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67–190 2011

TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND 

VETSUCCESS ON CAMPUS PROGRAM 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

JUNE 2, 2011 

Serial No. 112–15 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

( 


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COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS 

JEFF MILLER, Florida, Chairman 

CLIFF STEARNS, Florida 

DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado 

GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida 

DAVID P. ROE, Tennessee 

MARLIN A. STUTZMAN, Indiana 

BILL FLORES, Texas 

BILL JOHNSON, Ohio 

JEFF DENHAM, California 

JON RUNYAN, New Jersey 

DAN BENISHEK, Michigan 

ANN MARIE BUERKLE, New York 

TIM HUELSKAMP, Kansas 

Vacancy 

Vacancy 

BOB FILNER, California, Ranking 

CORRINE BROWN, Florida 

SILVESTRE REYES, Texas 

MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine 

LINDA T. SA ́ NCHEZ, California 

BRUCE L. BRALEY, Iowa 

JERRY MCNERNEY, California 

JOE DONNELLY, Indiana 

TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota 

JOHN BARROW, Georgia 

RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri 

HELEN W. TOLAR, Staff Director and Chief Counsel 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY 

MARLIN A. STUTZMAN, Indiana, Chairman 

GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida 

BILL JOHNSON, Ohio 

TIM HUELSKAMP, Kansas 

JEFF DENHAM, California 

BRUCE L. BRALEY, Iowa, Ranking 

LINDA T. SA ́ NCHEZ, California 

TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota 

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 

June 2, 2011 

Page 

Transition Assistance Program and VetSuccess on Campus Program ............... 1 

OPENING STATEMENTS 

Chairman Marlin A. Stutzman ............................................................................... 1 

Prepared statement of Chairman Stutzman .................................................. 31 

Hon. Bruce L. Braley, Ranking Republican Member ........................................... 2 

Prepared statement of Congressman Braley .................................................. 31 

WITNESSES 

U.S. Department of Defense: 

Brigadier General Robert F. Hedelund, Director, Marine and Family 

Programs, United States Marine Corps ......................................................... 16 

Prepared statement of General Hedelund .................................................. 39 

Philip A. Burdette, Principal Director, Office of Wounded Warrior Care 

and Transition Policy ....................................................................................... 19 

Prepared statement of Mr. Burdette ........................................................... 44 

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Thomas J. Pamperin, Deputy Under 

Secretary for Disability Assistance, Veterans Benefits Administration .......... 17 

Prepared statement of Mr. Pamperin ............................................................. 42 

U.S. Department of Labor, Hon. Raymond M. Jefferson, Assistant Secretary, 

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service .................................................... 21 

Prepared statement of Mr. Jefferson .............................................................. 48 

American Veterans (AMVETS), Christina M. Roof, National Acting Legislative Director .......................................................................................................... 3 

Prepared statement of Ms. Roof ...................................................................... 32 

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Marco Reininger, Legislative 

Fellow .................................................................................................................... 5 

Prepared statement of Mr. Reininger ............................................................. 37 

SUBMISSION FOR THE RECORD 

Student Veterans of America, Michael Dakduk, Executive Director .................. 52 

MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD 

Post-Hearing Questions and Responses for the Record: 

Hon. Bruce L. Braley, Ranking Democratic Member, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, to Christina M. Roof, 

National Acting Legislative Director, AMVETS, letter dated June 2, 2011, 

and AMVETS responses ................................................................................... 54 

Hon. Bruce L. Braley, Ranking Democratic Member, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, to Brigadier General 

Robert F. Hedelund, Director, Marine and Family Programs, United 

States Marine Corps, U.S. Department of Defense, letter dated June 

2, 2011, and USMC responses ......................................................................... 55 

Hon. Bruce L. Braley, Ranking Democratic Member, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, to Thomas 

Pamperin, Deputy Under Secretary for Disability Assistance, Veterans 

Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, letter 

dated June 2, 2011, and VA responses ........................................................... 56 


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iv 

Post-Hearing Questions and Responses for the Record—Continued 

Hon. Bruce L. Braley, Ranking Democratic Member, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, to Philip A. 

Burdette, Principal Director, Office of Secretary of Defense, Office of 

Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy, U.S. Department of Defense, letter dated June 2, 2011, and DoD responses .................................... 58 

Hon. Bruce L. Braley, Ranking Democratic Member, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, to Hon. Raymond 

M. Jefferson, Assistant Secretary, Veterans’ Employment and Training 

Service, U.S. Department of Labor, and DOL’s responses ............................ 60 


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TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND 

VETSUCCESS ON CAMPUS PROGRAM 

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2011 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS, 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, 

Washington, DC. 

The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 11:07 a.m., in Room 

334, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Marlin A. Stutzman 

[Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding. 

Present: Representatives Stutzman, Bilirakis, Johnson, and 

Braley. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN STUTZMAN 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Good morning. It is good to see everybody here 

this morning. Beautiful, warm, DC day. 

The topic of this morning’s hearing is the Transition Assistance 

Program, TAP, and VetSuccess on Campus Programs. TAP is a program that is supposed to help discharging veterans transition from 

the military into civilian careers. The U.S. Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA) also has a portion of TAP where they educate the 

servicemembers on the multitude of services that are available to 

them once they become veterans. 

My staff recently completed visits to four TAP sites in Florida, 

Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. And I believe Mr. 

Braley’s staff has just visited several VetSuccess sites on campuses 

out west as well. 

I am going to yield to the distinguished Ranking Member in a 

moment to review his staff’s visit, but I believe it is fair to say that 

the TAP site visits resulted in a mixed bag of observations. 

On the plus side, staff observed that, with one minor exception, 

nearly all the instructors’ presentations were very highly professional. The instructors had a level of energy and instructional techniques that were a pleasure to watch and the staff was encouraged 

by their enthusiasm and professionalism. 

Unfortunately, the staff could not say the same about facilities, 

class sizes, and materials. For example, at Camp Lejeune, there 

were 165 Marines in the class being held in a gym. 

While I know Assistant Secretary Jefferson is working hard to 

renovate TAP, and I congratulate him for his efforts, it appears 

that an insufficient number of instructors appears to be driving the 

class size at Lejeune. And that, I am sure Secretary Jefferson 

would agree, is not acceptable. 


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Additionally, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is not alone. 

Their TAP partners, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), VA, 

and the State workforce agencies, need to take a hard look at the 

total quality of TAP. Across the TAP sites, hand-out materials were 

not standardized, sometimes out of date, or just not available. 

In one instance, the materials failed to contain any information 

on the current Post-9/11 GI Bill, which became law in 2009. In at 

least one class, the VA instructor admitted he did not know much 

about some of the programs. 

For a program that has been in operation for nearly 20 years, 

those discrepancies are unacceptable and we cannot ignore today’s 

shortcomings. So I look forward to hearing from today’s witnesses. 

And I will yield to the gentleman from Iowa’s first district, Mr. 

Braley. 

[The prepared statement of Chairman Stutzman appears on 

p. 31.] 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BRUCE L. BRALEY 

Mr. BRALEY. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for 

holding this important hearing. 

I was delayed getting here because I was meeting with representatives from DoD about important educational assistance programs to children of military families. 

And I think it is part of that broader continuum of our obligation 

to provide education and training to people who serve this country 

with honor and distinction and making sure that we are living up 

to our commitment to them that they gave to us when they signed 

up for this job. 

Many of our brave servicemen and women in this country are returning in need of health care, employment, housing, education, 

and other services. Like veterans all over the country, they deserve 

our best efforts in providing the resources to ensure a seamless 

transition from military service to civilian life. 

This Subcommittee has explored various options to accommodate 

servicemembers and encourage them, as well as their spouses, to 

attend the Transition Assistance Program. I think that is a very 

important point often lost on American citizens. 

This is a team effort and spouses are fully committed to being 

a support system along with their families to the actively deployed 

member of the military. And we have an obligation to give them 

opportunities for the sacrifice they have made. 

One of the things that we are looking at in terms of proposed 

changes is expanding evening classes and adding online resources 

to accommodate servicemembers’ and their spouses’ working schedules, which is a very real reality. 

Others have suggested making the program mandatory for separating servicemembers and expanding the existing Montgomery GI 

Bill benefits. 

I was happy to learn that the three responsible departments that 

make TAP possible, DoD, VA, and Department of Labor, were also 

aware of the criticism surrounding TAP and they have been working to modernize this important workshop. 

Today we will reexamine TAP and the progress that has been 

made by the departments. I hope we also have the opportunity to 


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learn how the program is assisting our veterans in a seamless transition into employment and their communities. 

As many of you know, TAP was established to meet the needs 

of separating servicemembers during the period of readjustment 

into civilian life. The program offers job search assistance and related services such as workshops and resume writing, the interview 

process, labor market overviews, personal appraisal, and VA benefits. The program seeks to provide veterans with the skills and 

services needed to make that transition into the workforce. 

We also know that the VetSuccess on Campus Program plays a 

similar role to TAP. It helps individuals as they transition from 

being servicemembers to students and that transition is critical to 

help student veterans succeed in school and feel welcome and accepted in campuses across the country. 

The age difference between a non-veteran and a veteran in a 

classroom can vary and might make the veteran feel as if they cannot relate or be intimidating at times. 

VetSuccess on Campus helps veterans network with other veterans, but most importantly it can ease the veteran’s transition by 

helping them apply for education benefits. 

This hearing today will inform us of all the initiatives being implemented to help servicemembers and veterans succeed, so I want 

to thank you again for holding the hearing and look forward to the 

testimony of our witnesses. And I yield back. 

[The prepared statement of Congressman Braley appears on 

p. 31.] 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Okay. Thank you. 

At this time, we are going to welcome our first panel to the table. 

And our first panel consists of Mr. Marco Reininger, Legislative 

Fellow for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), 

and Ms. Christina Roof, National Acting Legislative Director for 

AMVETS. 

You are welcome to the table at this time. 

And, Ms. Roof, I think we will start with you and we will recognize you for 5 minutes. Thanks for coming today and I am looking 

forward to your testimony as well as your input. 

STATEMENTS OF CHRISTINA M. ROOF, NATIONAL ACTING 

LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN VETERANS (AMVETS); 

AND MARCO REININGER, LEGISLATIVE FELLOW, IRAQ AND 

AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF AMERICA 

STATEMENT OF CHRISTINA M. ROOF 

Ms. ROOF. Chairman Stutzman, Ranking Member Braley, and 

distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, on behalf of 

AMVETS, I would like to extend our gratitude for being given the 

opportunity to share with you our views and recommendations regarding the Transition Assistance Program and VetSuccess on 

Campus. 

You have my complete statement for the record, so today I would 

like to focus on TAP. 

While AMVETS is aware of the recent efforts to improve TAP, 

we still strongly believe the overall program to be falling short of 

its intended purposes. 


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TAP classes are often the only opportunity a servicemember or 

qualifying spouse will have to receive the critical information vital 

to sustaining their quality of life after the military. 

After spending years becoming a part of a respected military culture, servicemembers who leave the military face a new unknown 

culture when they step into a civilian role or corporate career. This 

transition is often complicated by visible and invisible injuries a 

servicemember sustained while serving their country. 

AMVETS ardently believes that as the faces and needs of today’s 

transitioning servicemembers and veterans change, it is critical for 

DoD, VA, and DOL to be ready and willing to adapt their programs 

to better meet these needs. 

AMVETS has also noticed what appears to be a lack of confidence in the thoroughness and success of TAP among the individual branches. 

For example, the U.S. Marine Corps has successfully adapted 

and utilized their updated version of TAP for some time now. The 

Marine Corps mandates that every transitioning Marine participate in TAP and the Marine Corps also has a higher rate of eligible 

spouse participation in TAP. 

Often the U.S. Army utilizes Army Community Service centers 

to provide additional, and sometimes duplicate, TAP services to 

their transitioning wounded warriors. 

While AMVETS applauds the individual branches for stepping 

up to fill the gaps of services and information that are supposed 

to be covered in TAP, we have to ask if taking the successful practices and programs from each branch and combining them into one, 

uniform updated TAP would not be a better way of ensuring successful transition across every branch of the United States military. 

We are all aware of the fact that duplication of efforts and funding of multiple programs with large overlap is not the best way to 

meet the needs of today’s transitioning war fighters or their families. 

AMVETS would like to offer the following recommendations on 

how we believe TAP can be strengthened. 

One, AMVETS strongly recommends TAP be a mandatory program in which all transitioning servicemembers are required to attend before they are released from DoD. 

Two, DoD, VA, and DOL must design and implement a stronger 

Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP) for wounded 

servicemembers who are hospitalized or who are receiving any type 

of medical rehabilitation during their military service discharge. 

We too often see the entire focus put on the servicemember’s physical recovery while overlooking preparation for life outside of the 

service. 

Third, DoD, VA, and DOL must also redesign and build upon the 

programs available to active-duty National Guard and Reserve 

members. As the current conflicts have shown us, members of the 

Guard and Reserve are just as likely to be deployed into combat 

zones. This means these men and women are serving side-by-side 

their active-duty colleagues and are serving just as long. TAP offered to these men and women must be equal to that of their active-duty counterparts. 


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Fourth, AMVETS strongly recommends the inclusion or involvement of a certified veteran service organization’s service officer in 

a TAP class or at a minimum as an outside DoD, VA, and DOL referral servicemembers can receive by name. 

Finally, AMVETS believes there needs to be immediate and intense focus and education on the translation of military experience 

to a civilian skill set and resume. This should also include guidance 

on what fields of employment to look for in the private sector. 

A 2011 national survey of private sector businesses clearly illustrated the disconnect and lack of understanding between what 

someone did in the military compared to that of what the private 

sector job requisites are. 

Chairman Stutzman and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, AMVETS again would like to thank you for inviting us 

to share with you our opinions and recommendations on these very 

important issues. 

This concludes my testimony and I stand ready to answer any 

questions you may have for me. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Roof appears on p. 32.] 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Thank you. 

Mr. Reininger, is that how you pronounce it? I want to make 

sure I pronounce it. 

Mr. REININGER. Reininger. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Reininger. Okay. All right. Sorry about that. Go 

ahead. You have 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF MARCO REININGER 

Mr. REININGER. Chairman Stutzman, Ranking Member Braley, 

and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, I want to thank 

you for the opportunity to testify before you today on behalf of the 

more than 200,000 veterans and supporters of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and the many veterans who are currently 

unemployed and looking for work. 

My name is Marco Reininger. I am an Army non-commissioned 

officer (NCO) and veteran of the war in Afghanistan. I currently 

study political science at Columbia University on the GI Bill and 

serve as a Legislative Fellow for IAVA. 

Today I am not expressing the views of the U.S. Army, but my 

own and those of IAVA. 

Mr. Chairman, unemployment is a major issue facing our newest 

generation of veterans. Over 200,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are seeking employment. Not only is this number unacceptably high, but it also represents a tremendous waste of resources. 

The members of our armed services are some of the best trained, 

most disciplined, and most ambitious men and women this country 

has to offer. Not equipping them with the tools they need to transition into the civilian workforce is simply bad economics. 

Hundreds of thousands and often millions of taxpayer dollars are 

spent on training each servicemember and every one that cannot 

find employment is a missed opportunity. 

After two decades without significant changes to the Transition 

Assistance Program, it is time to take a serious look at overhauling 

it. 


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IAVA member Nick Colgin is one vet who would have benefitted 

from improved TAP classes. Nick was a combat medic in the Army, 

but could not find a job in the civilian world. Nick went through 

the TAP Program, but was being treated for traumatic brain injury 

(TBI) at the same time, so the classes did not suit his needs and 

were not helpful. 

On March 3rd, 2011, during his testimony before the Senate 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Assistant Secretary Ray Jefferson 

put forward excellent recommendations to overhaul TAP and turn 

it into a more effective and relevant program. 

IAVA supports his recommended improvements in addition to 

several other crucial items. TAP needs to be a program that addresses each servicemember’s unique level of experience, education, 

career of choice, and readiness to enter the civilian job market. 

Having a lance corporal medic and an armor lieutenant colonel 

attend the same course as is currently the case is inefficient and 

a tremendous waste of opportunity. 

The goal of TAP should be to ask the servicemember what are 

your employment or entrepreneurial goals and then provide a detailed plan on how to achieve them. 

We support DOL Veterans’ Employment and Training Service’s 

(VETS’) recommendations to update traditional TAP elements, implement e-learning modules, create an online TAP platform, transition entirely to contracted instructors, and provide e-mail and 

phone support for transitioning servicemembers. 

In addition to the Assistant Secretary’s recommendations to 

measure the program’s success, IAVA recommends that an outside 

organization with expertise in analyzing performance metrics be 

contracted to do so and be contracted to conduct a full audit of the 

program every 3 years to ensure that the program remains efficient 

and relevant. 

We need to build for the future and ensure that TAP is set up 

to serve many generations of servicemembers to come. 

Lastly, the program will not succeed if servicemembers do not attend. According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics survey of over 

600,000 veterans, 45 percent said that they never attended TAP 

when separating from the military. 

Therefore, we recommend for the program to become mandatory 

for all transitioning servicemembers, be expanded in length, and 

the course be given sufficiently early before the servicemember’s 

separation date. 

Mr. Chairman, one of the most valuable steps a veteran can take 

to be successful in the job market is to earn a college degree. The 

Post-9/11 GI Bill has already opened the doors to success for hundreds of thousands of veterans across the country. 

Along with this important new veteran’s benefit come challenges 

to the VA and the educational institutions. To mitigate those challenges, VetSuccess on Campus, the VA program that places VA 

personnel on college campuses, should play a crucial role in ensuring that student veterans receive their benefits on time. 

IAVA recommends that the number of vocational and peer-topeer counselors be increased and expanded to every campus that 

hosts a significant amount of student veterans. 


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Currently certifying officials are not trained to a specific standard, they are not held accountable, and are often overworked with 

other duties. And in those cases, the student veteran always loses. 

This is a problem because correct GI Bill certification is crucial 

to ensuring the veteran receives his or her living stipend. Especially for student veterans with families, this stipend is financial 

life support that cannot be tampered with. 

Dedicated on campus VA counselors are important for student 

veterans and should be present at every campus in America. 

Mr. Chairman, the men and women that served our country in 

uniform are a tremendous resource of expertise, technical skill, and 

they have the right attitude for the workplace. 

In a time where our Nation faces economic turbulence and high 

unemployment, we simply cannot afford to leave this resource untapped. We must ensure our veterans are hired and we hope to be 

a resource to you in this endeavor. 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony and I am looking forward to answer any questions you or the Members of the Subcommittee may have. Thank you for the opportunity to speak before you today. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Reininger appears on p. 37.] 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Thank you, Mr. Reininger. And first of all, I 

would like to just thank you for your service to our country and for 

what you have done and what you will do. 

I will start the questions. I do have a couple of questions for both 

of you. And you mentioned the statistic of 45 percent of servicemembers attend TAP. That is for all branches. 

And am I correct that the Marines do require—it is mandatory 

for their servicemembers to attend TAP before they are discharged 

and do we know if their percentage is any higher than the other 

branches? 

Ms. ROOF. When I spoke with Marine Corps officials last week, 

I was told that it is mandatory that their Marines complete the 

TAP Program. I was also told there were some exceptions, of 

course, when there was, you know, life critical injuries involved 

and so on. But I was told last week that it is mandatory that all 

their Marines complete TAP before their service discharge. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. So that is with no exceptions? I mean, every Marine coming out has completed TAP or—— 

Ms. ROOF. Again, I can only go on what they told me which was, 

you know, it was mandatory, which I think is a great idea and 

should be across the board. I cannot speak again to each individual 

case, but it seems like they are enforcing it. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. So would the 45 percent number have Marines 

included in that percentage or do we not know more of the demographics of that poll or that study? 

Ms. ROOF. I will let my colleague. I think that was his number. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Yes. 

Mr. REININGER. Sir, if I may, I am not 100 percent sure whether 

or not this number includes the Marine Corps, but I believe that 

making it mandatory DoD-wide would be the right solution here. 

That same survey indicated that many veterans did not attend 

the TAP Program or TAP courses that were offered because it had 

a reputation of being redundant, not really useful for making a sucVerDate Nov 24 2008 02:02 Dec 02, 2011 Jkt 067190 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 I:\VA\67190.XXX GPO1 PsN: 67190

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cessful transition. And in some cases, even commanding officers 

would not let them go. Again, this is what the survey indicated. 

So mandating it DoD-wide for all service branches would be the 

right answer here, sir. And, of course, along with that comes having to overhaul the program so that it actually works and makes 

sense for people to attend. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Mr. Reininger, I would like to ask you, what was 

your experience like? Plenty of information given to you? You were 

fully aware of TAP and the scheduling? Can you share a little bit 

about your experience with it? 

Mr. REININGER. Certainly, Mr. Chairman. 

As a Guard member, I came off active duty twice. I did not attend the TAP Program. It was not offered for us at the time. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Okay. 

Mr. REININGER. So what we went through was I guess a similar 

concept, but it was only a few hours and it was essentially a briefing on what benefits are available, what suicide hotline to call, and 

basically handing out paperwork to register with the VA. 

So it was certainly insufficient for preparing someone to go out, 

hit the job market, apply, and go to interviews. I already knew that 

I was going to go to school, so I did not pay too much attention. 

But I can tell you, sir, that in that respect, it was insufficient. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. If we did adopt a policy that mandated all of 

those to attend TAP, all servicemembers, any ideas how we—how 

do we enforce it? How do we make sure—is there a penalty? How 

do we get folks to attend a TAP meeting? And I am not sure what 

the Marines do I guess entirely, so maybe they already have a 

model that is working. 

Ms. ROOF. Well, I think the first step is you make people want 

to go. You make the program worth their time and you reschedule 

when they have the classes. 

If I can share just a little bit of a personal, my younger brother 

returned from Afghanistan about a year and a half ago and he was 

on base for about 2 weeks. And they said, you know, okay, your 10 

years is up. We are going to go ahead and transition you out. Here 

is a class. You are going to do it, the same day that the movers 

are coming to your house, so make sure your wife is there. 

And he told me, he said he did not remember two words those 

people said to him. He was thinking about what the movers are 

doing with their stuff, if his wife was okay, and that he only had 

3 days until he got to go home. 

So I think, again, readjusting the program so people want to go, 

so you do not have to make them go, as well as looking at when 

the classes are held is number one. 

Two, within DoD, I do not think you will have a lot of problem 

if someone’s commanding officer (CO) tells them to go to the class. 

I am pretty sure they will go if the COs are held accountable to 

making sure everyone goes. But, again, that might be a good question for the Marine Corps. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. I mean, with only 3 days left and, like you said, 

they have a lot of other things on their mind, what would make 

them want to go? 

Ms. ROOF. Well, again, my brother had told me, he said, again, 

the timing was horrible. He had only been back from deployment 


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for a couple weeks. So he said, you know, maybe if we would have 

done this a couple months ago when I was not thinking about movers. 

And he said they kind of talked—and, again, I am not saying this 

is for every class, just the class he was in—they kind of talked at 

him, at them instead of to them if that makes sense. And there was 

also some misinformation given regarding VA benefits. So I am 

hoping that was just a one-time incident for the class he was in. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Sure. Well, any information like that is helpful. 

We are never going to have a perfect system, but we obviously 

want to make it as beneficial and get the value for our servicemembers coming out of the programs. 

Ms. ROOF. And if I may, you said something about how you were 

given a couple hours. That has to be fixed. That has to be changed. 

The members of the Guard and Reserve are doing the exact same 

thing as their active-duty colleagues. They deserve the exact same 

benefits and opportunities for transition. 

Mr. REININGER. Mr. Chairman, if I may also, to answer your first 

question, and I agree with my colleague here, as a soldier myself, 

we are used to executing orders. So if somebody tells, you know, 

the servicemember, hey, soldier Marine, you are attending the TAP 

course, move out, roger, that is it. 

So if it were mandated and, you know, COs would enforce it, 

then I do not think there would be an issue with attendance. 

Now, in terms of getting servicemembers to want to go, I agree 

also, the same survey that I cited earlier indicated that many 

servicemembers would prefer for the TAP Program to be offered 

about 6 months before their separation date so that they can go 

ahead and look at the transition plan and really start to learn the 

skills they need and adapt and implement those actions that they 

need to be successful out there. 

And I think I am looking at a statistic here right now and this 

is Bureau of Labor Statistics’ first quarter 2011. It indicates here 

that in the age group 18 to 24, both female and male were looking 

at 29.8 percent unemployment among Operation Iraqi Freedom 

(OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) vets. 

So if you tell folks, listen up, if you go out there, there is a 30 

percent chance you are going to be unemployed, then I think people 

would start listening because a lot of folks have families to support. 

And we are used to working and we are used to working hard. So, 

you know, having a program that I am told will work and I am told 

to attend, I think, would do the job. 

And, again, it is all about making it relevant, bringing it to the 

21st Century and not teaching things that were current 20 years 

ago. I mean, the world has changed. We are talking about cuttingedge technology in place. We are talking about new ways of human 

resources department hiring people, what skills are needed. 

So if servicemembers are really prepared to go out there and 

educate employers to the value they bring to the workforce, then 

I think that would do the trick because, as we know, many employers out there do not know how to translate military skills into civilian skills. They do not know how to read a military resume. And, 

of course, working on establishing these best practices, but the separating servicemember cannot rely on that. 


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So if the TAP Program goes ahead and teaches me how to walk 

into an interview, sell myself, and really educate that employer, 

then I think we have figured out how to make it work. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Okay. Thank you. 

Mr. Braley. 

Mr. BRALEY. Let me ask you this basic question. Isn’t it true that 

the Department of Defense could make these programs mandatory 

across the board right now without any further action by Congress 

if they wanted to? 

That was a yes from both of you? 

Mr. REININGER. Yes, sir. Absolutely. The Executive Branch could 

order this to be mandatory and that would most likely be the end 

of it as far as I understand the process. 

Mr. BRALEY. And I really appreciated both of your comments because I think it is true, you need to have a clear direction from a 

commanding officer to make mandatory actually mean mandatory, 

but you also have to provide a program people think has value to 

promote the idea that it is a worthwhile thing for people to pay attention to while they are attending it. 

And one of the things that I think would be important is making 

it part of an officer’s evaluation form if this indeed is a mandatory 

program, looking at the attendance and making sure that it is, in 

fact, mandatory because one of the things we know is that when 

people have an opportunity to attend meaningful programs and feel 

they are getting something of value for it, they will share that with 

their peers. 

So rather than being one of those you just have to check off as 

you are being demobilized to get home, it is something you look forward to as helping you achieve a goal that is going to benefit you 

over the long term. 

And, Ms. Roof, I was really impressed with your comment about 

the importance of identifying the need to treat people with invisible 

injuries as a subgroup of people who are going through the TAP 

Program. 

I just attended a welcome home in Dubuque, Iowa for a young 

Marine who lost both of his legs above the knee, very serious 

wounds, in Afghanistan. When he is traveling in his home community, people have a very clear understanding of the nature and extent of his injuries. 

But we know many returning veterans who have the other signature wounds of these wars including traumatic brain injuries and 

post-traumatic stress disorder. Because they are invisible, they 

may be in a job interview or on a college campus and the people 

they are interacting with have no idea of the trauma that they 

have gone through and the needs they have that are different than 

the other population. 

And my father came home from Iwo Jima with post-traumatic 

stress disorder, went through two severe bouts of depression, so 

this is something that is very personal to me. 

And one of the things that we know is that it is also important 

for veterans to be able to open up and share what they are going 

through so that their employers and their college peers are able to 

relate to them better. 


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So what can we do to address this subgroup of returning warriors and prepare them for these TAP programs? 

Mr. REININGER. Sir, and thank you very much for making this 

very important point. As you indicated, these injuries are invisible. 

However, they are not untreatable. And with medicine advancing, 

we have seen pretty good success in treating post-traumatic stress 

disorder (PTSD), treating mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), TBI. 

So I think one key component, and, of course, this plays into educating employers, but also into educating folks that are applying 

for jobs, is that just because you have PTSD, just because you were 

diagnosed with this illness does not mean that you do not bring a 

lot to the workforce. All it means is that you have a disease or an 

injury rather like many other people and that it needs to be treated. 

So, again, I think it goes into educating employers. It goes into 

educating the individual servicemembers to make hiring professionals aware of this. And so I think that is very important. 

Ms. ROOF. And I agree. And thank you, by the way. When it 

comes down to it, TBI, for example, invisible wound, but definitely 

treatable. 

So when looking at the DTAP Program and its redesign, people 

that have suffered—there are different degrees of TBI obviously, so 

I am not going to speak across the board, but let’s talk, you know, 

mild TBI, they might cognitively function, you know, a little bit differently, but they are still absolutely the same. 

So in that transition course, adjust and adapt that course to 

meet the needs of those individuals. If it is maybe adding 1 day to 

the program or having shorter days and intervals, however it is 

going to meet their needs, the best because, again, these individuals have a tremendous amount to add to the private sector. It is 

just we have to work with them to figure out how to bring their 

best qualities to bring back to the private sector. 

Mr. BRALEY. Well, I think one of the concerns a lot of employers 

have is they do not understand the underlying nature of the disease and how it impacts the employability of that particular employee. 

And that is why I think a lot of people have a tendency to not 

to want to bring that up when in reality making employers aware 

of that on the front end and talking about the coping mechanisms 

that can be put in place to help that employee function and be effective in the workplace. 

You know, when you were talking, one of the things you mentioned was the emphasis on physical rehabilitation and not vocational rehabilitation. And when you look at physical rehabilitation, 

they focus on things like activities of daily living which are everyday benchmarks that you can identify and measure on how people 

are able to respond to a physical injury. 

We almost need activities of employment or vocational living that 

can serve as a benchmark on rehabilitation for people looking for 

work in the workplace. And I think that both of you have offered 

some great ideas on what we should be looking at in terms of providing greater opportunities to make this TAP Program work effectively. So thank you very much. 

I yield back. 


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Mr. STUTZMAN. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Braley. 

Mr. Johnson. 

Mr. JOHNSON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I thank the panel 

for being here with us this morning to talk about these very, very 

important issues. 

Ms. Roof, thank you for providing several suggestions for ways 

to improve TAP. 

What, if any, are some of the components of TAP that you believe 

are working well and benefitting veterans better than others or are 

there any? 

Ms. ROOF. Well, yes. I mean, there are parts that are working. 

But, again, I think that is going to vary from each individual location and/or class because as the Chairman was saying, you know, 

his staff saw some wonderful enthusiastic presenters, which is very 

important. You know, you have to keep people awake, have to keep 

people wanting to pay attention. 

But, then again, you hear stuff, you know, such as what happened to my brother in that kind of class or what the Chairman’s 

staff reported back to him that there was misinformation given. 

So I really think that is going to vary and that is something that 

should be looked at when looking at maybe redesigning or updating 

the program. 

Mr. JOHNSON. Okay. Well, thank you. 

You also mentioned the early success of the VetSuccess on Campus Program. What can we in Congress do to enable this program 

to continue being a successful tool for those veterans that are seeking higher education? 

Ms. ROOF. Well, first and foremost, grant the Secretary and 

grant VA the authority to expand the program and then make sure 

that they have the proper number of personnel and funds to grow 

the program and keep the oversight that it has now because it is 

working now because people are watching every step. 

If you just start expanding this rapidly and you lose oversight, 

I think there could be problems. But if you keep it how it is working now and keep the oversight level you have now, I think it 

stands to be an amazing tool. 

Mr. JOHNSON. You know, I do not know if these questions already have been asked. One of the earliest experiences we had here 

after coming to Congress in January was to visit some of our 

wounded troops over at Walter Reed. 

I met one who is a quad amputee, and very enthusiastic young 

man given his situation, sitting there with an iPad and a medical 

tape around his arm holding a stylus that he was using this iPad 

with. And when I asked him what he was doing, he said, well, he 

said I cannot walk and I cannot make a living with my arms, so 

I am applying to law school. And, of course, everybody’s chin 

dropped. What an attitude. 

What are we doing or do you have an opinion on whether we are 

addressing enough the need for opportunities, economic opportunities for those that come back? Five, 10 years ago, they did not survive, but now they are. We have a different group of veterans that 

now want to provide for themselves, but they are going to need 

some serious help in terms of educational opportunities. 


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In his case, for example, going to law school is very difficult because, and we are still trying to figure all that out, under the rules 

that existed at that time, a quad amputee could not be released 

from a facility because it takes two people to take care of them. 

So how do you bring quality education to those men and women 

who come back from the battle zones much different than when 

they went and are unable to get out like that? Have you got an 

opinion, any thoughts? 

Mr. REININGER. Sir, first of all, that is a very inspiring story and 

very touching at the same time. 

I think what we should look at is, and like you said, quality education is going to be key especially for servicemembers that come 

back with severe physical injuries like the ones you described, creating programs within the VA that would allow for and facilitate 

for somebody to go ahead and despite these injuries attend college, 

attend law school would be ideal. 

Of course, you know, I am just sitting here and brainstorming, 

but as I mentioned earlier, one of the things we advocate, and this 

pertains to TAP, but this could be applied to other programs, too, 

is to engage an outside agency, a third-party agency to go ahead 

and really assess these programs and make them relevant, bring 

them to the 21st Century, and make sure that they work. 

The Department of Labor, the Department of Veterans Affairs, 

they are great at executing most of the time, but not always necessarily great at thinking outside the box. That is not necessarily 

part of their mission. 

So going ahead and engaging an agency or an organization, 

maybe a think tank, something like the Rand Corporation, whose 

job it is to look at and improve, that would be ideal, I think, and 

that is the motivation. 

Mr. JOHNSON. I am glad you said that. You know, America has 

been great since our founding at thinking outside the box. I think 

we can solve this problem if we put our minds to it. 

Thank you for your testimony. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Okay. Thank you. 

Mr. JOHNSON. I yield back. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. All right. Thank you. 

Mr. Bilirakis. 

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 

A question for Marco Reininger. You comment in your testimony 

that the members of armed services are some of the best trained, 

most disciplined, and most ambitious men and women this country 

has to offer and not equipping them with the tools they need to 

make a successful transition into the civilian workforce is bad economics. I completely agree with you, by the way. 

Do you think that proposed Department of Labor modifications 

are sufficient to educate departing servicemembers on how their 

military skill sets translate to civilian skill sets and will you speak 

to how Congress can be more helpful in conveying the message of 

the attributes former servicemembers bring to civilian workforces? 

Mr. REININGER. Sir, the recommendations that Assistant Secretary Jefferson made are outstanding. And I was thrilled to hear 

him talk about how they even applied lean six sigma to some of 

the processes to really again think outside the box and improve. 


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I think it needs to go a little bit further in terms of, and I mentioned this during my oral testimony, making it mandatory, of 

course, which should be a relatively easy fix and then again making sure that this program remains relevant, remains up to date, 

and really serves servicemembers in the future regardless of who 

is in charge of the White House, regardless of who is in charge of 

Congress or the Department of Labor. 

And I think a key to making that happen is to having that audit 

occur at regular intervals to make sure that it stays relevant. 

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Thank you. 

Mr. REININGER. And, sir, again, a key component here, I believe, 

is educating employers. When I was about to deploy to Afghanistan, my manager went to our H.R. department and asked to fire 

me because I was gone too much for military training. Thank God 

the H.R. department knew about the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act (USERRA) laws, but this manager 

had no clue. 

Mr. BILIRAKIS. It is unfortunate. 

Mr. REININGER. So this is what we are looking at out there and 

these are issues that need to be tackled. And I think implementing 

best practices, educating H.R. departments is a key component of 

fixing this problem, sir. 

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Thank you very much. 

And I would like to discuss this issue with you maybe in my office or what have you at your convenience. Okay. Thank you. 

Now, this is for the entire panel. The VetSuccess Program, which 

was piloted in Tampa, Florida, at the University of South Florida 

is certainly making it easier for veterans to utilize the education 

benefits they have earned. 

What are the major obstacles to expanding this program and 

then, secondly, what are the success rates of veterans at an institution where the VetSuccess Program is in place as opposed to those 

attending institutions without the program for the entire panel? 

Ms. ROOF. To give you fully accurate information, I would like 

to ask to submit my answer for the record because I do have that 

data compared across different campuses. 

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Please do. And, you know, I would like a copy of 

it as well. 

Ms. ROOF. Absolutely. 

Mr. BILIRAKIS. And probably the other Members of the panel. 

Ms. ROOF. Uh-huh. Absolutely. 

[Ms. Roof subsequently provided the following information:] 

After contacting the VA VetSuccess Program office, there is no data available on success rates as compared to campuses without the program. In regards to expanding the program, the law needs to be changed to give the 

Secretary the authority to expand it beyond the current eight campuses. 

The program gets rave reviews and offers a nice ‘‘buffer’’ (for lack of a better term) for the transition from a very structured military life to that of 

a very unstructured college campus environment. 

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Anyone else? Would you like to? 

Mr. REININGER. Sir, again, I think VetSuccess on Campus is a 

great tool because, as I mentioned earlier, a lot of these certifying 

officials wear that title as a fourth or fifth hat. They are already 

overworked. 


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I have anecdotal evidence of folks that I am friends with who almost had to drop out of the semester because the certifying official 

just would not certify them and they were barred from taking the 

exam because of nonpayment. 

So we cannot rely on these schools to really fulfill their duty of 

serving their student veteran population. A VA employee on campus can ease that problem, can help with making sure the process 

goes smoothly, and make sure that the veteran gets their benefits 

on time. 

As I mentioned earlier, if you do not get your living stipend and 

you have a spouse and perhaps two children to care for, maybe in 

a high-class area like New York City where I go to school on the 

GI Bill, then that could create tremendous financial distress on top 

of the stress of going to school and having to prepare for exams and 

things of that nature. 

So by expanding the program across America, to place these VA 

counselors and peer-to-peer counselors on more campuses would be, 

I think, crucial to ensuring that the process goes smoothly. And, 

again, any support the VA can get to make sure that they are authorized to implement more of these VetSuccess on Campus centers, I think, would be very beneficial, sir. 

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Very good. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. 

Thank you for calling the hearing as well, Mr. Chairman. Appreciate it. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Thank you. 

I just want to say thank you for your testimony. And what I 

walked away with today is really mandatory classes for servicemembers and timing are the two big things to make sure our 

servicemembers have the information they need before moving on. 

So thank you for your testimony. Looking forward to working 

with you in the future. And, again, thank you for your service to 

our country and what you all are doing for our veterans. 

All right. At this time, I will call on our second panel to take 

their seats at the witness table. With us today is Mr. Tom 

Pamperin, Deputy Under Secretary for Disability Assistance, and 

impending retiree from the Department of Veterans Affairs. I believe today or tomorrow is his last day. 

So congratulations—— 

Mr. PAMPERIN. Thank you. 

Mr. STUTZMAN [continuing]. On your retirement. Yeah. Would 

you want to share how many years or is that personal information? 

Mr. PAMPERIN. Thirty-seven years. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Thirty-seven years. Fantastic. 

Also with us today is Mr. Philip Burdette, Principal Director of 

DoD’s Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy; Brigadier General Robert Hedelund, Director of Marine and Family 

Programs. And General Hedelund is accompanied by Dr. Beth Barton, the Manager of Personal and Professional Development Program, Marine Corps Community Services. And finally, and certainly not least, we are pleased to have Mr. Ray Jefferson, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training 

Service (VETS). 

We always enjoy having you and working with you. 


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But I think we will start with General Hedelund. As the Marines 

like to say, they are the first to fight, so you are the first to testify 

today. So you are recognized for 5 minutes. 

STATEMENTS OF BRIGADIER GENERAL ROBERT F. 

HEDELUND, DIRECTOR, MARINE AND FAMILY PROGRAMS, 

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE; ACCOMPANIED BY BETH A. BARTON, PH.D., MANAGER, PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, MARINE CORPS COMMUNITY SERVICES; THOMAS J. 

PAMPERIN, DEPUTY UNDER SECRETARY FOR DISABILITY 

ASSISTANCE, VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION, U.S. 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS; ACCOMPANIED BY 

RUTH A. FANNING, DIRECTOR, VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICE, VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS; 

PHILIP A. BURDETTE, PRINCIPAL DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF 

WOUNDED WARRIOR CARE AND TRANSITION POLICY, U.S. 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE; AND HON. RAYMOND M. JEFFERSON, ASSISTANT SECRETARY, VETERANS’ EMPLOYMENT 

AND TRAINING SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

STATEMENT OF BRIGADIER GENERAL ROBERT F. HEDELUND 

General HEDELUND. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman Stutzman, Ranking Member Braley, and distinguished 

Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to 

speak to you today about the Marine Corps’ Transition Assistance 

Management Program. 

In our Commandant’s 2010 Planning Guidance, he directed the 

Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs to review 

and retool Transition Assistance to better meet the needs of our 

separating and retiring Marines. 

Through careful review of our program, surveys of the parting 

Marines, and engagement with our partner organizations, we have 

identified that our Transition Assistance Program needs fundamental redesign to more effectively engage and support our Marines and their families. 

This requires transformation from the current one-size-fits-all, 

single-event approach to a more individualized career-long process. 

Our personal and professional development methodology begins as 

recruits hit the yellow footprints or at accession and must continue 

through the Marine’s career whether it be for 4 or 40 years. 

Transition assistance, therefore, must be mapped to this process 

to ensure that the tangible and intangible benefits Marines gain 

will contribute to their personal and professional goals in the 

Corps, as they reintegrate into the civilian community, or if they 

become members of our Reserve component. 

Our immediate priority and first phase of this work will be focused on the Marine’s End of Active Service or EAS plus or minus 

180 days. To that end, we are collaborating with the DOL, VA, and 

DoD to transform the traditional transition assistance workshops 

into 21st Century venues that will deliver actionable knowledge to 

our Marines. 

Our future program is still in the planning stages, but we have 

briefed our Commandant on our way ahead and actions are underVerDate Nov 24 2008 02:02 Dec 02, 2011 Jkt 067190 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 I:\VA\67190.XXX GPO1 PsN: 67190

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way to establish a core curriculum, elected elements based on a 

Marine’s future desires, a standardized high-quality product, and 

pre-work requirements to help streamline valuable classroom time. 

We are particularly excited about our envisioned elective courses 

that will support four pathways that our departing Marines can 

choose from. They include employment, career technical education, 

college and university work, and entrepreneurship. 

After a Marine leaves active service, we will offer reach-back capability via a revitalized Marine For Life Program that some of you 

may be familiar with. That is key because it continues to support 

retention and recruiting goals throughout our country. 

Our ultimate aim is to improve transition assistance to the point 

that mandatory attendance is no longer an issue because Marines 

want to be there due to the program’s high quality and desirability. 

During all this work, we look to partner and collaborate with the 

Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Department of Labor, the 

VA, and our sister Services for best practices. 

I look forward to answering your questions and I thank you very 

much for your time. 

[The prepared statement of General Hedelund appears on p. 39.] 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Okay. Thank you. 

And, Ms. Fanning, I apologize for failing to recognize you as well. 

It is good to have you here with us today. 

And next we will go to Mr. Pamperin. We will start with you. 

STATEMENT OF THOMAS J. PAMPERIN 

Mr. PAMPERIN. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Braley, and 

Members of the Subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the VA’s Transition Assistance 

Program and VetSuccess on Campus. 

My testimony will cover what we are currently doing in the TAP 

Program, our current TAP reengineering efforts, and other support 

to separating servicemembers and veterans to include the 

VetSuccess Program and our efforts in the VetSuccess on Campus 

Program. 

Ms. Ruth Fanning, Director of Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service, accompanies me. 

I would also like to introduce Mr. Curtis Coy seated behind me, 

the newly-named Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity. 

Public Law 101–510 created the TAP Program, which is executed 

under a memorandum of understanding among the Departments of 

Labor, Defense, Homeland Security, and VA. The departments 

work collaboratively to schedule briefings and to best serve servicemembers as they transition to civilian life. Quarterly meetings 

among the departments are held to oversee the operations of the 

program and to plan enhancements. 

VA’s TAP briefings are provided by trained military services coordinators, Military Services Coordinators (MSCs), from the regional offices with jurisdiction over the military installations in the 

United States and Puerto Rico. 

TAP services are provided to servicemembers stationed outside 

the United States through overseas military services coordinators 

in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Okinawa, Japan, 


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and Korea. We also provide transition briefings to demobilizing Reserve and National Guard members. 

At TAP briefings, the servicemembers learn about the array of 

benefits and services available from VA. In 2010, approximately 

207,000 active Reserve and Guard servicemembers and family 

members participated in over 5,000 transition briefings. 

From October 1, 2001, through March 2011, over 83,000 servicemembers and family members participated in over 2,000 transition 

briefings. 

In June 2010, VA established a TAP reengineering project to update and modernize the briefing and to ensure that it meets the 

current needs of servicemembers. We have revised the briefing, 

conducted training for over 200 military services coordinators, and 

will standardize the makeup of all take-away materials. 

In the fourth quarter, VA will launch an online TAP. We currently conduct regular reviews of the briefing materials and conference calls with MSCs. A plan to conduct site visits to monitor 

the delivery of the program beginning in 2012 has been established. Additionally, a survey tool is under development to provide 

customer feedback. 

I would also like to discuss VA’s VetSuccess Program. The goal 

of the VetSuccess Program is to assist veterans with service-connected disabilities to prepare for and obtain suitable and sustainable employment through the provision of services individually tailored to each person. 

VetSuccess begins with a comprehensive evaluation of the veteran’s needs, identification and understanding of their interests, 

aptitudes and transferrable skills. 

Next, vocational rehabilitation professionals explore a veteran’s 

potential career goals in line with the labor market demands. 

Veterans’ employment, a fundamental mission of the VR&E Program, relies on early intervention, smart processes, a productive 

partnerships, good rehabilitation planning, and retention to the 

point that an individual is job ready. 

In 2010, over 10,000 veterans were successfully rehabilitated. 

Fifty-one percent were hired by the private sector, 33 by the Federal Government, 12 percent by State and local governments, and 

4 percent by faith-based organizations. 

I would also like to discuss our Web site, the Vetsuccess.gov, 

which has been enhanced to provide one-stop resources for both 

disabled and able-bodied veterans and family members to assess 

services during transition, campus life, job search, and career attainment. The program also assists veterans with disabilities to 

maximize independent living in their homes and communities. 

The Web site includes a job board for employers desiring to hire 

veterans, resume builders, and tools that allow veterans to utilize 

resumes already developed, a military-to-civilian jobs skills translator, aggregater tools for employers seeking certain sets of skills, 

and other items. 

The job board feature and VetSuccess currently connects over 

68,000 veterans to over 1,500 employers. Veterans have access to 

the direct employer’s job central career board that lists 4,000,000 

with additional links to other popular and highly-populated job 

sites. 


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The VetSuccess on Campus Program provides support to veterans in completing a college degree at eight campuses. Over 4,500 

veteran students have been served at these eight campuses. VA 

plans to expand VetSuccess on Campus in 2012 to nine additional 

campuses with veteran populations of 800 to 1,200 students. 

Our objective is to significantly increase the potential for graduation and successful transition to a career that supports veterans 

and their families and contributes to the Nation’s well-being. 

Mr. Chairman, we at VA are proud of our continuing role in the 

transition of servicemembers to civilian life. Thank you for allowing 

me to testify today and I would be pleased to respond to any questions. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Pamperin appears on p. 42.] 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Pamperin. 

Mr. Burdette is recognized for 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF PHILIP A. BURDETTE 

Mr. BURDETTE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Good morning, Chairman Stutzman, Ranking Member Braley, 

Members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to 

discuss the views of the Department of Defense on the performance 

of the Transition Assistance Program this morning with my colleagues from the Marine Corps, Department of Labor, and Department of Veterans Affairs. 

The Transition Assistance Program is a collaborative partnership 

between the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans 

Affairs, and the Department of Labor, its primary function, its primary platform used to deliver an extensive array of services and 

benefits information to separating servicemembers. 

The Department also focuses on providing separating and retiring servicemembers useful information and assistance in all aspects of their transition process including preparation for post military employment. Together with our partners, we have done a good 

job of connecting servicemembers with resources, but we are by no 

means finished. 

The Transition Assistance Program was designed for in-person 

delivery to servicemembers coming off active duty 20 years ago, a 

one-size-fits-all approach that is simply not what is needed or desired by today’s force. 

To strengthen and improve the Transition Assistance Program 

for the 21st Century, the Department and our partners recognize 

that it is in need of major enhancements and each agency is working to improve their component of the program through a number 

of initiatives. 

We are leveraging technology, modernizing curriculum, improving field staff training, and developing ways to improve access to 

information relating to a successful transition. 

By using the Internet, we are no longer bound by the constraints 

of more traditional learning environments, allowing us to reach 

more servicemembers at the same time. 

The traditional brick and mortar classrooms will remain available, but I am excited about moving the Transition Assistance Program into an online setting. We started doing this on March 1st of 

this year by offering Web-based seminars on important topics like 


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building better resumes and landing a Federal job with networking 

and interviewing. 

This is just a few examples of how we are better reaching 

servicemembers worldwide and at different points in their transition as well as reaching those with hearing and visual impairments. Waiting until the end of military service to educate the war 

fighter is simply too late. 

Another major part of our use of our technology and the movement to an online environment is our career decision tool kit. The 

tool kit in both compact disk and online format is the cornerstone 

of transforming the Transition Assistance Program into a blended 

career transition training model. It takes advantage of online and 

digital resources, virtual classrooms, and social media that complement the traditional classes. 

Just this spring, we shipped over 500 kits to the southwest border and with the Department of Labor facilitated six workshops in 

May for members of our National Guard and Reserve who are 

transitioning from that mission back to civilian life. 

The Department of Defense, particularly our military services, 

have also significantly increased their focus on licensing and certification by providing such information in a wide range of ways and 

in different formats to appeal to individual learning styles. 

The Department also recognizes that exposure to career opportunities is crucial to future employment. Networking must take place 

throughout a servicemember’s career and DoD is involved with several initiatives to encourage this, especially for our wounded, ill, 

and injured. 

Launching this spring the department’s education and employment initiative pilot, we will match recovering servicemembers 

with career and vocational counselors who will help them become 

engaged in their future very early in their recovery by helping to 

identify skills that they have, skills that they need, and opportunities to utilize these skills. 

Another pilot program that the Department of Defense sponsors 

is our Operation War Fighter, which is discussed in detail in my 

written statement. The programs strives to demonstrate to participants that the skills they have obtained in the military are 

transferrable into civilian employment. 

To date, Operation War Fighter has placed approximately 1,800 

servicemembers in internships across more than 100 different Federal employers. 

When I left the Marines in 2001, I thought I was pretty plugged 

in. I knew what I wanted to do and I chose not to take advantage 

of the transition resources available at the time from the Marines 

because I thought I had it all figured out. 

Unfortunately, I was not as savvy as I thought. Instead of walking right into one of those jobs I knew was just waiting for a Marine like me, I remained unemployed for 13 months. I still keep all 

the rejection letters that I received in a pile on my desk to remind 

me every day of my solemn obligation to today’s transitioning 

servicemembers who face even greater challenges than I faced. 

In closing, I want to acknowledge that we are anticipating increasing numbers of transitioning servicemembers from both the 

active-duty and the Reserve component and that this is not a uniVerDate Nov 24 2008 02:02 Dec 02, 2011 Jkt 067190 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 I:\VA\67190.XXX GPO1 PsN: 67190

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lateral effort. Only by working together with the Department of 

Veterans Affairs, the Department of Labor, and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Congress can we ensure that 

our servicemembers receive the transition support they need. 

Mr. Chairman, on behalf of the men and women in the military 

today and their families, I thank you and the Members of this Subcommittee for your steadfast support and leadership in this important area. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Burdette appears on p. 44.] 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Thank you. There is nothing like rejection to give 

you incentive, is there? 

Mr. BURDETTE. You bet. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. All right. Mr. Jefferson. 

STATEMENT OF HON. RAYMOND M. JEFFERSON 

Mr. JEFFERSON. All right. Chairman Stutzman, Ranking Member 

Braley, Representative Bilirakis, thank you very much for calling 

this important hearing. 

I want to first honor the contributions and cooperation of our 

partners. TAP will only become as great as it has the potential to 

be through all of us working together and that is what is happening. 

I also want to acknowledge the insights we heard earlier from 

Ms. Roof and Mr. Reininger. 

So here is where we started off to transform the program. I first 

asked the question who are the leading experts on TAP in the 

country and in the world and what is the best content. And I spent 

hours upon hours downloading all of these best practices and putting them right into the newly redesigned TAP Program. 

I am focusing on the implement workshop. There are four purposes of an implement workshop. 

One, to teach servicemembers to find job after job after job after 

job. 

Two, certainty, clarity, and what they want to do with their life. 

Three, readiness, readiness to succeed in a job. 

And, fourth, the ability to decrease the time it takes for them to 

get rapidly on board in the new job and to begin contributing. 

There are four adult learning principles which are relevant to the 

TAP implement workshop. 

The first is relevancy. It needs to be effective and just in time. 

The second is action learning, learning by doing. 

The third is a stretch that gets people outside their comfort zone. 

And the fourth is a supportive learning environment. 

So here are the six major challenges and problems that we have 

had over the years and the six solutions and improvement areas. 

Number one, it has been one size fits all, no customization, no 

segmentation. How are we going to solve that for the first time? We 

are solving it through pre-work. Before people come to TAP, we are 

going to assess them on their readiness for employment and also 

their interests. We will probably use the strong interest inventory 

which is the most widely regarded interest inventory around. 

Then we are going to segment people as to be highly ready for 

employment, moderately ready, or entry level. Then we are going 

to bring them into what I call component number two, best practice 


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content with a cohort who has the same transition employment 

needs. So you start creating peer support groups right at the cohort 

level when they are in the classroom. 

What is the best practice contact in TAP? It is life and career 

planning, I left my book on my desk, mental resiliency training, 

stress reduction techniques, how to transition from military to a civilian work environment, networking so that if you have been deployed or mobilized, you do not have much of a network other than 

your family and friends, story telling, how to articulate your value 

proposition to an employer. They make their initial decision in the 

first 1 to 2 minutes and spend the rest of the interview trying to 

provide proof that they made the right decision. And they want you 

to answer two questions. A, you can make my problems go away, 

B, you really want to be here. 

Entrepreneurship and also peer support techniques and finally 

Federal Government employment. All this is best practice content. 

We are going to have three versions, one for people highly ready, 

moderately ready, and entry level. 

There are two things you want to look at in a career transition 

program, the message and the messenger, the content and the delivery system. Right now we have 186 PowerPoint slides, no good. 

We are going to experiential learning, learning by doing. We are 

going to an all contract facilitator force because we get the best results when we use contract facilitators. 

The final three components, something that has never been done 

before, I got this from international best practices, after TAP support. When a servicemember finishes TAP, he or she is going to 

create an individual transition plan that reflects their vision for 

their life, what they want to be, where they want to go, their strategy, the road map they are going to take to get there, and the tactics, the actions and steps they are going to use along the way. 

Then and after TAP support for 60 days after they finish TAP, 

they are going to be able to make a phone call or go online and 

get customized coaching to implement and pressure test their individual transition plan. Never been done before. This ensures that 

after we have them drinking through a fire hose, similar to the 

way I talk in these hearings, afterwards we are going to embed and 

instill what they have learned so they have uptake for the long 

term. 

Fifth major component e-learning platform. All the content is 

going to be available in an interactive dramatized format online. 

And I want to acknowledge our friends at DoD for letting us use 

the DTAP and partnership to do that. 

So this will also be available 24 hours, 7 days a week. All veterans, wounded warriors, spouses, Guard, Reservists will all have 

access to that. And it will also be an entry point into all of the entrepreneurship programs, services, and support that is coming out 

of the interagency task force on entrepreneurship chaired by the 

Small Business Administration’s Associate Director Marie Johns. 

Finally, performance metrics. Over 21⁄2 million people have gone 

through TAP. I do not have one performance metric to show for it. 

People say the program is going well, it is not well. It is all anecdotal. So I am going to get performance metrics and three moments 

in truth. 


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One, when you finish the course, thumbs up or thumbs down. 

Number two, when you are applying the content because it may 

be a period of time between when you take the course and when 

you apply the contact. 

And then number three, when you get a job, how effective are we 

at helping you to assimilate into a new culture. 

In our fiscal year 2012 budget request, we are asking for $2 million more so that we can account for expanding and ensuring that 

we can provide TAP to all Guard and Reservists. 

This is a personal priority of me as the Assistant Secretary. It 

is one of our top five priorities as an agency. 

I look forward to your questions. And, again, I want to acknowledge the tremendous work that we are doing with our partners. 

Thank you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Jefferson appears on p. 48.] 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Thank you. And I like what I hear. I appreciate 

all of the information that you have given today and I am hopeful 

you are successful because I think you have a plan and it is well 

laid out. And I think you will do a lot of good things. 

Mr. JEFFERSON. Yes, sir. Our goal is to get it done by Veterans 

Day. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Great. That is fantastic. Well, first question that 

leads into that, with the enhancements to TAP, do you expect to 

continue to request additional funding for future fiscal years beyond the $9 million requested in the 2012 budget or is that going 

to be all wrapped inside of that? 

Mr. JEFFERSON. Sir, you mean for consecutive years after 2012? 

Let me take that for the record and confer with my team. I think 

once we get the contract facilitators on board, I would envision that 

the additional cost required will be minimal. 

But the one thing I want to say is I want to have a continual 

improvement component to the new TAP. I want to have a way 

that every year we are evaluating what we are doing and we are 

bringing in the latest best practices so 3 years from now, the program is not again becoming obsolete. 

So, sir, I will take that for the record. But once we get it stood 

up with those full contract facilitators on board, I do not envision 

major funding increases but want to verify that with my budget 

team back at the office. 

[The DOL subsequently provided the following information:] 

Our budget request for FY 2013 of $12 million reflects the move to all 

contract facilitators. The statement above that once the program is funded, 

the out years would not require major increases is correct. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Sure. And then you also mentioned a contract. 

Mr. JEFFERSON. Yes, sir. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. And contracting some of the work out. How is 

some of the experiences you had and then also in the TAP redesign, you will be utilizing more contract instructors? Can you touch 

on that just a little bit? 

Mr. JEFFERSON. Absolutely. So, sir, right now we have three communities that do TAP facilitation. I have my Federal team members. We have State team members, our employment representatives, and we also have contract facilitators. 


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And you have some outstanding people in each group, but the 

questions I ask my team is who consistently gets the best feedback. 

And this is the challenge that we have. For my staff or for the 

State employment representatives, they may not do a TAP workshop for 3 to 6 months. Then all of a sudden, they are given the 

binder, say you are going to be doing the TAP workshop next 

month, so they are prepping it, the slides, et cetera. I do not want 

that. 

And the results demonstrate that we get the best outcomes with 

contract facilitators, people who are trained facilitators whose sole 

job is to stay tuned up on the best practices and all they do is TAP. 

So we are going to an all contract facilitator force and we are hoping to have that completed—I do not know if that will be completed 

this year. I am pushing it as fast as we can move, but that is where 

we are going to. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. I really like the assessment idea and also the elearning platform. 

Mr. JEFFERSON. Yes, sir. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. I think they are both fantastic objectives. 

General Hedelund, my question is, with the Marine Corps’ policy 

that requires TAP, have you seen any negative effects and how 

does the Corps enforce mandatory attendance? 

General HEDELUND. Yes, sir. Thank you for that question. 

First, no, no operational impacts by requiring Marines to go to 

mandatory TAP. As I mentioned in my oral statement, our goal is 

to make this mandatory requirement almost Overtaken By Events 

(OBE) because people will figure out that this is something they 

need and want. 

That said, some of the discussion earlier from the first panel is 

relevant in that it is a bit of a leadership issue. Let’s not forget 

that this event does not happen in a vacuum. And that is part of 

the issue right now with TAP is that it is a one-shot deal and 

where it falls on a Marine’s timeline to get out, the Marine Corps 

sometimes is convenient, sometimes not so much. 

If you are a Marine on a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and 

you have a Pre-deployment Training Plan (PTP), that gets you to 

your deployment and you are gone for 7 months, then you may 

have a limited window on the backside of your deployment to get 

TAP before your End of Active Service (EAS). 

That is a challenge for the individual Marine, but it is the responsibility of that commander to make sure that that Marine has 

the opportunity to attend that training. So it is a leadership issue 

in that the Marine’s supervisor, via the commanding officer, needs 

to ensure that that occurs. 

Now, briefly, the mandatory piece of this is important from our 

perspective for accountability and a number of other issues, but 

that is the Marine Corps way of doing it and we are pretty happy 

with the way it works. It does not guarantee that the Marine that 

is sitting there in the class is 100 percent attentive 100 percent of 

the time, but it is a step in the right direction. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Sure. Sure. Well, and then finally, touching on 

the appropriate size of the class size, I mentioned the Camp 

Lejeune situation with about 160 folks according to staff and then 


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also if you could touch on timing. Is there a better time frame that 

we could fit these classes in for servicemembers before they leave? 

General HEDELUND. Yes, sir. I will take the timing issue first because I think we all have a mind set that TAP is a place on a calendar. 

The Marine Corps’ perspective on TAP is that it is only part of 

the larger personal and professional development program. And the 

Marine Corps’ view to that is that we need to give our Marines 

tools along their career, not just toward the end, where they are 

already on board with much of what TAP is going to have to offer. 

The timing, then, is less crucial because they do not have to wait 

until that one event to gather all this information. They will have 

already done pre-work. They will have already done their online 

work. Even when they are deployed in most locations, most locations, they will have access to the Internet to be able to do some 

of this pre-work and some of the online resources that are available. 

So they will be familiar with some of these issues and some of 

the things that they want to accomplish in future life before they 

get to the actual TAP event. We would hope that by the time a Marine gets to that event, he is already saying I got that, good to go, 

I am on board, show me the money and let’s move on. And that 

would help alleviate that issue. 

As far as class sizes go, again I think this is certainly an important issue right now with current TAP because given what we have 

today, which I think we all acknowledge is of limited success. The 

future holds that the critical event, the symptom, if you will, of 

large class size will be ameliorated partially because, A, it is not 

going to be at that critical time or at only one critical time during 

a Marine’s career, but, B, the information will be spread out over 

time and the class size piece of it is not quite as critical at that 

point. 

An element of that is our view of that there may be a venue 

where you start this Transition Assistance Program, if you will, 

with a large plenary class, but that, much like many conferences 

are done these days, you have the plenary session that is more introductory and administrative and you break down into these 

break-out sessions where your interest is as the Marine; if you 

want to go down the educational track, then you go to the educational break-out session. If you want to go the vocational tech 

piece, then you go to that break-out session. 

And, quite frankly, if you are the Marine that wants to go to 

Mexico and surf for 3 months, you may not go to any of them. You 

may check off at that point and the mandatory piece was that core 

plenary session. You have the other tools you need and you have 

the reach-back capability after your 3 months in Mexico surfing to 

come back and say, well, what was the part about, and then we 

would help that Marine get to that linkage, if you will, toward that 

pathway. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. And I would think that type of model would fit 

right into what you are—— 

Mr. JEFFERSON. I was hoping, Mr. Chairman, you would give me 

a chance to comment because this is exactly where we are going. 

We need to think of transition as a journey. We are going to have 


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an amazing 21⁄2 day TAP implement workshop. But what we are 

also working to do is to connect into each of the services career 

transition plans. 

So you do a TAP workshop as early as you can in your transition. 

Then you move into General Hedelund’s Marine Corps’ program. 

Then you move into the Army’s ATAP Program. So we are working 

right now to put a connection between VETS’ TAP implement 

workshop and Army ATAP. 

And then General Hedelund and I, we are meeting next week to 

begin doing that on the Marine side as well. So what you have is 

a journey where you get the certainty of what you want to do and 

then you figure out what your strengths are, what your improvement areas are, and then you continue to build and build on that 

so when you finally transition out, you are ready to go. And if you 

want to take some time off, you can loop back in through the Internet or through the reach-back services. 

So it is a journey which is what we are going to and this is a 

whole new paradigm. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Thank you. 

Mr. Braley. 

Mr. BRALEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

General Hedelund and Mr. Burdette, my father graduated from 

high school in Montezuma, Iowa, in 1943 and literally went from 

the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Iwo Jima. And one of my 

proudest moments was a year ago when Leatherneck Magazine 

published this article called, ‘‘My Father’s Legacy’’ on the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima. 

My family, we learned the Marine Corps hymn before the Star 

Spangled Banner. That is just the way it was with my dad. But my 

father is also an example, I think, of what you are trying to talk 

about when you put together a program Marine for Life because 

his severe depression did not manifest itself until almost 30 years 

after he served on Iwo Jima. 

And it was not until 11 years after he died that my brother who 

was working at a VA hospital met a patient who was able to share 

that my father had seen one of his best friends vaporized by a shell 

burst on Iwo Jima. And, of course, that was something that our 

family knew nothing about. 

So when we have these wounded warriors coming home, many of 

them with signature wounds that are hidden from the public’s view 

most of the time, it is important to keep in mind that our commitment to them, it is not something that we just provide them when 

they are demobilized on the back end of their active service to prepare them for a job. It is a lifetime commitment, and that is why 

I am so excited to hear about how we are rethinking the purpose 

of this TAP Program. 

One of the things that I did in high school was take an armed 

services vocational battery test as part of my mandatory high 

school testing that I went through. And when you were talking 

about the strong interest inventory, it struck me this must be a 

more updated and modernized version of that. 

Mr. JEFFERSON. Yes, sir. 

Mr. BRALEY. And I think that it is something that not just people 

who are returning from military service but many young people 


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right now who are struggling to find their role in the world and 

what they want to do could benefit from. 

So I think what I would like to do is start with you, General 

Hedelund, and have you talk about what changes are being contemplated for this individualized career-long process. I am interested in how that is going to help moving forward to accomplish 

some of the goals we have been talking about. 

General HEDELUND. Well, first, sir, your father’s service is honored in our Corps. And I would also say that your family’s sacrifice 

in supporting him throughout the years is obviously incredible in 

and of itself. So many thanks to you and your family. 

The piece that I think is important here is that our one-size-fitsall approach to TAP in the past is just that, in the past. We have 

recognized through a number of different venues, and transition assistance is only one, where an individualized approach is much 

more successful. 

We have to give the Marines the tools before the traumatic event 

or before they are even thinking of transitioning from the Marine 

Corps. 

For instance, where is the best time to give a Marine financial 

management education, in that TAP class at the end of his Marine 

Corps career or maybe at the beginning of his Marine Corps career 

where he is just learning what a checkbook is all about and he is 

just learning about what it really means to be in charge of your 

own finances? 

So what we look at is we should engage with that Marine. We 

should have a process in place that engages with that Marine right 

from the get-go and says, okay, I got it. Thank you for joining the 

United States Marine Corps. You are going to get your personal financial management class training if you go through boot camp. In 

the meantime, what are your plans for the future? 

Now, I do not know if it will be that direct and that early in the 

process, but it will be very early in the process where we start to 

figure out what this person wants to do for the rest of his or her 

life. 

So that case management, if you will, will be important to take 

a litmus test right there. The assessment is one of those tools that 

we will use to take that litmus test. 

As that case builds over time, let’s say that a Marine goes and 

he successfully finishes boot camp and he goes to his primary military specialty school and he is going to be an avionics man in the 

aviation community. Well, that is all important information for his 

future. That should be automatically catalogued and annotated in 

his case management record so that down the road when it is time 

to build a resume, he presses go on the computer and a draft resume comes out with all that experience. 

All that certification work, if you will, is already done for him so 

that when it comes time to transition, some of these things, they 

are automated, they are already a piece of both Mr. Jefferson’s 

process and our process so that instead of taking the big leap out 

the door, you open a door and walk through and you are there. 

So those are some of the ideas we have. I will be honest with 

you. We do not have an example of that case management system 

right in front of us right now, but we have a pretty good idea of 


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where we need to go and we have some capability that if we expand, we will be able, I think, to capture what we need to see what 

Marines need throughout their career. 

Mr. BRALEY. Thank you. 

Mr. Pamperin, first of all, congratulations. On behalf of all veterans of this country, thank you so much for your many years of 

service and every veteran in this country owes you a debt of gratitude because that is a long time to be working on behalf of veterans. So on behalf of everyone on the Subcommittee, congratulations on a job well done. 

Mr. PAMPERIN. Thank you, sir. 

And I would just like to point out that really one of the most enjoyable times I have had in my time was the 31⁄2 years when I was 

Assistant Adjudication Officer in Des Moines. 

Mr. BRALEY. Oh, thank you. I will make sure that people in Des 

Moines hear that. 

I am not the brightest bulb in the sky, but I was interested in 

one of the statistics you shared with us. And if my math is correct, 

45 percent of the veterans that came through this program found 

employment with a government job. 

Mr. PAMPERIN. Yes. The actual 51 percent were hired in the private sector and one-third in the Federal Government. 

Mr. BRALEY. You said 33 percent in the Federal Government, 12 

percent State and local? 

Mr. PAMPERIN. Yes. 

Mr. BRALEY. And I think that is important. At a time when government employees come under frequent attack, we need to realize 

that many of those government employees are veterans and that 

the Federal and State governments have done a significant job in 

employing our veterans and putting them to work. So I just wanted 

to acknowledge that and make that point. 

Mr. Burdette, you talked about those rejection letters and I think 

that was a powerful symbol for many of us because those of us who 

have gone through the experience of being rejected for employment, 

a lot of times, especially coming out of a military background, that 

just serves as greater motivation to try harder, to keep struggling 

until you get that job that you really are hoping for. 

But one of the other things that was really notable to me was, 

Mr. Jefferson, your comment about story telling—— 

Mr. JEFFERSON. Yes, sir. 

Mr. BRALEY. Because I think this is one of the most underestimated assets of an employee is the ability to communicate and tell 

a powerful and compelling story. 

We know many of these veterans who are struggling to find employment have amazing stories of their life’s journey that should be 

a great selling point to any employer no matter what additional 

issues they bring to the workplace because of the sacrifice they 

have made for this country and, yet, I am fairly confident that 

most employment training programs do not spend much time focusing on strengthening your story telling abilities. 

Mr. JEFFERSON. Yes. 

Mr. BRALEY. So can you tell me a little bit more about what you 

have in mind for helping people who many times are struggling to 

open up and share some of their personal intimate experiences that 


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have changed their lives and are coming back trying to forget about 

some of those issues? 

Mr. JEFFERSON. Yes. 

Mr. BRALEY. How do you open up the door of opportunity to 

make them better story tellers? 

Mr. JEFFERSON. Great. And, sir, thank you for the question. 

And let me say I hope one of the things that we are taking away 

today is that career transition involves a high-tech and high-touch 

approach. 

And so in the high tech, we spoke yesterday about the H.R. tool 

kit we are creating with the Society for Human Resource Management. That will be a great online skills translator. We are looking 

to identify those. 

But we want our servicemembers to be their own skills translator. And so first thing we are going to educate them is to what 

happens during an interview. The fact that the person you are 

talking to is going to make the first decision in the first 1 to 2 minutes, they are going to spend the rest of the interview trying to 

make sure that they made the right decision to substantiate it. 

So we will be talking to the servicemembers and teaching them 

things such as what are those moments that you have had, how to 

articulate the subjective and objective assets that you have, so how 

you take a peak moment or contribution and then you break down 

what was the challenge, how did you approach dealing with that 

challenge, what were the results, and then what does that show 

about your objective assets, your hard tangible skills that you possess, and what does it show about your subjective assets, your personal qualities, commitment, creativity, courage. 

And then we pressure test this meaning we have them do it over 

and over and over again. What is your 1-minute elevator pitch? 

How did you respond to these most likely asked questions in interviews such as what is your greatest achievement, what is your 

greatest failure, your greatest challenge? 

And so we teach them the process experientially, we pressure 

test it, and we do that over again not just in TAP but in those 60 

days after with the after TAP support. 

But story telling and making people their own skills translator 

is a critical component of our best practice content. 

Mr. BRALEY. Great. Thank you. 

And I yield back, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Well, thank you. 

I think I have just got a question yet for Mr. Pamperin. I was 

thinking of just giving you a pass since it was almost your retirement, but you are about to enter retirement. But while we have 

you, this question was here and I thought it would be a good question to ask. 

But the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service currently 

uses contract instructors for all overseas and some CONUS-based 

(Continental United States-based) TAP classes and intends to contract out all TAP instruction. 

Is there any reason that the VA could not use or partner with 

VETS to contract out the VA portion of TAP? 

Mr. PAMPERIN. It is certainly a topic that we are more than willing to look at. I would like to emphasize that our perspective is 


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that we want to do what is right and most effective for the servicemember. 

We have committed employees who do a good job at this, but it 

clearly is something that we are looking at, particularly since we 

are going to do a pilot of putting a person at one of the military 

sites overseas for 2 to 3 years depending upon status of forces or 

whatever, how long that would be, to see whether or not that is 

more effective than doing rotations. 

But, again, what I would like to emphasize is that our interest 

is in the servicemember and what is best for them. 

Mr. STUTZMAN. Okay. Well, thank you. 

Thank you, General, as well for being here and appreciate your 

service and what you are doing and, Mr. Burdette, as well for being 

here and what you are doing over at DoD. 

I am really excited, thanks, Mr. Jefferson, about what you have 

explained to us today. And if we can be helpful in any way, whether any legislation needs to be addressed, I am sure that we would 

be glad to work with you as far as this Subcommittee would. 

And I think at this time, we will go ahead and adjourn. But I 

just want to say thanks again to the panel and would ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to 

revise and extend their remarks on today’s hearing. Hearing no objection, so ordered. 

And thanks again, and this concludes the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity hearing. Thanks for being here. This meeting is 

adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 12:36 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.] 


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A P P E N D I X 

Prepared Statement of Hon. Marlin A. Stutzman, 

Chairman, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 

Good morning. 

The topic of this morning’s hearing is the transition assistance program (TAP) and 

VetSuccess on Campus program. TAP is a program that is supposed to help discharging veterans transition from the military into civilian careers. VA also has a 

portion of TAP where they educate the servicemembers on the multitude of services 

that are available to them once they become veterans. 

My staff recently completed visits to four TAP sites in Florida, Georgia, North 

Carolina, and South Carolina and I believe Mr. Braley’s staff has just visited several 

VetSuccess on Campus sites out west. 

I am going to yield to the distinguished Ranking Member in a moment to review 

his staff’s visits, but I believe it is fair to say that the TAP site visits resulted in 

a mixed bag of observations. 

On the plus side, staff observed that, with one minor exception, nearly all the instructors’ presentations were highly professional. The instructors had a level of energy and instructional techniques that were a pleasure to watch and the staff was 

encouraged by their enthusiasm and professionalism. 

Unfortunately, the staff could not say the same about facilities, class size and materials. For example, at Camp Lejeune, there were 165 Marines in the class being 

held in a gym. While I know Assistant Secretary Jefferson is working hard to renovate TAP and congratulate him for his efforts, it appears that an insufficient number of instructors appears to be driving the class size at Lejeune and that, I am 

sure, Secretary Jefferson would agree is not acceptable. 

Additionally, DOL is not alone. Their TAP partners, DoD, VA, and the State 

workforce agencies need to take a hard look at the total quality of TAP. Across the 

TAP sites, handout materials were not standardized, sometimes out-of-date, or not 

available. In one instance, the materials failed to contain any information on the 

current Post-9/11 GI Bill . . . which became law in 2009. 

And in at least one class, the VA instructor admitted he did not know much about 

some programs. For a program that has been in operation for nearly 20 years, those 

discrepancies are unacceptable; we cannot ignore today’s shortcomings. 

I look forward to hearing from today’s witnesses, and I will now yield to the gentleman from Iowa’s First Congressional District, Mr. Braley. 

f 

Prepared Statement of the Hon. Bruce L. Braley, 

Ranking Democratic Member, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 

Many of our brave servicemen and women in this country are returning in need 

of health care, employment, housing, educational, and other services. They, like all 

our veterans across the country, deserve our best efforts in providing the resources 

to ensure a seamless transition from military service to civilian life. 

The Subcommittee has explored various options to accommodate servicemembers 

and encourage them to attend the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) workshop 

as well as their spouses, and how to modernize TAP. Some proposed changes have 

included: expanding evening classes and adding online resources to accommodate 

servicemembers and their spouses’ working schedules. Others had brought up the 

prospect of making the program mandatory for separating servicemembers and expanding existing Montgomery GI Bill benefits. I was happy to learn that the three 

responsible Departments that make TAP possible, DoD, VA, and DOL were also 

aware of the criticism surrounding TAP and they have been working to modernize 

this important workshop. 


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Today, we will reexamine TAP and the progress that has been made by the Departments. I hope we also have the opportunity to learn how the program is assisting our veterans in a seamless transition into employment and their communities. 

As many of you know, the Transition Assistance Program was established to meet 

the needs of separating servicemembers during their period of readjustment into civilian life. The program offers job-search assistance and related services such as 

workshops on resume writing, interview process, labor market overviews, personal 

appraisal, and VA benefits. The program seeks to provide veterans with the skills 

and services needed to transition into the workforce. 

Additionally, the VetSuccess on Campus program plays a similar role TAP. It 

helps individuals as they transition from being servicemembers to students. This 

seamless transition is critical to help student veteran’s succeed in school. Most importantly, I believe, it is helping veterans feel welcome and accepted in campuses 

across the country. The age difference between a non veteran and a veteran in the 

classroom can vary, for veterans this age difference can feel as if they can’t relate 

or can be intimidating at times. VetSuccess on Campus helps veterans network with 

other veterans. Furthermore, the VetSuccess on Campus can ease a veteran’s transition by helping them apply for their education benefits. 

This hearing today will inform us of all the initiatives being implemented to help 

servicemember and veterans succeed. 

f 

Prepared Statement of Christina M. Roof, 

National Acting Legislative Director, American Veterans (AMVETS) 

Chairman Stutzman, Ranking Member Braley and distinguished Members of the 

Subcommittee, on behalf of AMVETS, I would like to extend our gratitude for being 

given the opportunity to share with you our views and recommendations regarding 

the Transition Assistance Program and VetSuccess on Campus. 

AMVETS feels privileged in having been a leader, since 1944, in helping to preserve the freedoms secured by America’s Armed Forces. Today our organization 

prides itself on the continuation of this tradition, as well as our undaunted dedication to ensuring that every past and present member of the Armed Forces receives 

all of their due entitlements. These individuals, who have devoted their entire lives 

to upholding our values and freedoms, deserve nothing less. 

By way of background, the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) was designed by 

the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide transition and job search assistance to 

separating servicemembers. TAP is a partnership among the Departments of Labor 

(DOL), Defense, Homeland Security (DHS) and Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide employment assistance and counseling services to members of the armed forces, and 

their eligible spouses, within 1 year of their separation or 2 years of their retirement from the military. TAP classes are usually held on a military installation or 

base and are composed of said location’s servicemembers, who are close to the end 

of their service in the United States military. 

According to DoD, the following areas should be addressed in TAP classes for fulltime active-duty servicemembers. The program consists of the following four components: 

1. DoD Pre-separation Counseling: A thorough review of transition services, 

VA and DoD benefits and resources begins the transition process. DoD has 

published, but rarely educates servicemembers and their families, guidelines 

stating they should make an appointment with the bases transition office no 

later than 12 months before a members known separation date (for retiring 

servicemembers, you can make an appointment 24 months prior to your retirement date). 

2. Department of Labor (DOL) Employment Workshops: During this 21⁄2

day workshop, servicemembers are to learn how to write a resume and cover 

letter, obtain information on skills assessment and job search techniques and 

learn about other important areas of interest regarding career and job services 

available to veterans through DOL. 

3. A Benefits Briefing: A 21⁄2 to 4-hour session, administered by a VA representative explaining VA benefits a servicemember may be entitled to, including the GI Bills, health care services and qualifications, VA education and employment counseling, home loan programs and all of the other important programs and information critical to ensuring a smooth transition from DoD to 

VA. 

4. Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP): Any servicemember 

with a service-connected disability is required to attend this 2-hour briefing if 


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not hospitalized. DoD, VA and DOL representatives are supposed to jointly 

present vital information about eligibility for Chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service benefits provided by VA and DOL, health care 

services and other information key to the smooth transition of the disabled 

servicemember and their family. 

Optional and shorter, less in-depth TAP classes for qualifying and demobilizing 

National Guard and Reserve are to be composed of: 

1. DoD Pre-separation Counseling: During demobilization, and prior to release from active duty, any servicemember returning from Operation Iraqi 

Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) can receive 2 hours of 

pre-separation counseling by a DoD official. 

2. Department of Labor Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) Briefing: An USERRA Briefing is available 

prior to release from active-duty Guard or Reserve service. If the servicemember does not receive this briefing prior to release from active duty, they 

are given the choice to seek out the information on their own from a DOL Career One-Stop Center in their community if they wish to receive further employment assistance. 

3. VA Benefits Briefing: Prior to release from active duty, you are eligible to 

receive a VA Benefits Briefing, if they request the briefing. 

4. VA DTAP Briefing: This normally occurs as part of the VA Benefits Briefing 

and usually includes information about application procedures for vocational 

rehabilitation and employment assistance. This information is for servicemembers who have or think they have a service-connected disability. Once released from active duty, servicemembers are told they should always follow up 

with VA once they return home by contacting the VA office closest to where 

they live. 

While AMVETS is aware of the recent efforts to improve TAP, we still strongly 

believe the overall program to be falling short of its originally intended purposes. 

TAP classes are often the only opportunity a servicemember, or qualifying family 

member, will have to receive the critical information vital to sustaining their quality 

of life after the military. The transition from a military career to a civilian and corporate sector career is a culture shift, and sometimes very difficult. Veterans need 

employment and often need assistance in making the transition from a military culture to a civilian or corporate culture. This time of transition is one of the most 

stressful and challenging times for many veterans. After spending years becoming 

part of a respective military culture, servicemembers who leave the military face a 

new unknown culture when they step into a civilian role or corporate career. This 

transition is often complicated by injuries received, both visible and invisible, while 

serving their country. As battlefield medicine continues to save more lives, VA, DoD, 

DOL and DHS must be ready to adapt and change their current transition and education programs to meet the needs of today’s transitioning veterans. 

The information previously listed, which outlines all aspects of the Transition Assistance Program must be presented thoroughly, as it is crucial to ensuring a seamless transition from DoD to civilian life. However, anyone who has ever served or 

has lived on base as either military personnel or as a qualifying family member 

knows that what is supposed to occur and what actually occurs, is more often than 

not, not one and the same. AMVETS believes this is due to the timing and length 

of TAP classes, lack of education and outreach to servicemembers and their families 

on the importance and eligibility of TAP, miscommunication and conflicting ‘‘desired 

end results’’ of the agencies tasked with providing TAP and outdated education models. 

There also appears to be a lack of faith in the thoroughness and success of TAP 

among the individual branches as well. This is demonstrated through the new programs and services within each branch of the military. For example, the U.S. Army 

Community Service Center, located at Walter Reed Medical Center, helps the total 

Army family by providing services to maintain stability and meet the challenges of 

military life and transition. Readiness services are available to active-duty and retired servicemembers, their family members, Army civilian employees and Reservists on active duty and during transitioning out. While TAP is a part of the services 

offered, there are five other services providing more focused and long term assistance with employment and transition issues. Another example lies within the U.S. 

Marine Corps (USMC), who for some time has taken their own, more successful approach to TAP. The USMC mandates every transitioning Marine participate in TAP 

and they also have a higher rate of eligible family member TAP attendance. While 

AMVETS applauds the individual branches for stepping up to fill in the gaps of 


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services and information that are supposed to be well covered during TAP, we have 

to ask if taking the successful practices and programs from each branch and combining them into a uniform updated TAP would not be a better way of ensuring successful transition across every branch of the armed services. We are all aware of 

the fact that duplication of efforts and funding of multiple programs with large overlap is not the best way to meet the needs of today’s transitioning war fighters and 

their families. 

Due to the disproportionately high unemployment rates among OEF/OIF and Operation New Dawn veterans, in June of 2010, The Society For Human Resource 

Management (SHRM) released their national survey findings entitled ‘‘Employing 

Military Personnel and Recruiting Veterans—Attitudes and Practices SHRM Poll.’’ 

The large national survey examined pay and benefits that organizations provide to 

employees who have been mobilized to serve on active-duty service either as a Reservist or as a member of the National Guard, as well as the challenges organizations face when an employee has been mobilized to serve on active duty. The benefits and challenges of hiring military veterans were examined, as were the areas 

that would assist organizations in recruiting and hiring veterans. Unfortunately, the 

survey results confirmed what many of us have feared was occurring. Employers reported that while they wanted to actively seek out and hire veterans they did not 

know what the appropriate channels to achieve this were and did not receive much 

assistance when contacting local DOL and VA locations. The survey also showed 

that only 13 percent of private sector companies offered any type of transition assistance to newly separated servicemembers or active-duty returning Guard and Reserve members. Moreover, most companies reported the below reason they often hire 

and employ veterans and members of the Guard and Reserve: 

Organizations 

that have 

hired veterans 

(n=93–151) 

Organizations 

that have made 

an effort to 

hire veterans 

(n=11–18) 

Organizations 

that have not 

made an effort 

to hire veterans 

(n=107–167) 

Strong sense of responsibility 97% 94% 98% 

Ability to work under pressure 96% 94% 96% 

Ability to see a task through to 

completion 92% 92% 92% 

Strong leadership skills 91% 93% 92% 

High degree of professionalism 91% 82% 87% 

Strong problem-solving skills 90% 83% 89% 

Ability to multitask 89% 91% 84% 

Ability to adapt to changing 

situations quickly 88% 85% 89% 

Ability to give back to U.S. 

veterans by showing gratitude 

for their service 88% 87% 93% 

Positive impact on the image 

and/or credibility of organization 86% 82% 82% 

Sense of patriotism at 

organization 77% 82% 84% 

Technology/information 

technology skills and training 77% 80% 83% 

Strategic planning/foresight 74% 73% 80% 

Fulfillment of Federal and/or 

State affirmative action 

requirements 73% 82% 76% 

Global perspective 61% 63% 71% 

Knowledge/expertise of defense 

issues 60% 73% 79% 


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However, employers and individual company’s HR Departments listed the following as the top issues the private sector experiences when hiring a veteran: 

• 60 percent of employers found they were unable to translate a veteran’s military experience into a job’s requisites. 

• 48 percent said veterans had a difficult time transitioning out of the structure 

and hierarchy of military culture to that of a civilian workplace culture. 

• 46 percent reported veterans had difficulties directly relating to post-traumatic 

stress disorder (PTSD) or other mental health issues. 

• 36 percent reported problems with the amount of time it took veterans to adapt 

to their new workplace. 

• 22 percent said they had issues related to a veteran’s combat related physical 

disabilities. 

• 18 percent of employers stated that they find veterans are not qualified for the 

positions in which they apply. 

As you can see from the above survey results, there remains to be some stigma 

attached to being a veteran when it comes to finding work in the private sector. 

While a couple of the aforesaid issues cannot be corrected through TAP, most of 

them could be with a proper TAP class and guidance. Better preparing our servicemembers for their transition to civilian life, as well as ensuring they are receiving 

all of the care and services necessary is the only way we have a chance at lowering 

the unemployment rate and properly addressing adjustment issues today’s veterans 

are facing. AMVETS also believes that by properly preparing a servicemember for 

their life outside of the military we could possibly see a decrease in the usage and/ 

or necessity for several other programs veterans and families seek during tough 

transition times. While AMVETS is in no way suggesting cutting funding or resources related to these other services that have severe overlap with TAP, we do 

believe that the number of veterans needing these other resources stands to decrease with a smoother transition, proper enrollment within the VA system and immediate employment after military discharge. 

AMVETS would like to make the following recommendations on ways to improve 

the Transition Assistance Program: 

1. AMVETS strongly recommends TAP be a mandatory program in which all 

transitioning servicemembers and their eligible family members attend before 

release from DoD. The USMC has utilized this rule for many years and tends 

to have lower unemployment rates when compared to the other branches. 

2. DoD, VA, DOL and DHS must design and implement a stronger DTAP program for wounded servicemembers, and their families, who are hospitalized or 

are receiving any type of medical rehabilitation during their military service 

discharge. While incredibly cutting edge with their medical care and military 

hospitals, such as Walter Reed, DoD often forgets that when a servicemember 

and their family go home there will be employment and transition issues that 

they need to be well prepared for. All military and VA medical centers must 

have a stronger, more in depth, need specific transition and employment programs for servicemembers and veterans having sustained a service-connected 

injury. We cannot reasonably expect a veteran or their family to sustain any 

sort of quality of life if we do not ready them for what lies ahead. We ready 

our troops for war, so we must also ready our veterans for their transitions. 

3. AMVETS recommends the lengthening of the current two and a half, full day 

TAP class. The current method is almost information overload, resulting in 

transitioning servicemembers losing focus on the presented materials. Since 

the content is very broad in context and is all critical to a successful transition, 

AMVETS believes a longer length (i.e.- number of days) and shorter class days 

will result in better information exchanges and full comprehension of all of the 

information presented. 

4. AMVETS strongly believes there needs to be more focus and education on the 

translation of military experience to a civilian skill set and re ́sume ́, as well as 

what fields of employment to look for in the private sector. The training and 

real world application our servicemembers experience during their time in the 

military can be compared to that of higher education, technical schools and real 

life work experience. These men and women learn their area of expertise not 

simply to ‘‘perform a job’’, but rather to ‘‘perform a job that may possibly mean 

ensuring the safety and lives of their comrades.’’ We must ensure transitioning 

servicemembers possess a strong civilian re ́sume ́ upon DoD discharge from 

duty. 

5. All TAP classes must include clearer and lengthier VA benefits and health care 

education sessions, as well as time for questions or concerns the participant 


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may have. On average VA personnel are allotted 21⁄2 hours during a TAP class 

to educate the participants on the entire VA health and benefits system. As 

we know, the VA system can be very overwhelming to newly transitioning 

servicemembers. In fact many eligible veterans go without health care and employment resources due to their lack of understanding of the VA system and 

their eligibility to receive services. If you ask most veterans what they learned 

about VA’s services and benefits during their TAP class you will usually get 

a very short response conveying an overall lack of understanding of information they received. AMVETS also usually finds those statements followed by a 

comment that since they were not catastrophically injured during their service 

they would not qualify anyway. Sadly, many of these same veterans have DoD 

disability ratings. AMVETS finds this unacceptable and urges a very strong review of VA’s involvement in the TAP class. VA must have a reasonable amount 

of time to convey all of the critical information they have to share. Every 

transitioning servicemember and family must be armed with a clear understanding of the resources available to them. 

6. AMVETS strongly recommends the inclusion or involvement of a certified Veterans Service Organization’s Service Officer in the TAP class or at minimum, 

as an outside resource DoD, VA and DOL can refer servicemembers to by 

name. The claims process is daunting and the lack of education or information 

servicemembers and their families will ever receive on VA care and benefits 

is during their TAP class. TAP’s section on VA care and benefits must be 

longer than a 21⁄2-hour lecture. It is very hard to imagine how anyone could 

convey all of the important information needed to understand the VA system 

properly in 21⁄2 hours. One can only assume not every important part of VA’s 

services and resources are being discussed. AMVETS understands that the desired end result of TAP slightly varies between the agencies involved and we 

understand why. However, this is no excuse to rush any program that stands 

to ensure a higher quality of life for the men and women who need TAP. 

7. DoD, VA, DOL and DHS must redesign and build upon the programs available 

to active-duty National Guard and Reserve members. As the current conflicts 

have shown us, Guard and Reserve members are just as likely, if not more 

likely, to be deployed to a combat zone. This means these men and women are 

serving side by side their active-duty colleagues and are serving just as long. 

AMVETS finds it to be reprehensible that any Federal agency or any individual person would hold their service as less or not as life changing simply 

because they chose to serve their country as a member of the National Guard 

or Reserve. AMVETS believes TAP and DTAP must be thoroughly reviewed 

and redesigned to meet the growing needs of members of the Guard and Reserve. The face of today’s modern military force continues to change. VA, DoD, 

DOL and DHS must continue to grow and adapt their services to accurately 

reflect these changes. 

8. TAP is not designed for nor set up to meet the needs of qualified spouses. Even 

though TAP and DTAP are incredibly important to a spouse, especially when 

a servicemember has sustained a service-connected life changing injury, little 

has changed in the way of outreach or class design to meet their specific needs. 

DoD, VA, DOL and DHS must do a better job educating the families of servicemembers on the availability of TAP classes to them, as well as other VA and 

DOL programs regarding employment, financial stability and health care resources that are available to the servicemember and to the family. 

Finally, AMVETS believes VetSuccess on Campus, even though still in its very 

early stages, has so far shown to be a successful tool veteran students can utilize 

while seeking a higher education. The colleges participating, as well as their veteran 

students, who have thus far utilized this program have reported very successful outcomes. The program has shown that through the collaborating of a Veterans Health 

Administration outreach coordinator, a qualified vocational rehabilitation counselor 

and an on-campus cohort counselor, veterans utilizing VR&E and/or the Post-9/11 

GI Bill have had better outcomes with their transitions and academic performance. 

As a partner author of The Independent Budget, AMVETS recommends VA be given 

the authority and resources necessary to expand the program to campuses around 

the country. AMVETS further concurs with the 2012 Independent Budget’s support 

of approving VR&E’s request for an additional ten fulltime employees to assist with 

the expansion of the VetSuccess program. AMVETS looks forward to seeing the results and outcomes resulting from expansion of the VetSuccess on Campus program. 

Chairman Stutzman and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, AMVETS 

would again like to thank you for inviting us to share with you our opinions and 


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recommendations on these very important pieces of legislation. This concludes my 

testimony and I stand ready to answer any questions you may have for me. 

f 

Prepared Statement of Marco Reininger, Legislative Fellow, 

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America 

Chairman Stutzman, Ranking Member Braley, and Members of the Subcommittee. I want to thank you very much for the opportunity to testify before you 

today on behalf of the more than 200,000 veterans and supporters of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and the many veterans who are currently 

unemployed and looking for work. 

My name is Marco Reininger and I am an Army veteran of the war in Afghanistan where I conducted investigations into Improvised Explosive Device attacks and 

insurgent networks. I currently attend Columbia University on the new GI Bill, 

studying political science, and I work as a legislative fellow for IAVA. 

Mr. Chairman, unemployment is a major issue facing our newest generation of 

veterans. Approximately 214,000 or 10.9 percent of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are seeking employment. Not only is this number unacceptably high but it also 

represents a tremendous waste of resources. The members of our armed services are 

some of the best trained, most disciplined, and most ambitious men and women this 

country has to offer and not equipping them with the tools they need to make a 

successful transition into the civilian workforce is bad economics. Hundreds of thousands and often millions of taxpayer dollars are spent on training each Soldier, Sailor, Airman, and Marine and they often receive the most cutting edge instruction 

available in technology, the medical field, and other fields. Thus, every servicemember that cannot find employment after transitioning out of the military due to 

a lack of effective transition assistance or insufficiently knowledgeable civilian employers is a missed opportunity to add a highly-skilled worker to America’s workforce. 

After two decades of no significant changes to the Transition Assistance Program 

(TAP) it is time to take a serious look at how we help our transitioning servicemembers to be successful in the civilian workforce and enable them to find the jobs 

they deserve. IAVA, therefore, fully supports an overhaul of TAP as proposed by the 

Department of Labor (DOL). Additionally, IAVA advocates for an expansion of the 

Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) VetSuccess on Campus program to help veterans receive their GI Bill benefits on time, become successful college graduates, 

and be more attractive in the job market. 

Transition Assistance Program 

On March 3rd, 2011, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service put forward excellent recommendations to overhaul TAP 

and turn it into a more effective and relevant program during his testimony before 

the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. IAVA supports the recommended improvements in addition to several other crucial items. 

Nick Colgin is one vet who would have benefitted from improved TAP classes. 

Nick was a combat medic in the Army, but when it came to getting a job in the 

medical field in the civilian world, it proved almost impossible. Nick went through 

the TAP program, but was being treated for a TBI, and fulfilling other requirements 

to leave the Army at the same time, so the classes proved less than helpful. He was 

never taught how to write a re ́sume ́ or that he had to wear a suit to job interviews. 

When it came to finding a job, Nick enrolled in a Wilderness First Responder 

class to get the proper certifications to work as a civilian medic. To get this certification, Nick had to use his GI Bill benefits. When he was found to be overqualified 

for the jobs he applied for, he decided to cut his losses and finish his college degree 

instead. 

TAP needs to be a program that addresses each servicemember’s unique level of 

experience, education, career of choice, and readiness to enter the civilian job market. Having a Lance Corporal Medic and Armor Lieutenant Colonel attend the same 

course, as is currently the case, is inefficient and a tremendous waste of opportunity. TAP should offer different categories of training and instruction based on a 

pre-course assessment of each transitioning servicemember’s unique skill set. The 

goal of TAP should be to provide each transitioning servicemember with a clear 

roadmap on what steps to take to achieve his or her employment goals. A successful 

TAP would ask the servicemember ‘‘What are their employment or entrepreneurial 

goals?’’ and provide detailed answers on how to achieve them. 


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The traditional TAP elements of re ́sume ́ writing, building job interviewing skills, 

and choosing the correct attire for employment interviews are important and IAVA 

supports maintaining them. However, the content and delivery of these modules 

should be assessed and made relevant to the current job market and business environment. 

Compared to past decades, very few employers and business leaders today have 

a direct relationship or even basic understanding of the military, making it difficult 

for veterans to translate their skills to the civilian world. Thus, in addition to the 

improvements introduced by the Assistant Secretary, the transitioning servicemember should be provided with the tools necessary to educate potential employers 

of the value he or she brings to the workforce. TAP should give servicemembers the 

ability to help employers understand a military re ́sume ́ and translate military skills 

into civilian skills. While a national effort is needed to educate employers to the 

value of hiring veterans, transitioning servicemembers cannot rely on best practices 

to be in place and need to be equipped to lead the effort themselves. 

A crucial component of making TAP more relevant is the addition of online tools 

and e-learning modules. Making the program effective will require increased instruction time and more attention on the individual. An online platform would help 

facilitate such improvements without exploding the program’s cost and manpower 

requirements. Additionally, it would allow servicemembers to prepare questions for 

the instructors before and after the TAP course by completing e-learning modules 

and reviewing TAP materials online. TAP facilitators should in return be available 

to provide individual support by answering such questions via the online platform 

or a dedicated telephone hotline. 

To create a standard quality of instruction TAP should be administered by Department of Labor (DOL) contracted instructors. Using contracted instructors would 

simplify having certified instructors, a standardized curriculum, and more accountability of the instructors without having to coordinate across Federal, State, and 

local government agencies. These instructors should be assessed on their instructional abilities and training success. 

Additionally, as part of making and keeping TAP relevant, DOL should begin 

measuring the program’s success. The key elements of the program should be measured, as should the program’s overall success in getting transitioning servicemembers hired. Beyond the recommendations made by the Assistant Secretary, 

IAVA recommends that an outside organization with sufficient research capabilities 

and expertise in analyzing performance metrics be contracted to conduct such measurements. The most important point, however, is that these measurements function 

as a basis for a full third-party audit of the program every 3 years to ensure that 

the program remains efficient and current, and does not again become de facto obsolete regardless of who is in charge of the White House and the DOL. We need to 

build for the future and ensure that TAP is set up to serve many generations of 

servicemembers to come. 

Lastly, the program will not succeed if servicemembers do not attend it or do not 

have enough time to learn the skills offered in it. According to the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics (BLS), in a recent survey of over 600,000 veterans, 45 percent submitted 

that they never attended TAP when separating from the military. Therefore, we recommend for the program to become mandatory for all transitioning servicemembers. 

Additionally, we recommend for the program to be sufficiently extended in duration 

to allow for all the suggested improvements to be implemented. In addition, an optimal TAP attendance window before separation should be determined to allow the 

servicemember sufficient time to prepare and adapt all the actions laid out in his 

or her transitioning plan. In the same BLS survey, a significant number of veterans 

indicated a preference for TAP to be offered 6 months prior to their discharge for 

such purposes. 

Vet Success on Campus 

One of the most valuable steps a veteran can take to be successful in the job market is to earn a college degree. The post-9/11 GI Bill has already opened the doors 

to success for thousands of veterans across the country that would have otherwise 

been out of reach. And, as the number of student veterans increases and hundreds 

of thousands of veterans enroll in colleges across the country we will see our Nation 

transform for the better not unlike it did after World War II. 

Along with this important new veterans benefit come challenges for the VA and 

the educational institutions benefiting from the student veterans. To mitigate those 

challenges, VetSuccess on Campus, the VA program that places VA personnel dedicated to educational benefit counseling on college campuses, could play a crucial role 

in ensuring that student veterans receive their benefits in a timely and uncomplicated fashion without their academic success being jeopardized by benefit complicaVerDate Nov 24 2008 02:02 Dec 02, 2011 Jkt 067190 PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 6604 Sfmt 6621 I:\VA\67190.XXX GPO1 PsN: 67190

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tions. It could also ensure that educational institutions are informed and educated 

on the procedures and terms of the GI Bill, and that the VA is not burdened with 

erroneous or unnecessary certifications and paper work. 

IAVA recommends that the number of vocational and peer-to-peer counselors as 

part of the VetSuccess on Campus program is increased and expanded to every campus that hosts a significant amount of student veterans. Currently, certifying officials are not trained to a specific standard or held accountable on whether they 

properly certify and facilitate the student veterans’ educational benefits. And, while 

many educational institutions are doing an acceptable job in making sure their veterans are taken care of, other institutions are simply assigning already over-worked 

officials with the additional task of being a certifying official and navigating the 

complicated VA benefits process. 

Without an enforced standard, standardized training, and officials solely dedicated 

to certifying and serving colleges’ veteran populations, it is always the student veteran that loses out by having the stress of a complicated and problematic GI Bill 

process added to an already stressful course load. Additionally, correct GI Bill certification is crucial for the veteran to receive the proper living stipend in a timely 

fashion. Especially, for student veterans who provide for their dependents while attending college the stipend is an instrumental financial life support that cannot be 

tampered with. Dedicated on-campus VA counselors that assist student veterans are 

a critical tool that should be present at every campus in America. 

The men and women that served our country in uniform are a tremendous resource of expertise, technical skill, and the right attitude for the workplace. In a 

time where our Nation faces economic turbulence, high unemployment, and the perils of an ever-growing deficit we simply cannot afford to leave this resource untapped. We must ensure our separating servicemembers get jobs and our veterans 

are hired. The suggestions IAVA made today are sensible and feasible steps to accelerate the process and we hope to be a resource to you in this endeavor. 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony and I would be delighted to answer 

any questions you or the Members of the Subcommittee may have. Thank you very 

much for the opportunity to speak before you today. 

f 

Prepared Joint Statement of Brigadier General Robert F. Hedelund, 

Director, Marine and Family Programs, U.S. Marine Corps, 

U.S. Department of Defense, and Beth A. Barton, Ph.D., Manager, 

Personal and Professional Development Program, Marine Corps 

Community Service, Marine Corps Community Services 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

The Transition Assistance Program (TAP), which was created to help separating 

and retiring servicemembers and their families make a smooth transition from a 

military career to the civilian sector, is a collaborative partnership between DoD, 

the Military Services, the Department of Labor (DOL), the Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 

Marine Corps Transition Assistance Management Program (TAMP) 

Currently, the Marine Corps’ Transition Assistance Management Program 

(TAMP) consists of 21⁄2- to 31⁄2-Day Workshops which include the following components with our other agency partners: USMC Preseparation Interview; USMC 

Preseparation Counseling Briefing; Department of Labor (DOL) Transition Assistance Program Employment Workshop; Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits 

Briefing; and Department of Veterans Affairs Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP). 

Camp Lejeune 

Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton are two of the largest installations in the Marine Corps. Based upon an internal review of operations for separating/retiring Marines, we found that Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton experience the highest 

number of Marines transitioning out of the Corps annually. On average, the typical 

TAP workshop (class) size at Camp Lejeune is 100. For FY 2010, Camp Lejeune 

held 82 TAP workshops, with a total of 8,201 participants. Since the most recent 

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among DOL, DoD, VA, and the Department 

of Homeland Security does not limit the size of the TAP workshop (class), Marine 

Corps installations have the latitude to expand the size of scheduled classes to meet 


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their installations’ servicemember demands. Generally, DOL and VA use their respective State agency representatives to conduct TAP workshops at Marine Corps 

installations. Per the Commandant’s direction, we are in the process of vetting and 

approving all partners, affiliates, and contractors providing support services at TAP 

workshops. 

Way Ahead 

In his Planning Guidance, our Commandant said, to ‘‘Review and improve transition assistance—conduct an assessment of our Transition Assistance Program and 

recommend a plan to revolutionize our approach to better meet the needs of departing and retiring Marines.’’ In response, we have established a goal to make the Marine Corps Transition Assistance Management Program (TAMP) more value-added 

for separating and retiring Marines. 

We will transform TAMP’s 21⁄2- to 31⁄2-Day Transition Assistance Program (TAP) 

Workshops from event-driven to process-driven programs and support services along 

four ‘‘military to civilian’’ pathways: Employment; Career/Technical Education; College/University; and Entrepreneurship. We are developing a 3-year strategic and 

operational plan to improve and streamline Transition Assistance programs and 

services for our Marines and their families. We will inventory TAMP’s capabilities; 

assess current operations for redundancies and gaps; standardize TAP workshop 

core curriculum and electives; adopt best practices, and establish Measures of Effectiveness which enable the Marine Corps to continuously improve our Transition Assistance programs and services. 

We believe our efforts will result in an innovative program that addresses the 

Commandant’s concerns, meets the needs of our Marines and their families as they 

progress through their military life cycle, and help them transition successfully to 

a post-military career. 

Introduction 

Chairman Stutzman, Ranking Member Braley, and distinguished Members of the 

Subcommittee, thank you for your interest in the Marine Corps Transition Assistance Management Program (TAMP) and the opportunity to discuss the important 

steps we are taking to transform our program from an event-driven process to one 

of engaging our Marines at their initial entry into the Corps, helping them establish 

their long-term education and career goals along the way, and equipping them with 

the skills they need to successfully reintegrate back into civilian life and workforce 

once they leave the Service. 

Transition Assistance Management Program (TAMP)—Collaborative Process 

The TAMP, which was developed by the Department of Defense (DoD) to help separating and retiring servicemembers and their families make a smooth transition 

from a military career to the civilian sector, is a collaborative partnership between 

DoD, the Military Services, the Department of Labor (DOL), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 

Partnering with our sister Services and agencies, the Marine Corps currently provides 21⁄2- to 31⁄2-day Transition Assistance Program (TAP) workshops which are designed to assist all active-duty personnel and family members with their transition 

to the civilian sector. Currently, the key components include the following, all of 

which are mandatory for the Marine Corps: 

• USMC Preseparation Interview includes an explanation of the transition requirements for separating and retiring servicemembers and how to obtain 

Verification of Military Experience and Training (VMET). 

• USMC Preseparation Counseling Briefing must be completed before a 

servicemember can separate or retire and involves subject matter experts outlining the available benefits and entitlements to transitioning servicemembers. 

As part of this process, servicemembers complete the DD Form 2648/-1 

Preseparation Checklist. 

• DOL Transition Assistance Program (TAP) Employment Workshop includes comprehensive information on such topics as how to write a re ́sume ́ and 

cover letter; getting information on skills assessment; job search techniques; 

and accessing DOL’s Career One-Stop Center in their local community to continue their job search, if necessary. 

• The Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Briefing outlines the VA 

benefits, health care, and entitlements separating and retiring servicemembers 


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may be entitled to; the procedures for applying for such benefits; as well as information on the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bills. 

• The Department of Veterans Affairs Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP) is specifically geared to servicemembers who have a disability 

verified by a VA physician. The program focuses on eligibility requirements for 

Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment benefits. 

Camp Lejeune 

Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton are two of the largest installations in the Marine Corps. Based upon an internal review of operations for separating/retiring Marines, we found that Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton experience the highest 

number of Marines transitioning out of the Corps annually. On average, the typical 

TAP workshop (class) size at Camp Lejeune is 100. For FY 2010, Camp Lejeune 

held 82 TAP workshops, with a total of 8,201 participants. Since the most recent 

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among DOL, DoD, VA, and the Department 

of Homeland Security does not limit the size of the TAP workshop (class), Marine 

Corps installations have the latitude to expand the size of scheduled classes to meet 

their installations’ servicemember demands. 

Generally, DOL and VA use their respective State agency representatives to conduct TAP workshops at Marine Corps installations. Per the Commandant’s direction, we are in the process of vetting and approving all partners, affiliates, and contractors providing support services at TAP workshops. 

Way Ahead 

In his Planning Guidance, our Commandant said, to ‘‘Review and improve transition assistance—conduct an assessment of our Transition Assistance Program and 

recommend a plan to revolutionize our approach to better meet the needs of departing and retiring Marines.’’ In response, we have established a goal to make the Marine Corps’ TAMP more value-added for separating and retiring Marines. 

From 2009 to 2010, the Marine Corps conducted various assessments of the 

TAMP and the Personal and Professional Development and noted many deficiencies. 

In response, we established two Transition Assistance Operational Planning Teams 

in 2010 to assess existing programs. These teams identified issues, stakeholders and 

a conceptual framework for improved services and ways to integrate Marine Corps 

Community Services transition assets. Key stakeholders involved in this process include Marine recruiters, commanders, Unit Transition Coordinators, and most importantly—our Marines and their family members. 

With our predominately first-term force, we are committed to reaching our Marines at designated touch points, helping them develop roadmaps to support their 

Marine careers, and better equipping them to reintegrate back into civilian life upon 

leaving active-duty service. We have developed an end-to-end process improvement 

plan, are initiating actions, and are integrating existing capabilities that directly 

improve the quality of support provided to our Marines. In the near future, our 

transition assistance will become a personal and professional development process 

that will transition Marines into civilian life with the knowledge, skills, and abilities 

to better leverage their Marine Corps time and experience into meaningful careers. 

We will transform TAMP’s 21⁄2- to 31⁄2-Day Transition Assistance Program (TAP) 

Workshop from event-driven to process-driven programs and support services along 

four ‘‘military to civilian’’ pathways: Employment; Career/Technical Education; College/University; and Entrepreneurship. 

We are developing a 3-year strategic and operational plan to improve and streamline Transition Assistance programs and services for our Marines and their families. 

To date, we have developed a plan which inventories and assesses critical components of our TAMP, based on the following three phases: 

• Phase I focuses on 180 days pre- and post-end of active-duty service, which includes an inventory of our TAMP capabilities, an assessment of current operations for redundancies and gaps, a requirement that our TAP workshop core 

curriculum and electives be standardized (with well-defined learning objectives 

and exit outcomes), and an adoption of best practices. 

• Phase II and Phase III are still in development, based upon Measures of Effectiveness indicators that will be adopted, used, and assessed by Marine Corps 

Headquarters and all installations to continuously improve our Transition Assistance programs and services. 


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Conclusion 

We believe our efforts will result in an innovative program that addresses the 

Commandant’s concerns, meets the needs of our Marines and their families as they 

progress through their military life cycle, and help them transition successfully to 

a post-military career. 

Thank you for the opportunity to present this testimony. 

f 

Prepared Statement of Thomas J. Pamperin, Deputy Under Secretary 

for Disability Assistance, Veterans Benefits Administration, 

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Braley, and Members of the Subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the Department of 

Veterans Affairs (VA) Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and the VetSuccess program. My testimony will cover what we are currently doing in the TAP program, 

the current TAP reengineering efforts, and other support to separating Servicemembers and Veterans, to include the VetSuccess program and our efforts in the 

VetSuccess on Campus program. I am accompanied today by Ms. Ruth Fanning, Director, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Service, VBA. 

VA Transition Assistance Program 

TAP is conducted under the auspices of a memorandum of understanding between 

the Departments of Labor, Defense, Homeland Security, and VA. The Departments 

work together to schedule briefings and classes on installations to best serve 

Servicemembers and their expectations as they prepare for their transition from active military service. Quarterly meetings among the Departments are held to oversee the operations of the program and to plan enhancements to TAP. 

VA’s TAP briefings are provided by trained Military Services Coordinators (MSCs) 

from the regional offices with jurisdiction over military installations in the United 

States and Puerto Rico. TAP services are provided to Servicemembers stationed outside the United States through seven overseas MSCs providing services in the 

United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Okinawa, Japan and Korea. VA also provides transition briefings to demobilizing Reserve and National Guard Servicemembers. These briefings are typically held at the Reserve component Servicemembers’ home station after completion of the deployment. 

At TAP briefings, Servicemembers learn about the array of benefits and services 

available from VA. Servicemembers learn how to complete applications and are advised about what evidence is needed to support their claims. Following the general 

instruction segment, personal interviews are conducted with those Servicemembers 

who want assistance in preparing and submitting their applications for disability 

compensation and other benefits. In FY 2010, approximately 207,000 active duty, 

Reserve, and National Guard Servicemembers participated in over 5,000 transition 

briefings. From October 1, 2010, through March 2011, over 83,000 active duty, Reserve, and National Guard Servicemembers participated in over 2,000 transition 

briefings. 

In June 2010, VA established the TAP Re-Engineering Project Team in response 

to a request from the VA/DoD Joint Executive Council to update the existing briefing to ensure that it met the needs of current Servicemembers. The project team 

revised the briefing and is currently developing a web-based version of VA’s portion 

of TAP to be available in the fourth quarter of 2011, for use in lieu of the existing 

‘‘brick and mortar’’ classroom environment where appropriate. Our goal is to achieve 

100-percent Servicemember participation in 2012 by enabling Servicemembers to 

complete the VA benefits briefing at their convenience prior to discharge. 

Our efforts to improve the VA portion of TAP include three main elements: expanded training of briefers, continuous updates, and greater oversight of the program. The classroom TAP presentation has been revised and updated, reducing the 

number of slides by over 50 percent while focusing the remaining slides in a standardized template. Training has been completed on the new slide deck to over 200 

VA employees, including those at overseas locations. A web page has been created 

to keep VA benefits briefers updated on benefits and resources. Monthly conference 

calls have been initiated to provide briefers with direct access to various subject 

matter experts, updated information on VA benefits, upcoming program changes/enhancements; and to communicate best practices. A survey tool is also under development for both the in-person briefing and online information to track attendance and 

customer feedback. This survey tool will provide VA with valuable information, inVerDate Nov 24 2008 02:02 Dec 02, 2011 Jkt 067190 PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 6604 Sfmt 6621 I:\VA\67190.XXX GPO1 PsN: 67190

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cluding participation rates, customer satisfaction data, and qualitative feedback, 

which will help VA to better meet the needs of our separating Servicemembers. 

As part of the continual development of the VA portion of TAP, VA is conducting 

monthly reviews of the information on the slide deck and online. In 2012, VA will 

begin scheduled site visits to review the delivery of the classroom briefings. 

VetSuccess Program 

The goal of the VetSuccess program is to assist Veterans with service-connected 

disabilities to prepare for and obtain suitable and sustainable employment through 

the provision of services individually tailored to each Veteran’s needs. 

VetSuccess services begin with a comprehensive evaluation to help Veterans identify and understand their interests, aptitudes, and transferable skills. Next, vocational exploration focuses Veterans’ potential career goals in line with labor-market 

demands. This allows Veterans to participate as partners with their counselors in 

the development of a rehabilitation plan that builds on their transferable skills and 

ultimately assists them in achieving their career goals. To help Veterans accomplish 

their rehabilitation goals, VR&E provides a broad range of employment services including: 

• Translation of military experience to civilian skill sets; 

• Direct job-placement services; 

• Short-term training to augment existing skills to increase employability (e.g., 

certification preparation tests and sponsorship of certification); 

• Long-term training including on-the-job training, apprenticeships, college training, or services that support self-employment; 

• Independent-living services for those Veterans so severely disabled they may 

not currently be able to work, with the goal of exploring vocational options 

when each individual is ready; and 

• On-going case-management assistance throughout their rehabilitation programs 

to assist with any needs that would interfere with retention and completion to 

the point of employment. 

Veteran employment is the fundamental mission of the VR&E VetSuccess program. Success relies on early intervention, smart processes, productive partnerships, 

good rehabilitation planning, and retention to the point that each Veteran is jobready. Although all of these areas are vitally important, the most important are 

those services at the end of the program that assist job-ready Veterans to cross the 

finish line and land the career that they prepared for throughout their civilian and 

military experiences. 

In FY 2010, out of the 10,038 Veterans that were successfully rehabilitated from 

the program, 51 percent were hired in the private sector, 33 percent were hired with 

the Federal Government, 12 percent were hired with State and local government, 

and 4 percent were hired with faith-based and community organizations. Of note, 

79 percent of Veterans were employed in professional, technical, or managerial careers, earning an average annual starting salary of $38,734. 

The VetSuccess.gov Web site has been enhanced to provide a one-stop resource 

for both disabled and able-bodied Veterans and family members to access services 

during transition, campus life, job search, and career attainment. The program also 

assists Veterans with disabilities to maximize independence in their homes and 

communities. The Web site includes a job board for employers desiring to hire Veterans; re ́sume ́ builders and upload tools that allow Veterans to utilize re ́sume ́s already developed; a military-to-civilian jobs translator; aggregator tools for employers 

seeking certain skill sets and for Veterans seeking specific jobs; and a feedback 

mechanism to self-report employment gained through the site. The job-board feature 

of VetSuccess.gov currently connects over 68,000 Veterans with over 1,500 employers. Veterans also have access through the Direct Employers Job Central career 

board to over 4 million jobs, with additional links to other popular and highly populated job boards. Other enhancements to the site include self-assessment tools and 

interactive maps that drill down to resources in the Veteran’s community. Future 

enhancements will include self-assessment tools, an enhanced military-to-civilianjobs translator, and linkage to E–Benefits effective next month, allowing the selfservice features such as checking the status of a specific employment application. 

The VA VetSuccess on Campus program was established in June 2009 to provide 

support to Veteran-students in completing college or university degrees, including 

Veterans using the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The VetSuccess on Campus program is currently in place at eight campuses: the University of South Florida, Cleveland State 

University, San Diego State University, Rhode Island College, Rhode Island Community College, Texas A&M Central Texas, Arizona State University and Salt Lake 


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Community College. Over 4,500 Veteran-students have been served at these eight 

campuses. 

VA plans to expand VetSuccess on Campus to 9 additional campuses with Veteran 

populations of 800–1,200 students in 2012. The VetSuccess on Campus program is 

designed to give needed support to all Veterans pursuing training through one of 

the educational programs administered by VA, as well as to Veterans who are not 

entitled to one of VA’s education benefit programs. Our objective is to significantly 

increase the potential for graduation and successful transition to a career that supports Veterans’ and their families and contributes to well-being of the Nation. 

Mr. Chairman, we at VA are proud of our continuing role in the transition of 

Servicemembers from military to civilian life, and seek to continually improve the 

quality and breadth of our outreach efforts to active duty, Reserve, and National 

Guard members. 

Thank you for allowing me to appear before you today. I would be pleased to respond to any questions from Members of the Subcommittee. 

f 

Prepared Statement of Philip A. Burdette, Principal Director, Office of 

Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy, U.S. Department of Defense 

Chairman Stutzman, Ranking Member Braley, and Members of the Subcommittee: 

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the views of the Department of Defense 

(DoD) on the performance of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP). TAP is a collaborative partnership between DoD, the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and is the primary platform used to deliver an 

extensive array of services and benefits information to separating servicemembers. 

The Department also focuses on providing separating and retiring servicemembers 

useful information and assistance in all aspects of the transition process, including 

preparation for post-military employment. 

TAP OVERVIEW 

Servicemembers are required by law to commence pre-separation counseling no 

later than 90 days prior to active-duty separation but are strongly advised and encouraged to start the process 12 months before separation, or 24 months before retirement. In addition to the mandatory pre-separation counseling, DoD counselors 

make every effort to encourage transitioning servicemembers to participate in the 

voluntary TAP components, which are the VA’s Benefits Briefing, Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP) and DOL’s TAP Employment Workshop. Each Department is independently responsible for how to provide its portion of TAP to 

servicemembers. The decision of how to accomplish that, including the utilization of 

contract support, resides solely with the individual Departments. DoD wants every 

effort made to ensure quality instructional delivery of the material. 

Taking full advantage of what TAP has to offer enables servicemembers to be 

strong competitors for career opportunities in the civilian workforce. During mandatory pre-separation counseling, servicemembers review and complete an extensive 

checklist with a counselor. After servicemembers complete the pre-separation counseling portion of TAP, they receive a copy of the checklist (DD Form 2648 for Active 

Duty and DD Form 2648–1 for the National Guard and Reserves) so they can refer 

back to it and look up Web sites and other information to reinforce what they received during the pre-separation counseling session. The checklists have all the topics required by statute that a counselor must address during the pre-separation 

counseling session. The forms are used by separating servicemembers and their 

spouses to record that pre-separation counseling was conducted. 

If the servicemember desires more information on any topic on the pre-separation 

counseling checklist that exceeds the general knowledge of the counselor, then the 

member checks a ‘‘YES’’ block next to the item on the form, and the counselor refers 

the servicemember to a subject matter expert who is able to assist the member with 

the desired information, or get the answers to questions which the transition counselor may not have been able to answer. The subject matter expert may be a family 

support transition or education counselor located at the installation, or it may be 

a DOL or VA representative who provides TAP support at the installation. 

ENHANCED TAP FOR THE 21ST CENTURY 

To strengthen our TAP and reinforce its value to servicemembers and their families, the Department, in collaboration with our partners at VA and DOL, is committed to moving TAP from a traditional event-driven approach to a modern, innoVerDate Nov 24 2008 02:02 Dec 02, 2011 Jkt 067190 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 6604 Sfmt 6621 I:\VA\67190.XXX GPO1 PsN: 67190

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vative lifecycle approach. We are shifting from an end of military service event to 

an outcome-based model, that will measure success not only on the number of 

servicemembers who use the TAP process, but also on the number of transitioning 

servicemembers and their families who find the TAP process beneficial in assisting 

them with their life goals, military career progression, and/or new careers/meaningful employment outside of uniformed service. We will be implementing this strategic 

plan with focuses on information technology, strategic communications, resources 

and performance management. The end-state for the TAP overhaul will be a population of servicemembers who have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to empower 

themselves to make informed career decisions, be competitive in the global workforce and become positive contributors to their community as they transition from 

military to civilian life. 

As part of this effort, we launched the DoD Career Decision Toolkit in August 

2010. Available both online and in CD format, the Toolkit was developed in collaboration with the Military Services and our TAP partners at VA and DOL to help simplify the learning curve for transitioning servicemembers with the information, 

tools, and resources they need to succeed in the next phase of their lives. The toolkit 

uses the latest technology to consolidate the very best teaching materials from all 

the Service branches and provides thousands of on-demand resources to servicemembers. It is interactive, simple to use and portable. The toolkit includes: 

• More than 3,000 on-demand information and planning resources 

• Transition subjects such as career exploration, financial planning, re ́sume ́ creation, interviewing skills and compensation negotiation 

• Tools that enable servicemembers to catalogue their military skills, training, 

and experience in ways that transfer to civilian sector 

• Post-Service benefits and resources 

• Resources that allow users to self-assess individual transition needs and plan 

personalized options 

One of the great benefits of this toolkit is the ability for the servicemember to 

access the information anytime, anywhere as they have concerns/questions/issues 

with their transition. 

In addition to the Toolkit, we began offering a series of virtual learning opportunities to transitioning servicemembers and military spouses on March 1st of this year. 

The free online classes are available to any servicemember and military spouse 

worldwide and provide them with an interactive educational forum to delve into employment and career related topics, such as ‘‘Building Better Re ́sume ́s’’ and ‘‘Financial Planning for a Career Change.’’ The classes are highly encouraged for servicemembers looking to bolster their transition-related knowledge, especially geographically separated members of the National Guard and Reserves and recovering 

Wounded Warriors. To date, there have been more than 1,330 registrations for these 

weekly classes by Guard and Reserve members, Wounded Warriors, family members, and servicemembers stationed around the world, including registrations by 

military personnel stationed overseas in Diego Garcia, BIOT; Guantanamo Bay, 

Cuba; Honduras; Italy; Japan; Korea; Germany; and members deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. Military spouses are also among the many participants who have enjoyed this new delivery methodology. 

The TAP Virtual Learning Seminars have also been enthusiastically embraced by 

senior military leadership and prominent figures in business and academia, some 

of whom now participate in online seminars as ‘‘surprise celebrity guests.’’ Leaders 

such as Army Reserve Command Sergeant Major Michael D. Schultz; Navy Reserve 

Force Master Chief Ronney A. Wright; Philip Dana, Amazon’s Military Recruiting 

H.R. Manager; and Dr. Timothy Butler, Harvard Business School’s Director of Career Development Programs, have made guest appearances to motivate the 

attendees, stress the importance of proper transition planning, and also to participate in the online classes along with the servicemembers and families. 

The Toolkit and the virtual classes are just the beginning of our effort to move 

TAP into the digital spectrum. 

We are developing an ‘‘end-to-end’’ virtual TAP delivery platform that will provide 

the backbone of the transformed program, integrating the Guard and Reserve components, as well as expanding services available to family members. 

DoD has also played a supporting role with the Office of Personnel Management 

(OPM) on the initiative to increase hiring veterans in all Federal agencies. This is 

now recognized as President Obama’s Veterans Employment Initiative that directs 

all Executive Agencies to increase veteran employment. TAP is one of the programs 

we will use to educate and inform servicemembers about Federal service career opportunities. 


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Additionally, we established our presence on the social networks. Our Facebook 

page continues to help promote information that impacts transition and has helped 

several servicemembers who may have otherwise missed critical transition planning 

information. During this fiscal year, fans and non-fans have viewed our Facebook 

postings over 892,500 times. Our social network continues to expand as employers 

begin posting employment opportunities and provide mentoring advice for 

transitioning personnel. 

Focus on Credentialing 

The Department continues to provide licensure and certification information in a 

range of ways and in different formats in order to appeal to individual learning 

styles and ensure the widest possible dissemination. It is important to note, DoD 

does not serve as a credentialing body. These bodies are typically well-defined for 

licensure requirements by governmental agencies—Federal, State, or local—who 

grant licenses to individuals to practice a specific occupation, such as a medical license for physicians. State or Federal laws or regulations define the standards that 

individuals must meet to become licensed. 

Non-governmental agencies, associations, and even private sector companies grant 

certifications to individuals who meet predetermined qualifications. These qualifications are generally set by professional associations (for example, National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators) or by industry and product-related organizations (for example, Novell Certified Engineer). Certification is typically an optional credential; although some State licensure boards and some employers may require it. For many occupations, more than one organization may offer certifications. 

Verification of Military Experience and Training 

The Verification of Military Experience and Training (VMET) document was established by Public Law in November 1990 to assist departing servicemembers 

transitioning to civilian life by providing a verification of their military skills and 

training, and translating them into civilian terms. The Defense Manpower Data 

Center (DMDC), a DoD activity that supports the Office of the Under Secretary of 

Defense for Personnel & Readiness (OUSD/P&R), has the responsibility for producing the VMET documents and maintaining the VMET Web site. 

The enhanced DD Form 2586, Verification of Military Experience and Training, 

is now available on demand directly from the DMDC Web site at www.dmdc.osd.mil/ 

vmet. Access to the document is protected by secure login protocols. 

The VMET is not an official transcript for purposes of granting college credit, but 

it can be used for verification of having met training and/or course requirements to 

qualify for civilian occupations, certificates, licenses, or programs of study. Credit 

recommendations from the American Council of Education (ACE) for occupations 

and/or courses are listed when they are available, though academic institutions determine which credits are applicable to a program of study. 

A Lifecycle of Credentialing Education 

The Department realized that for licensure and certification programs to be effective, they must be introduced to servicemembers early in their careers, not at the 

time of separation. We are taking full advantage of the DOL’s Career One Stop 

(www.careeronestop.org) online resource and promoting utilization throughout the 

entire military lifecycle to reinforce the value of military training and experience. 

In this application, servicemembers link to the Credentials Center, which they can 

use to locate State-specific occupational licensing requirements, agency contact information and information about industry-recognized certifications. There are also 

associated workforce education and examinations that test or enhance knowledge, 

experience and skills in related civilian occupations and professions. 

Other resources such as the Army and Navy Credentialing Opportunities Online 

(COOL) Web sites are readily available. Army and Navy COOL sites explain how 

Soldiers and Sailors can meet civilian certification and licensure requirements related to their military occupational specialties or ratings. They also serve as a resource to identify what civilian credentials relate to a servicemember’s Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) or Rating and how to obtain them. The Air Force emphasis on licensure and certification is two-fold—career-related degrees and certification from civilian schools. The COOL search-tool equivalent for Airmen, known as 

the Credentialing and Research Tool (CERT), links the CCAF degree programs with 

nationally-recognized professional certifications relevant to specific career fields. 

Additional resources include the DoD/DOL United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP), the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support 

(DANTES), and TurboTAP, DoD’s official TAP Web site. All of the aforementioned 

resources were developed and designed to help servicemembers translate their skills 

and experience into opportunities for civilian employment. 


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DoD AND MILITARY SERVICES PROGRAMS AND TOOLS 

In recognition of the importance of the need for highly-qualified, experienced information assurance personnel, DoD has established a policy requiring certain individuals with privileged access to DoD information systems to obtain civilian credentials. DoD Manual 8570.1–M requires any full- or part-time military servicemember, 

contractor, or foreign employee with privileged access to a DoD information system, 

regardless of job or occupational series, to obtain a commercial information security 

credential accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or equivalent authorized body under the ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 Standard. The Manual also 

requires that those same employees maintain their certified status with a certain 

number of hours of continuing professional education each year. The number of people affected by this mandate is estimated to top 100,000, including any full- or parttime military servicemember, contractor, or foreign employee with privileged access 

to a DoD information system, regardless of job or occupational series. 

OTHER TRANSITION–RELATED EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVES 

Operation Warfighter (OWF) 

OWF is a DoD-sponsored internship program that offers recuperating wounded, 

ill and injured servicemembers meaningful activity that positively impacts wellness 

and offers a process of transitioning back to duty or entering into the civilian workforce. The main objective of OWF is to place recuperating servicemembers in supportive work settings that positively benefit the recuperation process. 

OWF represents a great opportunity for transitioning servicemembers to augment 

their employment readiness by building their re ́sume ́s, exploring employment interests, developing job skills, benefiting from both formal and on-the-job training opportunities, and gaining valuable Federal Government work experience that will 

help prepare them for the future. The program strives to demonstrate to participants that the skills they have obtained in the military are transferable into civilian 

employment. For servicemembers who will return to duty, the program enables 

these participants to maintain their skill sets and provides the opportunity for additional training and experience that can subsequently benefit the military. OWF simultaneously enables Federal employers to better familiarize themselves with the 

skill sets of wounded, ill and injured servicemembers as well as benefit from the 

considerable talent and dedication of these transitioning servicemembers. 

To date, the program has placed approximately 1,800 servicemembers across more 

than 100 different Federal employers and sub-components. The program currently 

has 390 active internship placements. 

The Veterans Employment Initiative (VEI) 

The VEI, created by Executive Order 13518, aims to aggressively enhance recruitment strategies and promote employment opportunities, which will lead to an increase in the number of Veterans in the Federal Government. DoD is a strategic 

partner on the Steering Committee for this initiative, along with the OPM, VA, 

DOL, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Order also established an 

interagency Council on Veterans Employment that advises the President and the 

Director of OPM on the initiative. The Council serves as a national forum to promote Veterans’ employment opportunities in the Executive Branch and develops 

performance measures to assess the effectiveness of the VEI. This led DoD to implement an agency-specific DoD Veterans Strategic Plan, which includes performance 

measures and expected outcomes. Agencies covered by the VEI have established 

Veterans Employment Program Offices or designated a full-time staff person dedicated to providing employment services to Veterans. The DoD Veterans Employment 

Program Office assists Veterans with navigating the application process in their 

search for employment. Veterans and the public may also access the VEI’s helpful 

Web site at www.fedshirevets.gov. 

Education and Employment Initiative (E2I) 

Contributing factors to unemployment among wounded warriors include the lack 

of a focused employment, educational, and rehabilitation process that engages 

servicemembers as soon as they begin treatment at a medical treatment facility 

(MTF), as well as a lack of qualified career counselors who can administer career 

assessments and match servicemembers to careers. DoD, in collaboration with VA, 

DOL, and OPM, is developing E2I to address these shortfalls. E2I will leverage best 

practices and the good work already being done from existing employment and 

training initiatives in both the Federal and private sectors. The first phase is a 

tiered pilot program that launched in May at two locations. 

The goal of the E2I pilot is to engage servicemembers early in their recovery to 

identify the skills they have, the skills they need, and the employment opportunities 


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where those skills can be matched and put to good use. The E2I process will begin 

within 30–90 days of a recovering servicemember (RSM) arriving at a MTF, taking 

advantage of a recovery time that averages 311 days but can be as long as 5 years. 

Once they are ready to begin the E2I process, all applicants will be administered 

a comprehensive skills assessment to include understanding their current disability, 

current MOS experience, career desires, education and training background, and 

special accommodations that may be required for a particular type of position. A 

highly trained career and vocation counselor who has extensive knowledge of the 

issues facing wounded warriors will provide this assessment. 

The E2I counselor will work with the RSM from the initial stages of creating an 

individual development plan goal setting, course selection or education requirements, through the completion of training/certification to return to duty or alternate 

job placement. A Mentor and Coach will be assigned to all E2I applicants at the 

beginning of the process to provide personalized assistance and guidance throughout 

the E2I process from recruitment at the MTF into the program, through placement 

in their new MOS or chosen career. 

Our plan is to evaluate the E2I program over the next 12 to 18 months and refine 

the E2I process with new ideas and best practices. Once this evaluation is complete, 

our plan is to continue our E2I roll-out, which will include partnering with OPM, 

VA and DOL to ensure we have standardized practices and comprehensive handoffs 

as the RSM leaves the responsibility of the DoD. 

CLOSING 

The measure of a successful transition does not focus solely on TAP, but rather 

is shared with military leadership at every level within the command structure and 

the degree of personal involvement by the servicemember and his or her family. We 

must continue to find new ways to not only reach our servicemembers and provide 

useful information to them, but also strive to ensure they are armed and prepared 

to address all the various challenges and opportunities in their transition to civilian 

life. It is through their success that we measure ours and continually look for better 

ways to provide the help they need. 

In summary, the end-state for the enhanced TAP for the 21st Century by DoD, 

DOL, and the VA will consist of a population of servicemembers who have the 

knowledge, skills, and abilities to empower themselves to make informed career decisions, be competitive in the global workforce and become positive contributors to 

their community as they transition from the military to civilian life. 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement. On behalf of the men and women 

in the military today and their families, I thank you and the members of this Committee for your steadfast support. 

f 

Prepared Statement of Hon. Raymond M. Jefferson, Assistant Secretary for 

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

Chairman Stutzman, Ranking Member Braley, and Members of the Subcommittee: 

Thank you for the opportunity to appear as a witness before the Subcommittee 

and speak to you on the Transition Assistance Program employment workshop, 

more commonly referred to as TAP. 

VETS proudly serves Veterans and transitioning servicemembers by providing resources and expertise to assist and prepare them to obtain meaningful careers, 

maximize their employment opportunities and protect their employment rights. We 

do that through four major programs that are an integral part of Secretary Solis’s 

vision of 

‘‘Good Jobs for Everyone.’’ 

• The Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG); 

• The Transition Assistance Program Employment Workshops (TAP); 

• The Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP); and 

• The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). 

Overview of the TAP Program 

TAP is an interagency program to help returning servicemembers transition back 

into civilian life. TAP consists of five components and is delivered in partnership 

by DOL, the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA), 

and Department of Homeland Security. The five components include: 


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1. Pre-separation counseling (3 hours)—this is mandatory for all transitioning 

servicemembers and is provided by the military services; 

2. TAP employment workshops (21⁄2 days)—these are voluntary on the part of the 

transitioning servicemember and are administered through DOL and its State 

partners; 

3. VA benefits briefing (4 hours)—these briefings are also voluntary and administered by the VA; and 

4. Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP) (2 hours)—also voluntary and 

administered by the VA. 

5. One-on-One Coaching—this is a follow-up to the four components outlined 

above. 

DOL began providing TAP employment workshops in 1991, pursuant to section 

502 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991 (P.L. 101–510), 

and, to date, we have provided employment and job training assistance and other 

transitional services to over 21⁄2 million separating and retiring servicemembers and 

their spouses. 

We also started providing employment workshops at overseas military institutions 

pursuant to section 309 of the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 (P.L. 108–183). Today, 

so that we can better serve Guard and Reserve units, we’ve made the commitment 

to provide employment workshops whenever requested, to include those returning 

from mobilization. We are currently conducting TAP employment workshops at 50 

sites overseas including Germany, Belgium, the Azores, Japan, Italy, Korea, Guam, 

the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Bahrain. 

Our mission is to provide TAP at every location requested by the Armed Services, 

including National Guard and Reserve Components. Last year, nearly 130,000 

transitioning servicemembers and spouses attended a TAP employment workshop 

given at one of 272 locations worldwide. 

Employment Workshop Overview 

DOL is authorized by Chapter 58 of title 10, U.S. Code, to assist DoD and VA 

in providing transition assistance services to separating servicemembers and their 

spouses. The role of VETS in this effort is to conduct employment workshops based 

on projections made by each of the armed services and the Department of Homeland 

Security for the U.S. Coast Guard. DOL-funded Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists and Local Veterans’ Employment Representatives (LVER) 

lead many employment workshops that take place in the United States. In some 

cases, due to the distances from State employment offices to the military installations, and to assist with the rapid growth of the program, contract facilitators were 

added in early Fiscal Year (FY) 1992 and Federal staff in FY 1996. In overseas locations, contract facilitators lead all workshops. 

DOL’s TAP employment workshop is a comprehensive 21⁄2 day session where participants learn about job search techniques, career decision-making processes and 

obtain information on current occupational and labor market conditions. Practical 

exercises are conducted in re ́sume ́ writing and interviewing techniques. Participants 

are also provided an evaluation of their employability relative to the job market and 

receive information on the most current Veterans’ benefits. Current components of 

the employment workshop include the following: career self-assessment, re ́sume ́ development, job search and interview techniques, U.S. labor market information, civilian workplace requirements and documentation of military skills. 

The current workshop also explains the additional services available at the over 

3,000 DOL One-Stop Career Centers and the value of the workforce investment system. One-Stop Career Centers help provide the support Veterans need to be successful and competitive in today’s workforce and, this past program year, served over 

1.8 million Veterans. VETS partners with the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to increase Veterans’ awareness of, access to, and use of the One-Stop 

service delivery system including ETA’s suite of online electronic tools. 

To maintain quality of service delivery and ensure uniformity between locations, 

all workshops use a common workbook and standard program of instruction. In addition, all facilitators—whether DVOP/LVER, Federal staff, or contractors—are 

trained and certified by the National Veterans’ Training Institute (NVTI). In the future, VETS will transition to having all facilitation done by contract facilitators, allowing DVOPs to focus on their core roles and responsibilities. 

The Transformation and Redesign of the TAP Employment Workshop 

Since its inception, the TAP employment workshop has been a valuable tool for 

servicemembers transitioning into the civilian workforce. As times change, we believe it is important to ensure that the approach and content stays current with 

emerging best practices. It is also critical that the program meets any changing 


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needs of our transitioning servicemembers, like those returning home from Iraq and 

Afghanistan during these challenging economic times. Therefore, in order to bring 

the best possible program and services to our servicemembers and their spouses, 

VETS is undertaking a redesign of the workshop that will incorporate the latest 

techniques and best practices that have been identified over the past two decades. 

We have identified six major opportunities for improving the current employment 

workshop and are in the process of completely redesigning and transforming it. We 

are creating experientially-taught, effective, enduring solutions for a successful transition from military to civilian life and employment. 

The first improvement opportunity we have identified is that the current employment workshop is neither customized to participants’ needs nor segmented according to their readiness for employment. There is no assessment of individuals prior 

to them attending the course. Simply put, it’s ‘‘one size fits all.’’ For example, in today’s workshop, servicemembers of all skill sets and experiences attend the same 

workshop—in this situation, we are not effectively engaging varying readiness levels. The solution to this dilemma is ‘‘pre-work.’’ The redesign will assess each individual’s readiness for employment, and their interests, before they attend the workshop. The pre-work results will then be used to assign individuals to one of three 

employment readiness levels: (1) high; (2) moderate; or (3) entry-level. When a 

servicemember attends TAP, he or she will do so with a cohort having the same 

readiness level, and the material will be tailored to that level. This is a completely 

new addition to the employment workshop. 

The second improvement opportunity we have identified is that the content for 

the employment workshop is outdated—we have not done a significant content update in 19 years. Therefore, the transformation and redesign will bring in best practice content in the area of career transition. The new content will focus on helping 

participants develop the vision, strategy, and tactics for their careers. Vision involves determining the life they want, strategy involves creating their roadmap for 

getting there, and tactics are the actions and steps they’ll be using along the journey. There will be three versions of the content—one for each level of employment 

readiness. The new, best-practice content will cover topics such as the following: 

• Life and career planning; • Stress reduction techniques; • Mental resiliency training; • Transitioning from a military to a civilian work environment and culture • Peer support techniques; • Networking; • Storytelling (how to determine and communicate one’s value proposition) • Entrepreneurship; and • Federal Government employment. 

TAP will continue to cover the traditional topics like re ́sume ́ writing, interviewing, and dressing for success. A distinctive element of the new employment 

workshop is that each participant will create an Individual Transition Plan (ITP)— 

encompassing his/her vision, strategy and tactics—which will serve as the individual’s roadmap to meaningful and successful career opportunities. This is a completely new addition to the employment workshop. 

The third improvement opportunity we have identified is that, presently, TAP is 

facilitated by a mixed cadre with different skill levels and training (e.g. contractors, 

VETS Federal staff, State Disabled Veteran Outreach Program specialists, and 

Local Veterans Employment Representatives). Our solution is to employ experienced, skilled contract facilitators trained to standards developed as part of the redesign. They will provide interactive facilitation that is based on adult learning 

principles. A major difference in the new employment workshop will be the emphasis on experiential learning—‘‘learning by doing’’—as opposed to the current reliance 

on PowerPoint slides. Also, by using contract facilitators, we can implement changes 

more quickly and will have better accountability of their performance. This is a new 

approach to content delivery. 

The fourth improvement opportunity we have identified is that, with the current 

model, there are constraints on access to the program, who can attend, and refresher training. The solution to this is an online, e-learning platform—a ‘‘virtual’’ 

TAP. The redesign will include an online, e-learning platform that will contain the 

entire TAP workshop in an engaging, dramatized format that serves as a comprehensive resource for all servicemembers, Veterans, Wounded Warriors, spouses, 

Guard and Reservists. Having an online platform will allow these communities continual and unlimited access to all of the content provided, 24 hours a day, 7 days 

a week. The online platform will be a primary portal to access entrepreneurship 

training, resources and support from the Small Business Administration (SBA), and 


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other sources. Furthermore, this solution will allow us to receive feedback from online users and track how many there are. The online, e-learning content for the employment workshop will also be available in Spanish. This is a completely new addition to the employment workshop. 

The fifth improvement opportunity we have identified is that there are no followup services for participants to reinforce and embed what they’ve learned. When a 

transitioning servicemember or spouse attends the employment workshop today, 

they leave with whatever they’ve absorbed in those 21⁄2 days. Reinforcement of 

learning is a well-understood principle of adult learning. Our solution to this is 

what we call ‘‘After-TAP Support.’’ In the redesigned workshop, participants will receive customized coaching by phone or online for 60 days after they attend the workshop. This will be ‘‘live’’ person-to-person contact and will focus primarily on assisting the participants with implementing, ‘‘pressure-testing’’ (i.e., comparing the written plan with the participants’ actual desires) and revising their Individual Transition Plans. It will also incorporate peer support techniques. This is a completely new 

addition to the employment workshop. 

Finally, the sixth improvement opportunity we have identified is that the employment workshop has no performance metrics to evaluate its effectiveness. Over the 

past 19 years, about 21⁄2 million people have gone through the workshop. However, 

there is no repository of data measuring the program’s effectiveness. Therefore, the 

redesign will include performance metrics and gather evaluation input from TAP 

participants at the following three ‘‘moments of truth’’: 

1. At the conclusion of the TAP Employment Workshop—attendees will evaluate 

the delivery, content, approach, resources, and setting; 

2. During the job search (when attendees are actually applying what they’ve 

learned)—they’ll evaluate the relevancy and effectiveness of the workshop’s 

content and approach; and 

3. After becoming employed—attendees will be asked how useful the workshop 

was in helping them to obtain a job or career opportunity, how rapidly did it 

help them assimilate into the work culture of their new organization, and did 

the program help them to quickly become positive contributors to their organization. 

VETS is excited about the future of this program. The request for proposals for 

this redesign has been released and proposals were due on May 27th. Our goal is 

to have the new workshop in place by Veterans’ Day 2011. 

FY 2012 Budget Request 

In FY 2012, VETS requests that TAP be funded at $9,000,000, renewing our FY 

2011 request to fund this as a separate activity. This is $2,000,000 above the level 

for FY 2010. VETS anticipates increased demand for TAP employment workshops 

because of our participation in DoD’s Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program and our 

commitment to provide workshops for retiring Reserve and National Guard members, which represent two populations not fully supported in previous years. 

This funding level helps servicemembers and their spouses make the initial transition from military service to the civilian workplace more seamlessly, effectively, 

efficiently and with less difficulty. 

Mr. Chairman, you asked in your invitation letter for the status of the contract 

for the National Veterans’ Training Institute. The request for proposals closed on 

April 21, 2011, and we are currently evaluating the submitted proposals. We plan 

to make an award by mid-June 2011. 

You also asked about class sizes of the employment workshop at Camp LeJeune, 

NC. We have established a goal of 24 participants per employment workshop. Upon 

occasion, due to mission requirements and facility availability, this goal is exceeded. 

We will continue working with DoD to prevent the issue of excessive class size from 

arising and address it when it does. 

Conclusion 

Chairman Stutzman, Ranking Member Braley, and Distinguished Members of the 

Subcommittee, I reaffirm my commitment to work closely with you, the outstanding 

team at VETS, and our partners and stakeholders to provide Veterans and 

transitioning servicemembers the best possible services and programs. Our success 

will be measured by the impact our programs have on helping our Veterans find 

and keep good jobs in today’s modern economy. 


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Thank you again for your unwavering commitment to Veterans and for the support that you’ve been providing to us. I appreciate the opportunity to testify before 

you today and look forward to answering your questions. 

f 

Statement of Michael Dakduk, Executive Director, 

Student Veterans of America 

Chairman Stutzman, and Ranking Member Braley, 

Thank you for giving Student Veterans of America the opportunity to comment 

on the Transition Assistance Program and the VetSuccess on Campus Program. 

These two programs are both essential parts of the transition from the military to 

civilian life, and it is essential that they be continually assessed by the Congress 

to ensure that they are meeting the needs of our Nation’s veterans. 

Transition Assistance Program 

We have enjoyed working with the Departments of Labor, VA, and Defense in 

overhauling TAP, and are looking forward to seeing the final product of the new 

version as it is rolled out in the coming months. As we have emphasized to all of 

the stakeholders, we feel strongly that education assessment and benefits awareness 

be critical components of the new TAP Program. It is not enough to simply tell a 

veteran what benefits are available. If they express interest in higher education, 

why not sign them up on the spot? The timeline for the expiration of their benefits 

begins as soon as they are discharged regardless of whether or not they sign up, 

so for the vast majority of veterans there is no hesitancy to enroll in the Post-9/ 

11 GI Bill. 

It is essential that TAP be geographically linked to where a veteran is going, not 

where they are being discharged from. Most TAP programs only talk about local VA 

and DOL resources, but there is no one-on-one counseling as to what will be available when they return home, or what they are interested in when they get there. 

It is essential that the resources in the area provide personal contact information 

to the veteran who is going there, and they should also have the veteran’s information so they can contact him or her when they get there. We are under the impression that this will be a part of the new TAP Program, and we hope that the Congress will continue to require it. 

We strongly believe that education should become part of a servicemember’s career long before TAP, and we hope that DoD will continue to explore opportunities 

for servicemembers, especially junior enlisted and NCOs, to have the opportunity to 

earn higher education credits prior to making the decision to transition. However, 

we do recognize that with the high operational tempo our military is currently facing, it will be some time before the same kind of education opportunities that our 

officers can take advantage of are made available to the enlisted force. That does 

not mean, however, that our enlisted force is not college material, and we hope that 

this Committee as well as the HASC will encourage DoD to explore these options 

for all servicemembers so as to dramatically reduce the amount of time a servicemember must spend in college following discharge before taking on more responsibility in the civilian workforce. 

In the meantime, we believe that TAP should begin as soon as possible for all 

servicemembers, and that over the course of the year before someone transitions, 

they should be able to take advantage of these resources more than once. This is 

especially true for those who will be entering higher education following discharge. 

The college application process must begin at least 6 months before discharge, with 

the servicemember preparing for and taking the SATs or other required exams, etc. 

Therefore, it is essential that TAP offer some kind of tangible education component 

that allows servicemembers to take the time to prepare for these exams if they 

need, as well as having the resources to teach them on base. 

We hope that this will dramatically increase the number of veterans going directly from their discharge facility to a college campus, where they can be part of 

a larger academic conversation in a supportive environment, thus more effectively 

acclimating them to the civilian world. 

VetSuccess on Campus Program 

The VetSuccess on Campus Program is one that SVA is very supportive of, and 

hopes that the Congress will continue to fund and expand it. One of the most important parts of this is a full or part-time VA benefits counselor at the participating 

university that can speak comprehensively about what is available to student vetVerDate Nov 24 2008 02:02 Dec 02, 2011 Jkt 067190 PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 6604 Sfmt 6621 I:\VA\67190.XXX GPO1 PsN: 67190

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erans. This is important because many universities are not able to afford full-time 

veteran coordinators, and some do not even have full time certifying officials. 

It is for this reason that we feel that the VetSuccess on Campus Program is so 

important. We know that in these tough economic times, many schools are struggling to maintain highly qualified support staff. Without further requirements from 

the VA, some schools are reducing their veteran support staff down to the one required person to handle growing student veteran populations, and this is leaving 

many questions unanswered and likely contributes to veterans dropping out of 

school and feeling unwelcome. The more that VA-trained and accountable personnel 

can be interacting daily with student veterans, the more likely these men and 

women are to finish school and continue succeeding. 

We hope that the Congress will continue to work with the VA to place these centers where they are most needed around the country. We would very much like to 

read of the successes and challenges of this program at each of the 9 pilot locations 

funded thus far, and we hope that this honorable Subcommittee will request and 

then publish statistics and anecdotal best-practices so that other schools may learn. 

Ultimately, we feel that this program is the best way for the VA to see firsthand 

what we have known for years: not all schools are ready for such a large increase in their veteran populations. In order to enhance this readiness, the VA 

and the Congress must step in to provide resources to schools while at the same 

time holding schools accountable for their student veteran’s performance. 

VetSuccess on Campus is one such way that the VA can do that, especially at a time 

when many schools are cutting their budgets. 

SVA is very interested in continuing to work with the VA to offer input as to 

where these sites should be located in the future. It is important that proper metrics 

are used to determine what size of a population is required to justify this kind of 

presence. Additionally, we hope that in placing these centers on campus, the VA will 

be able to offer some kind of guidance, if not outright requirements, for how much 

staff is needed to service each size of student veteran population. It is unthinkable 

that 10 years into these wars, some schools are still only funding a part-time employee to serve hundreds if not thousands of student veterans with no repercussions. 

The VetSuccess on Campus program offers a perfect medium to assess these needs 

and offer more concrete guidance to schools. We look forward to working with this 

Committee and the VA on this issue. 

Finally, we would be remiss if we did once again mention the fact that there is 

no Congressional or regulatory requirement for the VA to track the graduation rates 

of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. At this time, the VA measures only consumption: how many 

veterans are using the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and how much it is costing. There is no 

requirement or mechanism for the VA to tell the Congress, schools, or the 

American people how well their tax dollars are being spent, and this is unacceptable. There must be a way for the VA and the Department of Education to 

reconcile their records to show what degrees have been paid for, in-full or in-part, 

by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. This is essential to determine how well our veterans are 

being supported, performing academically, and ultimately if this is money that has 

been well-spent. We hope that this honorable Committee will agree with us and 

take steps to find out this important information. 

Conclusion 

These two programs are essential for the proper and healthy transition of our Nation’s heroes from the uniform to the classroom and beyond. TAP is currently receiving an overhaul, and we hope that it will reflect the reality that higher education 

is almost universally required for well-paying jobs in this economy, and thus encourages veterans to use their hard-earned benefits. VetSuccess on Campus represents 

a fantastic opportunity for the VA to show other schools what veteran’s support 

should look like, and we hope that these lessons will be documented and publically 

available to learn from. We also hope that the Congress will continue to fund this 

program so that highly-trained and accountable persons are helping our next generation of leaders succeed at as many colleges and universities as possible. 

Very Respectfully Submitted. 


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MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

Washington, DC. 

June 2, 2011 

Ms. Christina M. Roof 

National Acting Legislative Director 

AMVETS 

4647 Forbes Boulevard 

Lanham, MD 20706–4380 

Dear Ms. Roof: 

I would like to request your response to the enclosed questions for the record I 

am submitting in reference to our House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Hearing on Transition Assistance Program and 

VetSuccess on Campus on June 2, 2011. Please answer the enclosed hearing questions by no later than Thursday, July 14, 2011. 

In an effort to reduce printing costs, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, in cooperation with the Joint Committee on Printing, is implementing some formatting 

changes for material for all full Committee and Subcommittee hearings. Therefore, 

it would be appreciated if you could provide your answers consecutively on letter 

size paper, single-spaced. In addition, please restate the question in its entirety before the answer. 

Due to the delay in receiving mail, please provide your response to Ms. Orfa 

Torres by fax at (202) 225–2034. If you have any questions, please call (202) 225– 

9756. 

Sincerely, 

Bruce L. Braley 

Ranking Member 

JL/ot 

HVAC Questions and AMVETS Responses for the Record 

Subject: TAP and VetSuccess on Campus 

Hearing: June 2, 2011 

Question 1: What is the average rate of attendance of each branch? 

Answer: Due to the fact that this is not currently tracked by all of the branches 

it is not possible for me to supply you with an accurate number. I am aware of several private sector studies that have sought to address this issue, however given the 

fact that DoD is only partly involved with the capability to accurately track this 

data; I believe much of that data to be speculative as well. DoD must partner with 

VA and DOL to start tracking attendance and developing metrics to accurately reflect the success and shortfalls of the classes. 

Question 2: Who bears the responsibility of informing employers of where to find 

and hire vets? 

Answer: There is no single person or agency exclusively tasked with informing 

employers where veterans can be located for employment. However, there are several programs within the department of Veterans Affairs who are responsible for 

employment and training services of veterans. The DVOPs and LVERS, as well as 

DOL’s VETS program are all responsible for assisting veterans with gaining substantial employment. However, AMVETS believes much of the current unemployment problems stem from the lack of training or assistance with sustaining quality 

employment. We believe this matter should be addressed immediately in an effort 

to reduce the astounding unemployment rates within our veterans’ communities. 

Question 3: How can we increase spouse participation in TAP? 

Answer: Currently, the TAP program is not setup to conduct outreach or provide 

appropriate TAP classes to eligible spouses. I believe it would be a safe assumption 

to say that most eligible spouses are probably not aware they are even eligible or 

have ever been shown the value of a well instructed TAP class. Improvements in 

outreach and education need to be done to increase eligible spouse participation. 


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Question 4: Do you have any views on overseas TAP? 

Answer: Regardless of location, AMVETS believes that every TAP class should 

be equal in quality and content. 

Question 5: In your written testimony you stated that employers are unable to 

translate a veterans’ military experience into civilian equivalent. With the current 

initiatives being implemented why are employers still unable to understand and 

translate veterans’ military experience into civilian equivalent? 

Answer: Unfortunately, we believe it is not only the employers, but veterans as 

well, who are having trouble qualifying a former MOS and military experience to 

that of a private sector position. AMVETS believes this is an issue that needs to 

be addressed properly and thoroughly in the servicemember’s TAP class before their 

release from DoD. 

f 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

Washington, DC. 

June 2, 2011 

BGEN Robert F. Hedelund 

Director, Marine and Family Programs 

United States Marine Corps 

U.S. Department of Defense 

3280 Russell Road 

Quantico VA 22134 

Dear BGEN Hedelund: 

I would like to request your response to the enclosed questions for the record I 

am submitting in reference to our House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Hearing on Transition Assistance Program and 

VetSuccess on Campus on June 2, 2011. Please answer the enclosed hearing questions by no later than Thursday, July 14, 2011. 

In an effort to reduce printing costs, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, in cooperation with the Joint Committee on Printing, is implementing some formatting 

changes for material for all full Committee and Subcommittee hearings. Therefore, 

it would be appreciated if you could provide your answers consecutively on letter 

size paper, single-spaced. In addition, please restate the question in its entirety before the answer. 

Due to the delay in receiving mail, please provide your response to Ms. Orfa 

Torres by fax at (202) 225–2034. If you have any questions, please call (202) 225– 

9756. 

Sincerely, 

Bruce L. Braley 

Ranking Member 

JL/ot 

Questions for the Record from the House Committee on 

Veterans’ Affairs, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, 

Hearing on Transition Assistance Program and VetSuccess on Campus 

Question 1: What is the current rate of participation in TAMP, TAP and DTAP 

for Marines? 

Answer: Based on the FY 2010 Marine Corps Transition Assistance Program Annual Report, 

• The total number of active-duty Marines receiving pre-separation counseling = 

28,690; 

• The total number of Reserve Marines receiving pre-separation counseling = 

2,432; 

• The total number of Marine Spouses receiving pre-separation counseling = 446 

(representation from all Services); 

• The total number of servicemembers receiving Disabled Transition Assistance 

Program (DTAP) = 12,044 (representation from all Services); and 


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• The Total number of Marines receiving DOL TAP Employment Workshop = 

28,335. 

Question 2: What type of partners, affiliates and contractors are the Marines 

looking to add to TAP? 

Answer: Currently, the Marine Corps is working with several external transitional career coaching/counseling contractors to assist with Senior and Executive 

Level Transition assistance programs. We are also looking for additional partners 

with educational institutions, colleges, universities, institutions; and technical and 

vocational schools. 

Question 3: At how many locations is TAP available for the Marines? 

Answer: 17 Marine Corps Installations. 

Question 4: How often do spouses or other family members attend the mandatory 

TAP workshops? 

Answer: For FY 2010, 430 spouses attended DOL TAP Workshop (spouse representation from all Services). Spouses are strongly encouraged to attend all transition assistance programs and services, including the: 

1. Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) Pre-Separation Counseling Checklist; 

2. Department of Labor (DOL’s) Transition Assistance Program (TAP) Employment Workshop; 

3. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) Benefits briefing; 

4. Marine Forces Reserve’s (MARFORRES) service obligations and benefits briefing; and the 

5. Wounded Warrior Regiment’s (WWR) Disabled Transition Assistance Program 

(DTAP) briefing. 

Question 4(a): What are you doing to encourage spouses to attend TAP workshops? 

Answer: Local Family Member Employment Assistance Program (FMEAP) offices 

and Marine Corps TAMP offices recommend that spouses attend all TAP-related 

programs and services. 

Question 5: Can you clarify what the difference is between the Transition Assistance Program and the Transition Assistance Management Program? 

Answer: The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is an employment workshop 

conducted by the Department of Labor (DOL). The Transition Assistance Management Program (TAMP) encompasses all aspects of transition assistance to include 

DoD’s pre-separation counseling; DOL’s TAP Employment Workshop; the VA’s Veterans Benefits Brief; the Wounded Warrror Regiment’s (WWRs) Disabled Transition 

Assistance (DTAP) briefing; and one-on-one counseling sessions culminating in completed and customized Individual Transition Plans (ITPs) for separating and retiring 

Marines. 

f 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

Washington, DC. 

June 2, 2011 

Mr. Thomas Pamperin 

Deputy Under Secretary for Disability Assistance 

Veterans Benefits Administration 

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 

810 Vermont Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20420 

Dear Mr. Pamperin: 

I would like to request your response to the enclosed questions for the record I 

am submitting in reference to our House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Hearing on Transition Assistance Program and 

VetSuccess on Campus on June 2, 2011. Please answer the enclosed hearing questions by no later than Thursday, July 14, 2011. 

In an effort to reduce printing costs, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, in cooperation with the Joint Committee on Printing, is implementing some formatting 

changes for material for all full Committee and Subcommittee hearings. Therefore, 

it would be appreciated if you could provide your answers consecutively on letter 


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57 

size paper, single-spaced. In addition, please restate the question in its entirety before the answer. 

Due to the delay in receiving mail, please provide your response to Ms. Orfa 

Torres by fax at (202) 225–2034. If you have any questions, please call (202) 225– 

9756. 

Sincerely, 

Bruce L. Braley 

Ranking Member 

JL/ot 

The Honorable Bruce L. Braley, Ranking Member, 

House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, 

Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, 

Hearing on Transition Assistance Program and VetSuccess on Campus, 

June 2, 2011 

Question 1: Since VA is looking at TAP, are there any coming changes to the 

overseas TAP program? 

Response: VA’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is currently undergoing a 

reengineering process. By the end of fiscal year 2011, TAP will provide a progressive 

benefits presentation, standardized benefits information package, a new survey instrument, and a state-of-the-art Web-based benefits course. VA is also issuing an 

improved Overseas Military Services Coordinator (OMSC) training syllabus and extending the OMSC tour lengths from 4 to 6 months. OMSC provide TAP services, 

benefits counseling, and disabled transition assistance briefings to separating 

Servicemembers in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Bahrain, 

Okinawa, Japan and Korea. VA is confident that these changes will drive better results. VA is also working with the Department of State on requirements and options 

to pursue a pilot for extending tour lengths up to 3 years. Collectively, these important changes will improve VA’s delivery of benefits information to transitioning 

Servicemembers stationed abroad. 

Question 2: Staff traveled to various VetSucess on Campus sites in April. One 

of the concerns we heard was that the VA had not provided any guidance regarding 

legislative changes to the Post 9/11, in particular Public Law 111–377. The VA later 

informed our staff that guidance and additional information on Public Law 111–377 

had been sent out. Can you tell us why some schools had received the information 

while others had not? 

Response: VA used every available resource to raise awareness about the 

changes made to the Post-9/11 GI Bill by P.L. 111–377. The following outreach efforts were taken to proactively inform schools: 

• On January 5, a VA press release announcing passage of P.L. 111–377 was published; • The first Post-9/11 GI Bill Facebook update was published on January 5, 2011, 

and the first VBA Facebook update was published on January 9, 2011 explaining upcoming changes; • On January 6, the GI Bill Web site was first updated with a news feed that 

listed pending changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill by effective date; • On January 7, letters were sent to all institutions of higher learning executives, 

State Approving Agencies, and the American Council on Education explaining 

upcoming changes; • On February 14, Mr. Keith Wilson, Director, VA Education Service, briefed the 

National Association of State Approving Agencies at its Mid-Winter Conference; 

• On February 23, Mr. Keith Wilson hosted a webinar for the Winter 2011 American Council on Education; 

• On March 18, a letter was sent to School Certifying Officials (SCOs) explaining 

new tuition and fee changes and reporting requirements. The letter was posted 

on the GI Bill Web site the same day; and 

• On June 3, the SCO Handbook detailing enrollment certification instructions 

and reporting requirements under Post-9/11 GI Bill was released. 

VA continues to proactively reach out to educational institutions regarding the impact P.L. 111–377 is having on the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Additionally, a VA Education 

Liaison Representative (ELR) is assigned to each State. Schools may contact their 


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assigned ELR to determine where to get additional information or to obtain clarification on information previously provided. 

VBA is drafting a new policy based on the legislation, and that policy is under 

departmental review. Once final concurrence is received, a policy letter and training 

will be provided to all field personnel. Release of the new policy is expected in July 

2011. 

Question 3: According to the VA, on May 20 of this year, the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service were supposed to contact the VetSuccess counselors 

to discuss changes and formal guidance on Public Law 111–377. Can you tell us if 

this call was made? 

Response: Yes, a special training session was conducted for all VetSuccess on 

Campus Counselors on May 20, 2011, regarding the impact of Public Law 111–377 

on Chapter 31 participants. The training consisted of a review of the language in 

the law, and included scenario-based examples. This call was in addition to prior 

field training provided to the counselors. 

f 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

Washington, DC. 

June 2, 2011 

Mr. Philip A. Burdette 

Principal Director 

Office of Secretary of Defense 

Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy 

4000 Pentagon, Room 5A688A 

Washington, DC 20301–4000 

Dear Mr. Burdette: 

I would like to request your response to the enclosed questions for the record I 

am submitting in reference to our House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Hearing on Transition Assistance Program and 

VetSuccess on Campus on June 2, 2011. Please answer the enclosed hearing questions by no later than Thursday, July 14, 2011. 

In an effort to reduce printing costs, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, in cooperation with the Joint Committee on Printing, is implementing some formatting 

changes for material for all full Committee and Subcommittee hearings. Therefore, 

it would be appreciated if you could provide your answers consecutively on letter 

size paper, single-spaced. In addition, please restate the question in its entirety before the answer. 

Due to the delay in receiving mail, please provide your response to Ms. Orfa 

Torres by fax at (202) 225–2034. If you have any questions, please call (202) 225–9756. 

Sincerely, 

Bruce L. Braley 

Ranking Member 

JL/ot 

Questions for the Record from the House Committee on 

Veterans’ Affairs, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, 

Hearing on Transition Assistance Program and VetSuccess on Campus 

Question 1: How many people have used the DoD Career Decision Toolkit and 

what has been the feedback? 

Answer: The Department initially rolled out 180,000 kits in September 2010. 

Since then, we have processed an additional 700-reorder requests totaling over 

120,000 toolkits. We had additional demand from the Reserve Component (RC) for 

Servicemembers who had already transitioned, resulting in an order for 100,000 

toolkits in CD–ROM format. Over 50,000 of these CDs have been shipped to meet 

demands by 25 States serving demobilized RC personnel during Yellow Ribbon 

Events. We also provided 500 CD toolkits to the USO in Bagram, Afghanistan, to 

satisfy their request. Arizona State Labor Officials also requested 500 toolkits for 

use in the deactivation of National Guard troops serving on Border Patrol duties. 


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DoD considers the Career Decision Toolkit to have been well-received by its intended customers based upon the initial rollout and subsequent reorder requests, including servicemembers and those who support them in their career decisions. A 

further illustration of success is that it has been publically endorsed by Department 

of Labor (DOL)/Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS), National 

Guard Bureau (NGB) and Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) senior leaders. 

Question 2: Does DoD believe that TAP should be mandatory? 

Answer: Yes, courses and materials to help servicemembers and families transition should be mandatory. Much like the Department prepares recruits and new officers for life within the military, the Department must prepare them for life after 

they separate or retire from the military. 

Currently, the pre-separation counseling portion of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is already mandatory for all separating servicemembers. Department of 

Defense (DoD) counselors make every effort to encourage transitioning servicemembers to participate in the voluntary components of TAP; which are the VA’s 

Benefits Briefing and Disabled TAP, and DOL’s Employment Workshop. Ultimately, 

the Department wants TAP to be a resource that servicemembers want to use, not 

a requirement they feel compelled to attend. 

Question 3: Is overseas TAP meeting the needs of our separating servicemembers? 

Answer: The Department does not currently have Department-wide metrics 

measuring overall satisfaction with TAP classes overseas; however, we are looking 

at specific options to best measure how overseas TAP classes are meeting the needs 

of separating servicemembers. 

Servicemembers overseas receive the same Transition Assistance Program services as those in the United States, but we realize that those stationed overseas may 

face additional challenges. To address these challenges, we have added items such 

as the Career Decision Toolkit on the TurboTap.org Web site for information and 

resources to better meet their transition needs. Servicemembers and their families 

can access transition information and resources anytime, anywhere from this site. 

Additionally, they can also participate in weekly scheduled web seminars, or 

‘‘webinars,’’ on such topics as Building Better Re ́sume ́s, Financial Planning for Career Change, Decoding Military Skills for Civilian Employers and Acing the Interview, to further enhance their transition experience. Since its launch in March, 

2011, hundreds of servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as members at 

overseas installations in Europe and the Pacific have participated in the webinars. 

Question 4: Is DoD working to increase spouse participation in TAP? 

Answer: Yes, the Department is making a concerted effort to increase spouse participation. Spouses are encouraged to attend pre-separation counseling as well as 

the other Transition Assistance Program (TAP) components offered by the Departments of Labor (DOL) and Veterans Affairs (VA). This encouragement has been successful and in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, over 30,000 spouses attended one or more TAP 

sessions, to include pre-separation counseling, the DOL Employment Workshop, VA 

Benefits Briefing, relocation assistance, personal financial management, or transition and employment assistance. Through the first two quarters of FY 2011, more 

than 20,000 spouses have attended similar TAP sessions. It is understood that it 

may not always be possible for spouses to attend TAP sessions and they are encouraged to use the Career Decision Toolkit on the TurboTAP.org Web site for information and resources to support their transition needs. Spouses can also participate 

in weekly web seminars, or ‘‘webinars,’’ that address various transition topics such 

as Building Better Re ́sume ́s, Financial Planning for Career Change and Acing the 

Interview, to further enhance their transition experience. 

Question 5: Are servicemembers encouraged to get copies of their medical records 

for future claims? 

Answer: Yes, we encourage servicemembers to get copies of their medical records. 

We also suggest and encourage servicemembers to start the process of filing the appropriate paperwork, prior to retirement or separation, with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to obtain all VA benefits to which they may be entitled. The gathering of records and paperwork is a practical approach to help our servicemembers 

to have the necessary documents prepared for any transition event whether it is 

transfer, retirement or separation. 

f 


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Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

Washington, DC. 

June 2, 2011 

The Honorable Raymond M. Jefferson 

Assistant Secretary, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service 

U.S. Department of Labor 

200 Constitution Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20210 

Dear Secretary Jefferson: 

I would like to request your response to the enclosed questions for the record I 

am submitting in reference to our House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Hearing on Transition Assistance Program and 

VetSuccess on Campus on June 2, 2011. Please answer the enclosed hearing questions by no later than Thursday, July 14, 2011. 

In an effort to reduce printing costs, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, in cooperation with the Joint Committee on Printing, is implementing some formatting 

changes for material for all full Committee and Subcommittee hearings. Therefore, 

it would be appreciated if you could provide your answers consecutively on letter 

size paper, single-spaced. In addition, please restate the question in its entirety before the answer. 

Due to the delay in receiving mail, please provide your response to Ms. Orfa 

Torres by fax at (202) 225–2034. If you have any questions, please call (202) 225– 

9756. 

Sincerely, 

Bruce L. Braley 

Ranking Member 

JL/ot 

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

Questions for the Record, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, 

Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Hearing, Transition Assistance 

Program and VetSuccess on Campus Program, June 2, 2011 

Question 1: In how many locations did DOL provide TAP last year for Reserve 

Component forces? 

Response: Transition Assistance Program (TAP) eligible Reserve Component 

(RC) forces are able to attend TAP Employment Workshops at any of the 272 activeduty sites worldwide. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, RC forces attended regularly scheduled 2.5-day TAP workshops at 108 of these sites. In addition, the U.S. Department 

of Labor (DOL) Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) delivered TAP 

Employment Workshops of varying lengths to RC force units at 33 National Guard 

armories or Reserve Unit locations in FY 2010. 

Question 2: Do Reserve Component forces need a different kind of TAP from active-duty forces? 

Response: RC forces do not need a separate TAP Employment Workshop. Instead, the primary challenge of providing TAP workshops to RC forces is finding 

ways to increase the availability and accessibility of the course content. This challenge is being addressed through the redesign of the TAP Employment Workshop. 

Upon completion, expected later this year, the TAP will offer an eLearning platform 

version of the workshop to allow RC participants to review the full course content 

online at their convenience, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from anywhere in the 

world. 

Question 3: Currently what percentage of DVOP/LVERS have not attended 

NVTI? 

Response: P.L. 109–461 amended 38 U.S.C. 4102A(c) to required all Disabled 

Veterans’ Outreach Program Specialists (DVOP) and Local Veterans’ Employment 

Representatives (LVER) staff to complete the training provided by the National Veterans’ Training Institute (NVTI) within 3 years of appointment. At the end of FY 

2010, approximately 1 percent (24) of DVOP/LVER staff members had not completed 

the mandatory NVTI training as required by law. 


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38 U.S.C. 4102A(c) was further amended by P.L. 111–275, which now requires 

DVOP/LVER staff to complete their NVTI training within 18 months of appointment. For staff assigned between January 1, 2006 and October 12, 2010, NVTI 

training must be completed by April 13, 2012. VETS is working with the States to 

ensure that all staff complete the training and is closely monitoring the number of 

staff that have not yet done so. Below is a breakdown of the percentage of staff required by law to complete training in specific NVTI courses that have not done so 

as of July 20, 2011. 

Labor Employment Specialist (LES)—10 percent (152) 

Case Management (CM)—26 percent (232) 

Promoting Partnerships in Employment (PPE)—30 percent (189) 

Question 4: In the fifth improvement opportunity you note that each person will 

have a ‘‘live’’ person to person contact. Who will be doing the contacting, how many 

people will be doing it, and what is the expected cost? 

Response: The Statement of Work in the Request for Proposal for the redesign 

of the TAP Employment Workshop requires development of an After-Training Support module that will provide follow up support for participants for 60 days following the workshop. This support will be based upon the individual needs of the 

person seeking assistance, including personalized phone and email support, re ́sume ́

and cover letter assessment, and interview preparation. In coordination with VETS, 

the selected vendor will also conduct a gap analysis of transition assistance support 

services to ensure a strengthening of support, rather than a duplication of effort, 

to make maximum use of existing employment opportunities for Veterans. In addition, the selected vendor will develop and recommended annual resource requirements for the implementation of the After-Training Support module beyond the life 

of the contract awarded under this solicitation. Because this contract was recently 

awarded, we cannot provide more specific details about the new support module at 

this time. Similarly, expected costs have yet to be determined. 

Question 5: What is the best way to help employers find veterans for 

hire? 

Response: As the national focal point for Veterans’ employment and training 

services, DOL–VETS is especially situated to help employers find Veterans for hire. 

Our DVOP and LVER staff strive everyday to fulfill Secretary’s Solis’ vision of 

‘‘Good Jobs for Everyone’’ by linking Veterans looking to obtain meaningful careers 

with employers who seek to capitalize on the specialized skills Veterans have to 

offer. To help us facilitate these connections, we recommend employers contact 

VETS staff in the geographic area where they are looking to hire, or participate in 

any of our 100 mega-hiring fairs held nationwide. Further information is available 

at http://www.dol.gov/vets/aboutvets/contacts/map.htm. 

DVOPs and LVERs also work closely with VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service to provide comprehensive employment services on a national and 

local level through State Workforce Agencies. The VR&E Web site, VetSuccess.gov, 

receives direct job feeds through a Vet Central database that includes vacancies announced by the National Association of State Workforce Agencies. VetSuccess.gov 

helps Veterans and employers connect by allowing them to post relevant information and search job openings and re ́sume ́s. 

Question 6: During our Full Committee hearing on June 1, 2011, we heard from 

some of our panelists that there is information overload and there should be one 

database portal for employers. Do you think that there should be one database portal for servicemembers and veterans that contains employment information? Should 

this database portal be maintained under DOL’s or VA’s Web site? 

Response: Yes, we believe there should be one database portal for employers, 

servicemembers, and Veterans. DOL, DoD, and VA currently are working jointly in 

the development of an integrated Veterans Employment Technology Platform that 

will provide a primary entry point for returning Veterans to find support resources 

in transitioning to the civilian workforce. The Platform will act as a central point 

of entry aimed to reduce the complexity of accessing employment resources and with 

the purpose of improving service to this valuable customer segment. 

Question 7: What are some of the efforts that DOL is working on to encourage 

spouses to attend TAP workshops? 

Response: DOL has launched the following efforts to increase spouse participation in the TAP Employment Workshop: 


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A. Collaboration with Department of Defense (DoD) Military Spouse Employment 

Partnership (MSEP) 

DOL is collaborating with the Department of Defense’s Office of Military Community and Family Policy, which has oversight of the Spouse Education and Career 

Opportunities Program and the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP). 

MSEP is a comprehensive employment and career partnership that connects corporations with military spouses who possess essential 21st Century workforce skills 

and attributes. Spouse Education and Career Opportunities Program counselors 

identify those spouses who are preparing to transition from the military with their 

servicemembers and refer them to the installation transition program where they 

are currently stationed, or to the Transition Assistance Program resources online. 

Once connected to the installation transition program, spouses are encouraged to attend the 21⁄2 day TAP Employment Workshop where they will be provided training 

and education on: 

• Re ́sume ́ writing 

• Interviewing skills 

• Networking 

• Job market research and analysis 

• Salary negotiation 

• Dressing for success 

Spouses are also referred and encouraged to connect with the nearest One-Stop 

Career Center in their new location where they can continue to receive employment 

assistance and connect to available job opportunities in their local community. 

B. Pre-Separation Counseling 

The transition process for servicemembers begins when the servicemember attends the mandatory DoD component of TAP called ‘‘Pre-Separation Counseling.’’ 

During this session, servicemembers are also informed about the DOL’s TAP component, the Employment Workshop. If the spouse is not present during the pre-separation counseling session, the servicemember is encouraged to bring his/her spouse 

with them to the employment workshop. In addition, we continue to work with DoD 

and other Federal agencies with TAP components to increase awareness about the 

Employment Workshop among transitioning spouses and encourage them to attend. 

C. Increase Use of Social Media 

DOL is continuing its collaboration with DoD and the Military Services to increase marketing, outreach and awareness via traditional means, such as public 

speaking events, email, word of mouth, and news media, as well as increased usage 

of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, to attract more spouses to participate 

in the DOL TAP Employment Workshop. 

Æ 


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