted advisor provides important feedback and guidance to 

flag officers. They may choose to consult with their senior enlisted advisor prior 

to testifying before Congress, however, each congressional engagement is unique 

and may not require their attendance. Congressional committees do hear testimony directly from senior enlisted advisors. The Master Chief Petty Officer of the 

Navy typically testifies each year on quality of life issues affecting Sailors and 

their families. 

f 

Ranking Member Tim Walz, House Veterans Affairs Committee 

Questions 

1. In any of GAO’s studies, has GAO collect data on service member’s educational 

backgrounds before they enter military service? Ifso, please provide a copy of the 

study (or studies) that occurred in. 

a.If GAO has collected such data: 

i. What variation did GAO see in the level of education of services members upon 

entering the service? 

ii. How many service members entering the service are not prepared to pursue 

higher education? 

iii. How effectively is the Department of Defense addressing this issue? (What is 

the percentage of service members not prepared to pursue higher education upon 

leaving the service, as compared to the number in subsection ii?) 

II.GAO response 

GAO has not collected or analyzed data on servicemembers’ educational 

backgrounds before entering military service. As a result, GAO cannot describe the extent to which new servicemembers’ education levels vary or 

assess how prepared they are to pursue higher education when they leave 

military service. The Defense Manpower Data Center within the Department of Defense may be able to provide such data. 

f 

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Full Committee Ranking Member Tim Walz to U.S. Department of Veterans 

Affairs 

Question 1: What does VA consider a successful transition for a service 

member leaving the Department of Defense (DoD)? 

VA Response: One of the key objectives of the Transition Assistance Program 

(TAP) is attainment of career-readiness skills that meet the standards as defined 

and measured by the Services. As part of the 60-day tasking from the HVAC EO 

Subcommittee, the interagency partners are working together to refine the definition of success, to include desired outcomes and success metrics. 

Question 1a. What metrics does VA use to measure this success? 

VA Response: VA uses the Transition Goals, Plans, Success (GPS) Participant 

Assessment performance metrics provided by DoD. The Participant assessment collects Servicemembers demographic data and includes questions to assess the quality 

of the course curriculum, materials, facilitators, and facilities. Participants also answer questions that gauge their intent to apply the information learned, confidence 

derived by completing the various modules/tracks, and self-assessed knowledge gain. 

VA consistently receives high evaluations from Servicemembers who attend VA Benefits Briefings I and II, averaging 96 percent satisfaction on information learned, 

96 percent on facilitator effectiveness, and 94 percent on confidence gained from the 

material. 

Question 2: Has VA identified certain groups that are at higher risk for homelessness, unemployment or mental health issues during or after transition? 

VA Response: Not yet, but we are working to do so. Currently, for those identified by DoD who do not have a post-transition housing plan or do not meet Career 

Readiness Standards, VA facilitates warm handovers. 

Question 2a: If so, is VA tracking any specific statistics or metrics for those at 

risk groups, and what are those statistics? 

VA Response: VA currently does not have specific statistics or metrics for 

Servicemembers deemed at risk for homelessness, unemployment or mental health 

issues during or after transition. To begin collecting baseline data and examining 

trends around this group, we recently updated the TAP Memorandum of Understanding to aggregate the data and track Servicemembers requiring warm 

handovers because they lack a post-transition housing plan and/or do not meet Career Readiness Standards. VA aggregates the above data by Service, Component 

and Grade. This information will provide us with statistics that will be useful in 

better assisting high risk individuals. 

Question 2b: Does VA consider service members receiving a discharge other than 

‘‘Honorable’’ to be a higher risk for homelessness, unemployment or mental health 

issues when compared to the general transitioning population? 

VA Response: Through an interagency work group with representation from VA, 

DoD, DoL, OPM, ED, DHS and SBA, VA is in the process of collecting and analyzing data to determine the impact of other-than-honorable separations on the associated level of risk for Servicemembers/Veterans. 

Question 3: In her testimony, Ms. Margarita Devlin, Executive Director of Benefits Assistance Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, spoke about collecting information on post separation outcomes. Does VA plan to make this survey longitudinal? 

VA Response: Yes, the current post separation assessment asks Veterans about 

their willingness to participate in a longer term study. The intention is to track the 

cohorts over time during their transition journey. 

Question 3a: What outcomes and metrics will VA be measuring in this Survey? 

VA Response: Objective and subjective measures will be gathered in the following domains: mental/physical health, social relationships, financial situation, employment, entrepreneurship, education and housing. 

Question 4: Has VA considered evaluating the Benefits I and II programs using 

metrics measuring information retained by the service member? 

VA Response: VA currently tracks Transitioning Servicemember knowledge 

through Direct Knowledge Questions administered in the Transition GPS Participant Assessment during the TAP GPS modules. Participants answer questions to 

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gauge their retention of the information learned. The results are used to inform 

question revision and curriculum content. VA receives the quarterly Transition GPS 

Participant Assessment data from DoD and consistently receives high evaluations 

from Servicemembers who attend Benefits Briefings I and II, averaging 96 percent 

satisfaction on information learned. 

Æ 

Leonard.horne on VACREP0180 with DISTILLER