U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office

Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800

Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001

i 

97–496 2016

[H.A.S.C. No. 114–62] 

TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM— 

A UNITY OF EFFORT 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

HEARING HELD 

OCTOBER 28, 2015 
(II) 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL 

JOSEPH J. HECK, Nevada, Chairman 

WALTER B. JONES, North Carolina 

JOHN KLINE, Minnesota 

MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado 

THOMAS MACARTHUR, New Jersey, Vice 

Chair 

ELISE M. STEFANIK, New York 

PAUL COOK, California 

STEPHEN KNIGHT, California 

SUSAN A. DAVIS, California 

ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania 

NIKI TSONGAS, Massachusetts 

JACKIE SPEIER, California 

TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota 

BETO O’ROURKE, Texas 

JEANETTE JAMES, Professional Staff Member 

CRAIG GREENE, Professional Staff Member 

COLIN BOSSE, Clerk 
(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

STATEMENTS PRESENTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS 

Davis, Hon. Susan A., a Representative from California, Ranking Member, 

Subcommittee on Military Personnel ................................................................. 2 

Heck, Hon. Joseph J., a Representative from Nevada, Chairman, Subcommittee on Military Personnel .................................................................................... 1 

WITNESSES 

Iacocca, BG James, USA, Adjutant General, U.S. Army ...................................... 20 

Kelly, Dr. Susan, Director, Transition to Veterans Program Office, Office 

of the Secretary of Defense .................................................................................. 18 

Larry, Horace, Deputy Director of Air Force Services, Deputy Chief of Staff 

for Manpower and Personnel, Headquarters U.S. Air Force ............................ 23 

Mahoney, Sean, Executive Director, zero8hundred .............................................. 5 

Mann, Scott, American Dream U ........................................................................... 4 

Randazzo, Phil, Founder, American Dream U ...................................................... 3 

Whitman, MajGen Burke, USMC, Director, Marine and Family Programs 

Division, U.S. Marine Corps ................................................................................ 19 

Yavorski, Thomas, Executive Director, 21st Century Sailor Office, U.S. Navy . 22 

APPENDIX 

PREPARED STATEMENTS: 

Heck, Hon. Joseph J. ........................................................................................ 35 

Iacocca, BG James ............................................................................................ 82 

Kelly, Dr. Susan ............................................................................................... 60 

Larry, Horace .................................................................................................... 97 

Mahoney, Sean .................................................................................................. 51 

Mann, Scott ....................................................................................................... 43 

Randazzo, Phil .................................................................................................. 36 

Whitman, MajGen Burke ................................................................................. 73 

Yavorski, Thomas ............................................................................................. 89 

DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD: 

[There were no Documents submitted.] 

WITNESS RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ASKED DURING THE HEARING: 

Mr. Coffman ...................................................................................................... 107 

QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS POST HEARING: 

Mr. Knight ........................................................................................................ 111 

Mr. Walz ............................................................................................................ 111 

(1) 

TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM—A UNITY 

OF EFFORT 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL, Washington, DC, Wednesday, October 28, 2015. 

The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 3:38 p.m., in room 

2212, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Joseph J. Heck (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOSEPH J. HECK, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEVADA, CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON 

MILITARY PERSONNEL 

Dr. HECK. We will go ahead and call the hearing to order again. 

I apologize for the delay. 

Just as a disclaimer, we are going to have another vote series 

somewhere around 4:50 to 5:20. So while we did ask initially for 

the witnesses to make their statements 5 minutes in length, we are 

going to ask if you can try to condense it to 3 minutes to the best 

of your ability. And we will make sure that your written statements are entered in their entirety into the record. Our hope is to 

at least get through the first panel before the next vote series. 

So I want to welcome everyone to this hearing where our focus 

is on the collaboration between the Department of Defense and private organizations to assist service members who are transitioning 

to civilian life. 

We are all well aware that the Army and the Marine Corps are 

downsizing, with a plan to reduce 40,000 soldiers and 2,000 Marines by 2018. Undoubtedly, such cuts put strain on our service 

members and their families. These reductions in end strengths represent additional service members that will be asked to leave the 

military on top of the more than 165,000 service members that separate every year. 

We owe these transitioning service members and their families 

a robust system that prepares them for life after the military. We 

want to make sure they can continue to make the same caliber of 

contributions to society once they take their uniforms off that they 

made to our Nation’s security while in uniform. 

Today’s hearing continues our commitment to ensuring that the 

Transition Assistance Program meets the needs of transitioning 

service members, not only through a whole-of-government approach 

but also by partnering with organizations who share our commitment to help service members successfully transition from military 

service. 
2 

I am interested to hear from our first panel how they connect 

with individuals who are leaving the military and what services 

they offer to assist. I am also interested to hear from our DOD [Department of Defense] and military services how they include organizations such as those represented here today in the Transition 

Assistance Program. 

In response to the increasing need to help prepare individuals for 

post-service opportunities such as employment, higher education, 

or entrepreneurial endeavors, Congress and DOD have continually 

worked to improve the Transition Assistance Program. So I am interested to hear from our DOD and military service witnesses 

whether the recent changes have produced the desired results. For 

example, in your view, are service members transitioning today 

better prepared for post-service life as compared to those transitioning 5 years ago? 

With that, I want to welcome our witnesses, and I look forward 

to our testimony. 

Before I introduce our first panel, let me offer Congresswoman 

Susan Davis an opportunity to make her opening remarks. 

Mrs. Davis. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Heck can be found in the Appendix on page 35.] 

STATEMENT OF HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS, A REPRESENTATIVE 

FROM CALIFORNIA, RANKING MEMBER, SUBCOMMITTEE ON 

MILITARY PERSONNEL 

Mrs. DAVIS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

As we know, each year, over 100,000 service members transition 

out of Active military service back into civilian society. The Department and the military services have made considerable strides—my 

notes here say ‘‘great strides.’’ I am not so sure I am willing to say 

‘‘great strides,’’ but considerable strides toward improving the 

Transition Assistance Program. It has evolved from one mandatory 

class to an integrated effort between the service member, the chain 

of command, and the transition assistance cadre, spanning several 

months or even longer, to ensure our young men and women are 

set up for success. 

Although improvements have definitely been made, as our witnesses I know will attest today, there is still much work to be done. 

Our first panel represents one area in which the Department needs 

continued improvement and involvement, working with qualified civilian organizations that maintain the momentum of transitioning 

service members back into society. I certainly look forward to hearing from our first panel on their two different approaches to helping service members transition. Both of these organizations, of 

course, are innovative and potentially life-changing. 

We will also be hearing from the second panel on how DOD and 

the services plan to work with organizations such as zero8hundred 

and American Dream U to improve successful transition of our 

service members back into the community. Definitely, their response to what you present and you bring is very important to us, 

as well. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I look forward to our witnesses. 

Dr. HECK. Great. 
3 

So I will introduce our first panel. We have Mr. Phil Randazzo, 

founder of American Dream U; Mr. Scott Mann with American 

Dream U; and Mr. Sean Mahoney, Executive Director of zero8hundred. 

Again, I ask the witnesses to condense, to the best of their ability, their testimony. 

And, with that, Mr. Randazzo, you are recognized for 3 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF PHIL RANDAZZO, FOUNDER, AMERICAN 

DREAM U 

Mr. RANDAZZO. Chairman Dr. Heck, Ranking Member Susan 

Davis, and distinguished members of the committee, it is truly an 

honor to be invited to testify in front of such an esteemed body. 

Thank you for the opportunity. 

If we had to assure that every single veteran transitioning out 

of the military was able to extract every ounce of clarity and value 

from his or her own experience, re ́sume ́, drive, discipline, personality, and follow-through to have the best chance, to get the best 

job, how would we in this room do that? 

In founding American Dream U, I have had the opportunity to 

bring in over 140 world-class entrepreneurs and business leaders 

across 8 installations, including the Pentagon. They have shared 

their successes, failures, insights, tactics, and strategies with Active Duty military, spouses, dependents, and veterans. 

I would like everyone in this room to look back and think and 

connect the dots, how they got here. I would argue that it is the 

people you met and the books you read, not the books you read in 

high school or in college, but the books that were recommended to 

you by friends and colleagues; not the people you met in college or 

in high school, but maybe a company commander, an event you attended, or a friend introduction. 

What I have noticed is some negative talk surrounding becoming 

an entrepreneur or entrepreneurial thinking. The service members 

are getting pigeonholed into whatever their MOS [military occupational specialty] was in the military for job opportunities during 

transitioning. From speaking to hundreds of service members, I am 

not convinced this is a path to a successful transition. 

I had the opportunity to speak to the folks at the VA [Department of Veterans Affairs], when discussion of becoming an entrepreneur came up, we heard, ‘‘Ninety-six percent of businesses fail. 

We want them to have a degree, that certificate on the wall, plan 

B.’’ Does that general degree carry as much weight as it does in 

2015? 

Dozens of service members at our conferences have asked this 

question: ‘‘We have been trained since the first day of boot camp 

that failure is not an option; it results in a teammate getting injured or killed. We have heard from all your speakers that failure 

is okay and even encouraged. I am struggling with this.’’ I think 

the discussion during the transition needs to address this. It is 

okay to fail in the civilian world. Everyone in this room has had 

failures, and that is okay, even valuable. 

I think the people who run transition are great Americans. I am 

not convinced they are open to new ideas, up to the latest tactics 

and strategies, or emphasize the importance of finding your pur-
4 

pose, self-education, the value of networking, and finding a great 

mentor. Self-education is extremely important. 

In 2015 and beyond, the area of focus needs to be in the technology space, robotics, health care, finances. Nano certificates, job 

apprenticeships, and job shadowings need to be encouraged. 

Twelve months before transitioning out of the military, I think 

every veteran, soldier, marine, airman, sailor, coastguardsman, 

spouse should read books like ‘‘Start With Why’’ by Simon Sinek, 

‘‘Think and Grow Rich’’ by Napoleon Hill, ‘‘How to Win Friends and 

Influence People’’ by Dale Carnegie. Simon Sinek has been paid by 

several installations and has spoken at the Pentagon. We think we 

can do better. 

In working with hundreds of businesses over my 20-plus-years 

career as an entrepreneur, the number-one hiring criteria is finding those that are flexible, resourceful, show initiative, work well 

with teams, and show up on time. This defines the veteran. We 

owe our military to strive to do better. 

It has been an honor and a privilege to work with our military, 

and I am constantly humbled in their presence. 

I look forward to your questions or comments. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Randazzo can be found in the 

Appendix on page 36.] 

Dr. HECK. Thank you. 

Mr. Mann. 

STATEMENT OF SCOTT MANN, AMERICAN DREAM U 

Mr. MANN. Chairman Heck, Ranking Member Susan Davis, and 

distinguished members of the committee, thanks for the opportunity to tell you the transition story of warriors, our warriors, who 

just don’t seem to have quite the voice these days that they probably should. 

I have spent my entire life as a U.S. Army Special Forces Green 

Beret, and in those 22 years of service in many dark places around 

the world, one thing I have learned is the benefit of going local, immersing yourself in the problem to get a perspective of what is 

going on. And that is the perspective that I would like to provide 

you today on transition. 

As an entrepreneur and advocate for nonprofit work in transition, I work with military members as I train them in special skills 

but also working with them as they prepare to leave the service 

that they know and love. 

The other day, I was talking to a special ops master sergeant, I 

will call him Steve, who was going through transition from the 

Army. And I hadn’t seen him in a while, so I asked him how things 

were going. Do you know what he told me? He said that he would 

rather go back to Afghanistan four more times than to ever go 

through transition again. 

How is that possible? Here is a man who has known more pain, 

suffered more family stress, lost more friends, and seen more violence than any warrior I know of, yet he would go back and do it 

all again four more times than to ever go through transition again. 

Something isn’t working. 

The challenges of transition, having gone through them myself, 

are enormous. Our service men and women have been fighting the 
5 

longest war in our Nation’s history. The corrosive arena of combat 

is placing unprecedented strain on not just our military men and 

women but their families. They face a massive drawdown, as well. 

And as ISIS [Islamic State in Iraq and Syria] and other extremist 

groups expand, the stress of operational tempo on those service 

members who remain in service is likely to go even higher, which 

is going to mean less time for them to prepare for transition and 

even more stress for transition in the future. 

Whether these warriors get out of the military unexpectedly due 

to a drawdown or whether they get out on a scheduled departure, 

as I did, they will likely have fresh dust on their boots, gunpowder 

residue on their hands, and not a lot of time to even remotely contemplate the challenges of transition. Add these to a tough economy and a low job market, and it is no wonder that many of our 

veterans are terrified of coming home. 

Now, that is the tough news. But let’s not forget that these warriors are high performers. They are complex problem solvers. Our 

warriors possess immense leadership skills that, frankly, society is 

demanding more and more every day. So the question is, how do 

we bring them home and integrate them into the communities that 

desperately need their leadership and their loyalty? 

Well, again, this Green Beret’s perspective from the village, a few 

things: One, this problem is probably going to get worse before it 

gets better. Two, the current DOD and VA programs of transition 

are simply overmatched for this massive undertaking. And, three, 

the private sector is essential in bringing home our veterans to a 

life of honor and happiness. 

To expound a bit further,and I hope I get a chance to expand on 

this today, is we must help our veterans reconnect to their higher 

purpose. We should connect our veterans to relevant civilian players in the community. And we need to empower veterans to learn 

how to tell their story when they come home. I believe that this 

is a challenge for both the private sector and the public sector and 

that history is going to judge us on our ability to do that. 

One of my best friends and former soldiers, Romy Camargo, a 

quadriplegic wounded in Afghanistan 7 years ago, working with 

just a six-person advisory board from the community in Tampa, 

Florida, in just over a year managed to raise $750,000 and open 

a nonprofit center that is treating dozens of people, to include severely wounded veterans. 

My belief is that if the community can come together under those 

kinds of extreme situations, there is nothing that we can’t do when 

we partner with folks like Mr. Randazzo and our military leadership. 

Thank you for your time. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Mann can be found in the Appendix on page 43.] 

Dr. HECK. Thank you. 

Mr. Mahoney. 

STATEMENT OF SEAN MAHONEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

ZERO8HUNDRED 

Mr. MAHONEY. Chairman Heck, Ranking Member Davis, distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the oppor-
6 

tunity to appear today. I would like to explain a partnership with 

military bases in San Diego that provides a community handoff 

from transition classes. 

Every year, approximately 20,000 service members stationed in 

San Diego County leave the service, and 30 percent are expected 

to stay in the area. Many of these individuals experience difficulty 

with transition. 

San Diego community leaders realized that numerous organizations were there to assist but there was a gap between these resources and service members, who are often unaware of them. 

These leaders developed a plan to close this gap without duplicating existing services. This was called the Military Transition 

Support Project [MTSP] and implemented as ‘‘zero8hundred’’ to illustrate the promise that comes with a new day. 

Zero8hundred addresses four areas of veterans’ wellness: employment and education, health, basic needs, and personal connections. 

Zero8hundred provides transition support from 9 months prior to 

separation to 12 months afterwards. This begins with a presentation on base at Navy and Coast Guard transition classes, where 

those remaining in San Diego County have the opportunity to opt 

in. 

These zero8hundred clients are called VIPs, for Veterans or 

Spouses in Process, and they get proactive check-ins, starting with 

a call the following week from a zero8hundred navigator or caseworker. All of our caseworkers are either veterans, military dependents, or spouses, and all are in a master’s of social work program or have a master’s of social work. 

The partnership with local military bases began in 2013 with a 

memorandum of understanding [MOU] with Navy Region Southwest that was signed in 2014. That allows the program to be presented during the classes. The MOU also indicates that MTSP’s 

zero8hundred is responsible for providing an essential organizing 

point for community resources. The program does this by utilizing 

2–1–1, San Diego’s database of 6,000 vetted resources in the community, to make them available to anyone who is transitioning. 

We train Navy contract instructors to make the presentations in 

the TGPS [Transition, Goals, Plans, Success] classes and began at 

Naval Base San Diego in January of this year. We expanded to 

Naval Base Coronado in February and the Coast Guard in March. 

The first 2 years of the program are the pilot phase, and the goal 

of the initial stage was to evaluate the impact on the first 300 

VIPs. Response has been very positive, and we hit this 300 enrollment goal 8 months into the program. It has been presented on 89 

transition classes on base, and over 30 percent of eligible personnel 

have opted into the program. Many also choose to self-navigate to 

resources via our Web site, and 9,000 sessions have been recorded. 

Zero8hundred navigators have been reaching out to these VIPs 

to discuss their challenges, to handle case management, and to 

offer warm referrals to organizations that can assist them, and 

then follow up to see how they were helped. University of San 

Diego’s Caster Family Center is conducting a third-party evaluation to measure outcomes. 
7 

We value our positive relationship with the military bases that 

help make this community initiative possible. And I want to thank 

you, and I look forward to your questions. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Mahoney can be found in the Appendix on page 51.] 

Dr. HECK. Thank you. 

I thank you all for being so succinct in your opening comments. 

Hopefully, we will have enough time to delve more deeply into your 

written testimony as well as the questions. 

Mr. Randazzo, tell us how you connect with individuals who are 

leaving the military to introduce them to American Dream U and 

the programs you offer. How do you get access to them? Are you 

going on base? Is it base-to-base? Is it a pilot program? How are 

you reaching out and touching those lives? 

Mr. RANDAZZO. Yeah, so we just came back from Fort Bragg, and 

we were invited by the DC [deputy commander] General Jeff 

Smith. And so we work, typically, with the garrison and then the 

TAP [Transition Assistance Program]. And then we have also been 

introduced to the BOSS, the Better Opportunity for Single Soldiers. 

We did an event for their national conference last month, where 

Mr. Mann spoke. 

And so we are going to be hitting all of the Transition and the 

BOSS. And so we have done 13 events, Mr. Chairman, at 9 different installations. We have had a little over 4,000 attend. And I 

can provide feedback from those. 

Dr. HECK. But how do you get access or how do you get to each 

one of those locations? Is it by invitation? Or are you going and soliciting and saying, ‘‘Hey, we are here. Can we come on base?’’ How 

does that work? 

Mr. RANDAZZO. So we have been working through the CGs [commanding generals], through the commanders. So Fort Bragg was 

our third event. So they saw something in the first event, so they 

invited us back for a second and third. We have been to Fort Hood 

twice. We are heading back to Fort Benning for a second time. So 

we have asked to come, and then we have been invited back. 

Dr. HECK. Okay. 

So has there been any thought given or any attempts made to 

approach DOD of making this, you know, a program that is offered 

automatically across installations, as opposed to you having to go 

and, you know, present yourself to each CG at each installation 

and get access? 

Mr. RANDAZZO. I wouldn’t even know, Chairman, how to 

even—— 

Dr. HECK. Okay. 

Mr. RANDAZZO [continuing]. Start to ask the DOD to be a part 

of the program. 

Dr. HECK. Yeah, neither would we, but we will get to that. 

So it is clear from your testimony that American Dream U focuses on entrepreneurship and leading within organizations. It is 

kind of like the ‘‘Shark Tank’’ of transition. 

TAP GPS [Goals, Plans, Success] includes optional tracks, one of 

which focuses on entrepreneurship. Are you familiar with that 

track? And if so, what is your view of the information provided? 

And what recommendations do you have to improve that program? 
8 

Mr. RANDAZZO. So I would like to be clear: So we are not just 

entrepreneurship programs. We talk about different tactics and 

strategies to find jobs. I didn’t get to it in my opening statement, 

but LinkedIn is not talked about in class, and I heard today that 

it is going to start to be. I think that is a very effective way to get 

connected with jobs. We talk a lot about different tactics on how 

to find a job that you actually don’t need an alarm clock to wake 

up to go to. 

But, yeah, so I have reviewed all the Boots to Business program 

that is run by the SBA [Small Business Association]. I think it is 

very academic. I am an entrepreneur, and I like to learn from people who have actually done it. And so I think part of our program 

being effective is bringing in those entrepreneurs and kind of cutting in line, learning from the masters, versus maybe reading out 

of a manual. But I think it is definitely a start if someone wants 

to be an entrepreneur. 

Dr. HECK. Great. Thank you. 

Mrs. Davis. 

Mrs. DAVIS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Thank you all again for being here. 

I remember quite a number of years ago how difficult it was to 

start coordinating some of the efforts out there. And it seemed like 

everybody wanted to help, which was wonderful, but, on the other 

hand, it was really important to try and figure out what the goals 

were, I think, for different organizations. 

And so I am wondering whether the programs that you know 

about in other areas—and your focus has been on the entrepreneurial piece of that, to a certain extent, and Mr. Mann as well. 

I am thinking with Mr. Mahoney—whether does all that sort of 

resonate together? Or do you see these programs as distinctly very, 

very different? 

Mr. MAHONEY. Ma’am, I can give our perspective on that. 

Zero8hundred welcomes the different diverse programs that are 

out there. I think they are different, and I think that that is great, 

even if there is some overlapping. But we would like to be in a position to offer two or three solutions to a service member when they 

get out and refer them to them and see which one they choose, 

which one is best for them. So I think that that is excellent. 

Mrs. DAVIS. Uh-huh. So providing multiple tracks but also you 

are, perhaps by the emphasis, you are able to do a lot in that area. 

Mr. MANN. Correct. And with my smaller nonprofit, Mission 

America, and working closely with Mr. Randazzo, you are right, I 

mean, there are tens of thousands of nonprofits out there, all, most 

of them, really trying to do good things. But as a veteran who 

transitioned, it is overwhelming when you see the number of folks 

out there. It is hard to sort it out. 

I believe the doors are wide open right now for a no-kidding, 

strong private-public partnership on this that is very collaborative 

and allows groups like American Dream U and Mission America, 

where I go in and talk to veterans, as a veteran who is an entrepreneur and has transitioned, about what they are going to see on 

the other side, to be positioned players and be supporting efforts 

to DOD as they step through this, just with the acknowledgement 

that it is more than a TAP program, it is really, it is a process. 
9 

Transition is a, the Green Beret Foundation calls it ‘‘The Next 

Ridgeline.’’ It is a long patrol. It is not something that is done in 

10 days. It is a process like any other mission. And that is why I 

named it Mission America, is because it really is about getting 

these guys and gals with the right skill sets and looking at it as 

another mission, holistically, beyond just jobs and entrepreneurialism. So collaboration is going to be essential. 

Mrs. DAVIS. Uh-huh. Yeah. 

If I may, Mr. Mahoney, one of the issues sometimes organizations find is that when they are involved in mentoring programs 

or ways in which the community is really playing a critical role, 

sometimes that staying power is a little tough to achieve. I think 

often it is based on having good facilitators, good follow-up, a kind 

of esprit de corps among the people that are engaged in this. 

Have you found that to be helpful? How does that happen, you 

know, that you have people who really are staying with the cause 

and feel very, very much indebted? It is a two-way street. You 

know, it is not that person is sacrificing by being part of this program, but getting so much out of it. 

And so I wanted you to speak to that for a second and, also, how 

that is happening in your Tier 3-level VIPs, whether you are finding a need to have people with special skill sets that really are able 

to relate far better to Tier 3 VIPs. 

Mr. MAHONEY. Yes, ma’am. I would say that it is a challenge 

sometimes to get people to continue to focus on their own transition 

as they are getting out. And one of the lessons that we have 

learned is it is more difficult for us—our VIPs to enroll 9 months 

prior to separation, and they are much more actively involved in 

their transition maybe 90 days before they get out, because they 

start to realize that it is coming up very quickly. So we do get a 

change in their focus at that point. 

I will say, on the flip side of it, in the veteran’s community, there 

is a lot of commitment for folks to stay with the cause and help 

them out. And a lot of times they are frustrated that the service 

members aren’t coming to them. 

Mrs. DAVIS. Oh, okay. Yeah. 

In those situations, then, who works to try and make sure that 

that relationship is building so that it is a satisfactory one on both 

sides? 

Mr. MAHONEY. We do, ma’am. Well, one thing we do is we have 

the different—many of the different resources and agencies come 

meet with our navigators, so our navigators are familiar with many 

of the different nonprofits and their different areas of emphasis. 

And that way, when our navigators explain the resources that are 

available to the VIP, they can explain it in a way that it is really 

a handoff. It is a personal connection, that they will do a personal 

referral and a warm handoff to that agency. 

And to answer your question about the Tier 3, it is hit or miss. 

I mean, some of our folks are Tier 3, where they may be a single 

mom getting out with a small child. Maybe they are going to be 

evicted in a week. And they might be very, very engaged with our 

navigators. And some, it is frustrating that they will be engaged 

and then they will drop off and try to handle things themselves. 
10 

Mrs. DAVIS. Does there seem to be a difference whether you are 

in face-to-face contact or by telephone, by cell? What are you advising people to use, in terms of their method of engaging? 

Mr. MAHONEY. We engage mostly by phone, ma’am. And then for 

a Tier 3 VIP, we would encourage them to come into the office. 

Mrs. DAVIS. Okay. Thank you. 

Mr. Randazzo, you mentioned that you hadn’t yet—my time is 

up. We will go another round. Thank you. 

Thanks so much. 

Dr. HECK. Ms. Tsongas. 

Ms. TSONGAS. Thank you all for being here. I appreciate the commitment you obviously all demonstrate as you are responding to 

different needs that you have identified within the transition services that are being provided. 

And just to add a little context to that, every year I have a meeting with a roundtable of veterans from the 3rd District of Massachusetts. We have a great tradition of service. And, just last week, 

I was able to meet with them, and, in the course of it, I always do 

ask, sort of, how the programs that are out there are addressing 

their needs. 

We met in a university setting, so I was glad to hear that the 

GI Bill had made a real difference for many of those returning. A 

good number of them had taken advantage of it, were at the university and getting the degrees that they needed to go on. 

But one of the themes that I really heard was that transition assistance has to be more than a one-time event and that it needs 

to be broad enough to enable veterans to make the most of all the 

different services that are out there, so whether they are medical, 

financial, educational, whatever it may be that are open to them 

and their families. 

So even the GI Bill, for example, may not seem like the right 

thing when you are first getting out of the services, but, as you 

ease into your new life, suddenly it looms larger as an opportunity. 

And as outreach programs do exist—as I said, you all are responding to needs that you have identified—I have found that veterans I have spoken to often are not fully aware of the range of 

programs or even the existence of the kinds of organizations that 

you represent and the benefits that are available to them. 

And, again, what we heard, I think, from all of them and have 

heard over time is that the program has to reflect a long-term commitment, that they have to be responsive to them in a long-term 

setting, especially in the job market, in the era of seeking jobs, because that market is so dynamic. 

So we have an interest in developing entrepreneurs. That is a 

great thing. And I agree with you; the leadership skills that have 

been developed for those serving are remarkable, and there are 

many places for those skills to be exercised. And a mentoring program and an example set is always very good, but sometimes it 

may get a dream going in your head but you still don’t know how 

to follow on and realize it. 

So I am curious with all of you, as in the job-market context— 

we know all the other needs that are out there—and in a very dynamic environment, how are you providing assistance or programs 

that reflect the dynamism of our times so that you are not outdated 
11 

from day one as somebody is moving from one—thinking about one 

thing to another to another? 

Mr. RANDAZZO. No, those are all great comments. 

So I think what is really important is, today, if they are not able 

to tell their story,and I am going to let Mr. Mann, he has done phenomenal work with having soldiers tell their story, but the importance of working together as groups. 

So when we just go to a base, we spend a weekend with them, 

and we just don’t leave. We give them scripts and tactics to use, 

whether it is for salary negotiations or it is even a script to contact 

maybe a veteran that works in an organization that you may want 

to work with and then use those scripts to get into that organization. Because the days of sending out your re ́sume ́ just doesn’t 

work. No one is reading re ́sume ́s; computers are reading re ́sume ́s. 

Most jobs are found within an organization. So if you can network 

in and have scripts already tailored towards you and you can just 

kind of tweak them, I think it is a very valuable tool. And so those 

are some of the tools. 

And then, when we leave, we set up meet-up groups so they can 

meet up as a group and take ownership of it and have organizers 

within there so that they can hold themselves accountable to making LinkedIn connections, you know, to go to maybe different 

events in the community and to network. Very, very important. 

Ms. TSONGAS. And those follow-on activities would seem to be 

very important. Yeah. 

Mr. MANN. Thank you for that question. 

I work with veterans at a very grassroots level from all services, 

spending a lot of time trying to get our head around what is challenging them as they come into transition and then going to speak 

on it. And what I have found is that most of our military warriors 

today, they absolutely love what they do for a living. In fact, it satisfies such a high calling for their inner purpose, and it is so in line 

with it, they almost don’t even think about it. 

But what happens is, when they separate from service, there is 

all this emphasis on getting a job and just stepping into civil society, and they kind of leave that inner purpose back in their team 

room, back in their platoon bay, back in their ready room, and they 

are not as aware as they could be and should be of what it is that 

really makes them tick. What brought them in the military? What 

was it that kept them in the military in those dark times when 

they lost buddies and friends? 

And when you leave that kind of purpose behind, even if you get 

a great job, and with the kind of caustic combat that they have 

seen, in many cases, it makes transition very tough. So just one 

thing is getting familiar with each warrior’s purpose well before 

they transition. You know, that is a very important thing. 

The second thing is the ability to tell their story. We are hardwired as warriors not to talk about ourselves. We are hardwired to 

talk about our teammates and maybe a few other things, but, for 

the most part, when they step into civil society, they are not telling 

their story. And folks like Mr. Randazzo and others, they want to 

hear their stories, because it really has a massive impact. And it 

has huge healing powers on the kind of combat stress that many 

of these warriors have been through. 
12 

So teaching them and empowering them to tell their own story 

is the second thing that we do at Mission America and that I work 

with Bill on. 

And then, finally, we call it ‘‘keeping the light on in the team 

room.’’ Military warriors are some of the most collaborative, communicative people in the world. We can go into any rough spot, and 

we can figure it out. We will build a team around it and get it 

done. For some reason, when we walk into civil society, we don’t 

do that. We don’t stay connected to the team that we had, and we 

sure don’t build new teams. 

So those are just three areas where we put a lot of emphasis to 

hopefully be position players for TAP and others to meet a need 

that, if we don’t address it, it is going to come calling at the end. 

Ms. TSONGAS. Thank you. 

I have run out of time, and I am sorry, Mr. Mahoney, I can’t hear 

your answer. 

Thank you. 

Dr. HECK. I think we will have time for a second round, so stand 

by. 

Mr. Knight. 

Mr. KNIGHT. Thank you, Mr. Chair. 

You know, it is interesting, when I ETS’d [estimated time served] 

out of the Army years and years ago, it was go around, make sure 

that everything is cleared. You know, everybody is walking with 

their briefcase or their folder or whatever. And, of course, on your 

folder, it says, ‘‘I am ETSing, I am going back to the world,’’ or 

whatever. 

And, to me, back then, that was it. I was applying to college. I 

was going to college. I had a mission, and I was ready to go. But 

a lot of guys were like, ‘‘I don’t know what I am going to do. I am 

going to go home, and I am going to figure it out when I get home.’’ 

And that seems to be the problem. 

Now, I live in a real military area, next to a base. A lot of retirees, a lot of young folks that are coming home, and a lot of people 

that are trying to transition back into the, kind of, private sector. 

The biggest thing I see is—and I know the military has changed 

since I left, but the biggest thing I see is, once they leave the military, there is a little bit of a gap there. And I know some of your 

organizations step up and take over that gap. And we have some 

in my area. 

What do we do with those people that say that they have it all 

figured out? They have done everything that they can, they are 

going to college, or they have a job, or they are—they have everything worked out. Because some of those people might not have it 

worked out, and, after a couple years, they figure, what the heck 

am I doing? 

So do we have something that, maybe not tracks them, but gives 

them that card and says, hey, look, we would like to talk to you 

every couple months, or we would like to check in with you, just 

make sure you are doing everything—everything is going right? 

Mr. MAHONEY. Yes, sir. Good question. 

With our organization, with zero8hundred, we have a case management system that drives those follow-on calls. So we have the 

initial call with them right after the class, and then they discuss 
13 

their needs. And as you are kind of alluding to there, their needs 

change over time. They may have everything all wired, and then 

3 months later they maybe aren’t in that situation anymore. So 

those follow-on calls discuss their new needs and can connect them 

to resources. 

And all those calls are recorded in the case management system 

so that, when that navigator goes back, he can refresh his memory 

on his conversation with the customer or client, and he can start 

the conversation from that point. 

But I think having that 21 months of those check-in calls can 

really help the transitioning service member. 

Mr. MANN. Thank you, Mr. Knight. 

One other best practice that I have seen that seems to work pretty well that we might think about sharing with the services is the 

smaller organizations like special forces and the Navy SEAL, the 

Honor Foundation, special forces with Next Ridgeline, the foundations aligned with those outfits do a pretty good job of keeping 

track of guys as they go deeper into transition. It is a little easier 

to do that. 

But one thing, you know, that might be considered for a best 

practice is, with the services, the foundations that are aligned with 

the services could possibly play a role in that deep tracking like 

that. Because it is an involved process to do that. A lot of these 

guys go off the grid, you know, and they kind of go dark, and it 

is hard to do, even in smaller organizations like special forces. 

Mr. KNIGHT. Mr. Chair, I want to thank you, and I want to 

thank these groups. You know, it is a difficult thing, carrying a 

ruck one day in a desert and then, a month later, you are in an 

office and you are looking around at a different environment. So it 

is a difficult transition. 

I appreciate what you are doing. 

Thank you, Mr. Chair. 

Mr. RANDAZZO. Can I make one comment on that? 

Mr. KNIGHT. Yes, sir. Absolutely. 

Mr. RANDAZZO. We are only 2 years plus a few months, but we 

gather their personal email addresses, and for those that have attended our first event, we keep in touch with them weekly with 

newsletters. And you are right; sometimes when we are there it 

doesn’t click. But when they are ready, they are ready, and so they 

will reach out to us. 

So we have had some real good success in getting feedback and 

emails back from maybe a soldier who attended 18 months ago and 

now they are ready. 

Mr. KNIGHT. Very good. 

Thanks, Mr. Chair. 

Dr. HECK. Mr. Coffman. 

Mr. COFFMAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

In terms of the transition, what is a briefing on Active Duty in 

terms of on-the-job training opportunities and apprenticeship training opportunities run by the VA? 

It is my understanding that there just isn’t much of a knowledge 

that the veterans have, in terms of Active Duty personnel when 

they exit the military, about that particular option. And so it is in 

law, but it is dramatically underutilized. 
14 

Mr. RANDAZZO. Are you talking about the last 6 months of their 

service where they can do a job apprentice or job shadow? 

Mr. COFFMAN. No. When they actually go through the out-briefings, that it is available to them under the Veterans Administration. It is my understanding that the soldiers, marines, airmen, 

and sailors are really not made aware of that particular opportunity. 

Mr. RANDAZZO. Yeah, so I am aware of a program for the last 6 

months of their service. 

Mr. COFFMAN. Right, yeah. 

Mr. RANDAZZO. They are allowed to do a program, and maybe 

you are not aware of it, but—— 

Mr. COFFMAN. No, I am aware of that program. 

Mr. RANDAZZO. Gotcha. 

Mr. COFFMAN. This is after they leave Active Duty. 

Dr. HECK. That might be a question better suited for the second 

panel. 

Mr. COFFMAN. Okay. 

Mr. RANDAZZO. But I think that program, sir, is one of the best 

programs that the military could offer in the VA or the DOL [Department of Labor] can offer is a job shadow and apprentice. I 

think that should be emphasized more. 

And I think some of the rules should be laxed on that. It is a 

50-mile radius. So, for example, Fort Hood is 61 miles from Austin, 

Texas. I mean, there is a lot of growth and opportunities in Austin, 

Texas. JBLM [Joint Base Lewis-McChord] to St. Louis—to Seattle, 

same thing. Fort Bragg, which I was just at, to Raleigh that is just 

outside of that mile radius. 

So I think there are some things that could be tweaked in that 

to make it better. 

Mr. COFFMAN. Okay. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Dr. HECK. We will go around with a second round. 

Mr. Mahoney, I would imagine that, based on the success that 

your program has had, there would be other communities interested in trying to replicate what you have done and not recreate 

the wheel. Could you discuss any specific challenges you had in establishing your program and how you overcame those challenges? 

What I find often is that, when there is a community organization or a not-for-profit or somebody who is trying to gain access to 

a base to provide a service, that is usually one of the biggest obstacles that they have to overcome. Did you face that same thing? And 

if so, how did you overcome that and, as well, any other challenges 

that you might have had? 

Mr. MAHONEY. Yes, Mr. Chairman. We had the Navy on our ops 

committee, which is really the planning committee, and the leadership and oversight committee from the start. So we were fortunate 

that Admiral Dixon Smith, who is now the chief of Naval Installations Command, was the regional commander—very interested in 

transition and was participating in some of those meetings. So he 

was engaged from the start. We also had a representative from Marine Corps Recruit Depot on our committee, as well, so that helped. 

But it still, even with that level of engagement, it still took about 

9 months to get the memorandum of understanding through the 
15 

legal staff at the region. So that was challenging. We were very 

pleased that it did get through and did get approved. 

I know that one of the concerns is, if you let one organization on 

base, then you are letting thousands, perhaps, on base. And one of 

the things that we tried to explain is that we are really a neutral 

connector; we are connecting people to resources. We are not going 

to duplicate what many of the other great organizations are doing 

in San Diego. And I know that had to be sort of socialized with the 

nonprofits and the other agencies in San Diego. We were happy to 

have the VA on our board, as well. And I think that helped us get 

past some of those challenges. 

Dr. HECK. Thank you. 

Mrs. Davis. 

Mrs. DAVIS. Thank you. 

I am wondering about scaling up. You know, every time we have 

a really great pilot doing something that works, we often want to 

take that to another level. And sometimes the conditions, the personalities, the demographics, what have you, that there is something that is different enough and it doesn’t work. 

What are some of the thoughts that you have about your programs? We are going to talk, the next panel, about the relationship 

with the DOD, and so I know that you don’t necessarily want to 

get into that. But do you have an interest in that? And what do 

you see as some of the ways that you would go about doing that? 

What do you need from the Congress or, you know, from the Department? 

Mr. RANDAZZO. So, yes, so, definitely, we do want to scale. And 

so online and technology gives us the option to do that. So we have 

an app that we have developed, a transition app, and we are coming out with another version here in the next 90 days. We also 

have online programming that will feed them in a good sequence 

of order of different techniques and strategies; as well as we have 

over 140 TED-type videos online that we can sequence to them, 

along with workable, actionable steps they can take after watching 

and take action. 

So, yes, we definitely would like to scale, but we need to activate 

this 18 months prior to them leaving. And I had a great conversation before. It should even be maybe 3 or 4 or 5 years before they 

transition out, some of these things. And we have almost developed 

a more of a leadership-type role summit versus a transition, and 

that is from some of the CGs that we have dealt with and that 

have sat in our program for 2 or 3 days. 

Mrs. DAVIS. Uh-huh. 

Mr. MANN. If I could just offer one thing to that, it is understanding that, as a former Army officer, going deeper into the life 

pattern of the service member, that is harder because you have a 

war to fight, you know, you have to retain numbers, and you have 

to do the mission. And that becomes very hard when you are trying 

to train and deploy. 

So one of the things I might suggest, too, in the private-public 

partnership realm is some kind of collaborative council that meets 

with entrepreneurs and leaders and military leadership and even 

military personnel serving at the lower levels, to come together and 

find ways to do that, because there are ways. 
16 

I built my real estate portfolio still on Active Duty serving in a 

special forces group. A lot of it was offline work that I had to do 

in my own time, but the point is there are ways that this stuff can 

be provided that isn’t necessarily intrusive into the daily military 

cycle. 

But a collaborative forum to do that, you know, it is not going 

to be sorted out here. It is going to take some time and the right 

people in the room. 

Mrs. DAVIS. Uh-huh. 

Mr. RANDAZZO. Ma’am, I will just say that we would like to expand access to our program. We are growing to meet the large demand that we are seeing already. We would like to expand to 

Camp Pendleton this year. 

USD [University of San Diego], as part of their evaluation, the 

third-party evaluation of the outcomes, is also documenting how 

the program was rolled out so it could be potentially replicated in 

other communities. 

And as far as what could be done by government, grant programs 

would be helpful. If there are grants that we could pursue for community-based handoffs from the transition courses, that would be 

terrific. And, also, we would be pursuing those kind of grants 

through county and more local government, as well. 

Mrs. DAVIS. Uh-huh. Great. 

Thank you. 

Dr. HECK. Ms. Tsongas. 

Ms. TSONGAS. Thank you all again. 

So, as veterans are seeking you all out for one reason or another, 

I am curious what they are telling you about what has been most 

effective with regard to the transition services that they have been 

offered through the DOD and where are there shortfalls. 

If we could start with you, Mr. Mahoney. 

Mr. MAHONEY. I think, from my perspective, the transition classes on base are effective if the—you basically get what you put into 

those courses. If the service member goes there and is participating 

and they are anxious to learn and they are going to leave there and 

make progress with their future, that can be effective for them. It 

won’t be effective for them if they are in the class and not paying 

attention and focused on other things. 

So we have seen that. It is frustrating that there are things that 

are available for them that can be effective that, in some cases, 

they don’t take advantage of. 

I think the courses on base also that are directed towards education and other specific areas, we refer them back to the base for 

those courses, and they can be effective, as well. 

Ms. TSONGAS. Do you hear why there might be some who don’t 

take advantage of it? Do you see a reason why some are more likely to do it and others not? 

Mr. MAHONEY. I would say, ma’am, that it is a little bit of complacency. There might be overconfidence in how marketable their 

skills will be when they get out of the service. They may not have 

a realistic expectation of, say, their salary range or how long it will 

take and how much effort it is going to take to get employment. 

Ms. TSONGAS. Okay. 

Mr. Mann. 
17 

Mr. MANN. Just a little different twist to that. The folks that I 

have talked to, they are sprinting all the way to the finish line. 

They still have dust on their boots, and they don’t have a lot of 

time to really process the notion of transition. And so, you know, 

it is a mindset. And it is more than just the TAP program. It is 

getting yourself ready for that. 

And so, in many cases, they are going into transition having just 

come off deployments, having just come off training missions. And 

what I hear often is just frustration that transition happened so 

quickly and there just wasn’t time to prepare. And then they find 

themselves, you know, in a brand-new world, trying to figure it out. 

Ms. TSONGAS. So it is more a timing issue? 

Mr. MANN. Operational tempo and timing, I think. 

Ms. TSONGAS. Okay. 

Mr. Randazzo. 

Mr. RANDAZZO. I would add, I think it is also a delivery issue. 

I understand—I have not sat through a class. I have finally been 

invited to sit through a class. I am going to sit through one at Fort 

Bragg. But I understand there are hundreds of PowerPoints 

throughout a 5-day period. And a 26-year-old soldier who might be 

transitioning out, a marine, may not—that might not be engaging 

to them. So I think more interaction, I think more technology tools. 

And the manuals they receive, I mean, it is 15 pounds of manuals. I am not sure if printing those are super-effective. I think you 

can provide those digitally. 

But I think there needs to be more engagement. The one thing 

that I have heard is that the people who deliver this, they are 

rushing through slides. And I have heard from about a dozen people who are going through it right now, it is, ‘‘Hey, let’s get through 

these last 45 slides, and let’s work through lunch, and we’ll get you 

guys out of here by 2:30.’’ And so I don’t think that is the message 

that soldiers need to hear. 

Ms. TSONGAS. Thank you. 

Thank you. I yield back. 

Dr. HECK. Mr. Knight, followup? No? 

Mr. Coffman, followup? 

Mr. COFFMAN. No. 

Dr. HECK. Okay. 

Well, again, I want to thank all of you for coming here today and 

showing us the value of the public-private partnership and some of 

the challenges and obstacles you may have faced in bringing your 

programs to camps, posts, bases, and how we can further help you 

as, you know, some of the premiere models out there expand across 

the Nation and provide more of these services to more of our 

transitioning troops. We appreciate your time and your testimony 

today. 

And we will break and allow the flip of the panels, and then we 

will move into the next panel quickly. 

[Recess.] 

Dr. HECK. Okay. I would like to welcome our second panel to the 

dais. 

We have with us Dr. Susan Kelly, Director of Transition to Veterans Program Office in the Office of the Secretary of Defense; 

Major General Burke Whitman, Director of Marine and Family 
18 

Programs Division, U.S. Marine Corps; Brigadier General James 

Iacocca, Adjutant General of the U.S. Army; Mr. Thomas Yavorski, 

Executive Director of the 21st Century Sailor Office, representing 

the Navy; and Mr. Horace Larry, Deputy Chief of Staff, Manpower 

and Personnel, for the U.S. Air Force. 

Again, I would remind the witnesses, if you can, to please summarize your testimony to 3 minutes to your best of your ability so 

we can get into the questions. 

And, with that, I will recognize Dr. Kelly. 

STATEMENT OF DR. SUSAN KELLY, DIRECTOR, TRANSITION 

TO VETERANS PROGRAM OFFICE, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 

Dr. KELLY. Good afternoon, Chairman Heck, Ranking Member 

Davis, distinguished members of the subcommittee. I appreciate 

the opportunity to provide you an update on the Transition Assistance Program, TAP, and our united effort to support our transitioning service members. 

Since the last time I testified before this subcommittee, the Department has fully implemented a redesigned TAP at 206 sites 

worldwide. There were four core components to this redesign: adopt 

Career Readiness Standards, CRS, which measures a service member’s preparedness to depart from Active Duty; develop Transition 

GPS, a curriculum that builds the skills needed by service members to meet the CRS; a Capstone event, during which commanders 

verify their members have met Career Readiness Standards or, if 

not, ensure that they receive additional training or a warm handover; and implementation to the military lifecycle transition model, 

which aligns transition activities with touchpoints across the military career. 

We have accomplished these core objectives, and the results are 

clear. The most recent participant assessment data show over 80 

percent of respondents saying they gained valuable information 

and skills to plan their transition, that the training enhanced their 

confidence in their transition, they intended to use what they 

learned in the classes, and that they knew how to access appropriate resources post-separation. 

Between October 2014 and August of 2015, over 150,000 service 

members separated from Active Duty. Based on data verified by 

the Defense Manpower Data Center, 94 percent of these eligible 

members met the VOW [Veteran Opportunity to Work] Act mandate. Eighty-eight percent either met Career Readiness Standards 

or received a warm handover. 

These results indicate the commitment of the services and our 

partners to prepare members for civilian life. These partners include the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Labor, and Education, 

the Small Business Administration, and the Office of Personnel 

Management. 

This cooperation has been institutionalized through the TAP 

interagency governance structure, consisting of an assistant-secretary-level executive council and the SES [Senior Executive Service] and SES senior steering group. These bodies assess and modify 

TAP. And the services are fully engaged with the governance to influence the continued improvement of TAP. 
19 

Over the past 2 years, private and public organizations, as you 

have heard, companies, and Federal agencies have recognized that 

service members present an incredible pool of talent, and they seek 

increased opportunities to harness that talent. In collaboration 

with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s foundation Hiring Our Heroes, we have helped shape the environment in which employers 

gain early access to transitioning service members and their 

spouses. 

In 2015, thousands of members attended 18 large-scale transition 

summits at installations in both the U.S. and overseas. The Departments of Energy, Agriculture, and Homeland Security are actively engaged in targeting service members for industry jobs. 

And through the SkillBridge authority, under the Office of the 

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness, a growing number of 

members have developed skills for employment in high-demand industries. 

My colleagues from the services can share more about the programs implemented at their installations. 

There has been tremendous forward movement, but we must continue to work with Federal partners and the private sector to gather lessons learned, improve the curriculum, instill a culture of 

planning for post-military life, and developing pipelines into the 

national workforce. 

That concludes my statement. I will be happy to take your questions. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Kelly can be found in the Appendix on page 60.] 

Dr. HECK. General Whitman. 

STATEMENT OF MAJGEN BURKE WHITMAN, USMC, DIRECTOR, 

MARINE AND FAMILY PROGRAMS DIVISION, U.S. MARINE 

CORPS 

General WHITMAN. Chairman Heck, Ranking Member Davis, distinguished members, on behalf of the Marine Corps, I am grateful 

for the opportunity to give you an update on our Transition Readiness Program. 

We call it ‘‘transition readiness’’ rather than ‘‘transition assistance’’ because it is an essential component of the overall readiness 

of our individual marines and their families. 

We transition 30,000 marines out of the Marine Corps ever year. 

Your marines are fighters. They are mostly young, and most plan 

to separate after just one or two tours, maybe 4 to 8 years of Active 

Duty service. So we don’t wait until the end of their service to 

begin building their transition readiness. We begin shortly after 

the marine enters the Corps and continue throughout and even beyond the uniformed career. 

We use a framework that we call the Marine for Life Cycle. 

There are three action points in that cycle—eight action points, excuse me, in that cycle. And at three of those, we require some specific activities to build transition readiness. 

The first of these mandatory action points occurs when the marine arrives at the first permanent duty station, which is after boot 

camp, after follow-on combat training, and after their military occupational specialty school. Upon welcome aboard at that duty sta-
20 

tion, they attend our Personal Readiness Seminar, which is required at that point. This establishes the foundation for the marine’s journey through the Corps and highlights the available services throughout the Marine for Life Cycle, to include transition 

readiness, individual development plans, transition plans, and that 

kind of thing. 

The second mandatory action point occurs at promotion. Before 

a marine gets promoted to corporal, she or he has to take a course 

we call Your Readiness. This provides them an update review of 

the services and resources available to them and the development 

of her or his individual transition plan. 

And then the final mandatory action point occurs as the marine 

approaches separation and attends the Transition Readiness Seminar that Dr. Kelly talked about. 

At the end of this is the Capstone, which, in our case, is an exit 

interview with the commander or designee to ensure readiness. 

That is a key moment. Transition Readiness is a commander’s program, and we treat it as a commander’s responsibility to make sure 

that the marine is ready or, instead, to conduct a warm handover. 

In addition to these mandatory components, we do have the 

three track options for higher education, entrepreneurship, or career technical training. We also have a number of workshops, seminars, apprenticeship programs, and others that we may talk about 

during the questions. 

Also, after departure, a marine is forever a member of Marine for 

Life Network, which is an organized element of our Marine for Life 

Cycle led by marines who maintain networks of job opportunities. 

One quick example that I will close with. Major Kyle Aldrich, our 

Marine for Life representative in one particular geographical area, 

maintained a long-term active communication with a corporation 

that might someday hire. And, at one point, that person, his contact there, called him, said, ‘‘We’ve got a job opening. It’s a hot fill.’’ 

The major immediately gave him the re ́sume ́ of a transitioning marine, and that marine just recently got the job. 

As the area’s Marine for Life representative, as part of that network, Major Aldrich’s duty was to stay on top of those opportunities. That was his mission, and that is what he did. 

We have a lot more to do, and we are working with the Department and the other services to try to improve our program, as well. 

And I look forward to answering your questions about that. Thank 

you very much. 

[The prepared statement of General Whitman can be found in 

the Appendix on page 73.] 

Dr. HECK. General Iacocca. 

STATEMENT OF BG JAMES IACOCCA, USA, ADJUTANT 

GENERAL, U.S. ARMY 

General IACOCCA. Chairman Heck, Ranking Member Davis, and 

distinguished members of this committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you on behalf of America’s Army. 

The United States Army is committed to ensuring the lifelong 

success of our soldiers as they transition to citizens and veterans 

in civilian society. Our responsibility is to inspire soldiers for life 

by providing essential counseling and training throughout a sol-
21 

dier’s career to ensure they are ready to succeed when they leave 

Active Duty. 

The Army’s Soldier for Life–Transition Assistance Program is a 

commander’s program. The program facilitates a soldier’s transition by ensuring they begin the process early and they visit the 

transition center often and ensures commanders provide encouragement and adequate time for soldiers to complete transition activities. 

Today, the Soldier for Life–Transition Assistance Program serves 

approximately 110,000 soldiers annually. The program provides 

soldiers with the counseling, employment and education workshops, career tracks, and career skill opportunities required to 

achieve the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, commonly known as 

the VOW Act, and OSD [Office of the Secretary of Defense] policies. 

As a result, the program helps soldiers make informed career decisions, be competitive in the workforce, and continue to provide 

positive contributions to their community after completing their Active Duty service. 

Currently, the Army is meeting the requirements of the VOW 

Act, with the Active Component at 89 percent, the National Guard 

at 75 percent, and the Army Reserve at 79 percent for fiscal year 

2015. 

In the last 5 years, we have increased our investment in the Soldier for Life–Transition Assistance Program and have grown from 

54 to 75 centers worldwide and increased transition, financial, and 

educational counselors by 475 personnel, to a total of 700 counselors and staff. 

Additionally, the Army established mobile training teams to support the National Guard and Army Reserve at home and at demobilization stations. To expand our reach, the Army created a 24/7 

Virtual Soldier for Life–Transition Assistance Center to meet the 

needs of all soldiers, including those deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. And we have TAP 21, an automated system that allows commanders to maintain visibility throughout the process. 

Focusing on expanding soldiers’ career options, the Army’s Career Skills Program affords transitioning soldiers the opportunity 

to obtain industry-recognized credentials and to participate in firstclass apprenticeships, on-the-job training, job shadowing, internships, and employment skills training up to 100 days prior to separation. 

One of those programs is the United Association of Veterans in 

Piping, which provides internships in pipe welding and heating, 

ventilation, and air conditioning. The program has a 98 percent retention rate, and more than 1,100 soldiers have received jobs 

through this program. 

To conclude, I wish to thank all of you for your continued support. The Army is committed to being a leader of the Department 

of Defense transition efforts by preparing and connecting our soldiers and our veterans to career and education opportunities. 

Chairman Heck and Ranking Member Davis and members of the 

subcommittee, I thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you. 

[The prepared statement of General Iacocca can be found in the 

Appendix on page 82.] 
22 

Dr. HECK. Mr. Yavorski. 

STATEMENT OF THOMAS YAVORSKI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

21ST CENTURY SAILOR OFFICE, U.S. NAVY 

Mr. YAVORSKI. Chairman Heck, Ranking Member Davis, and distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to update you on Navy’s Transition Assistance Program. 

Nearly 4 years ago, the Veteran Employment Initiative Task 

Force was formed to develop and improve the Transition Assistance 

Program and the Transition GPS, or Goals, Plan, Success, curriculum. We implemented Transition GPS throughout the Navy in 

2012 through 2014. We have also continued to improve classroom 

delivery by updating Transition GPS software, enhancing the WiFi 

capability for computers in every classroom, expanding our delivery 

approach to accommodate sailors in isolated locations, and adding 

classroom capacity. 

Sailors leaving the Navy today have a far better transition experience than was previously available. They have far greater insight 

into the quality veteran benefits they have earned in recognition of 

their service. As part of the interagency transition assistance governance structure, the Navy continues to meet with the Defense 

Transition to Veterans Program Office, other service representatives, and our interagency partners to continuously assess and improve Transition GPS. 

The transition military life cycle incorporates career readiness 

and transition preparation across a sailor’s career, rather than 

waiting until they are separating. Aspects of Transition GPS are 

incorporated into the Navy Career Development Boards held at key 

points in the sailor’s career. 

Navy Credentialing Opportunities Online, or Navy COOL, helps 

sailors obtain civilian certifications and licenses for skills acquired 

during their service. Since its inception in October 2007, Navy 

COOL has provided over 130,000 certifications and licenses for over 

41,000 sailors in every enlisted rating and pay grade. 

Commanding officers are encouraged to authorize eligible sailors 

to pursue employment skills training through the Department of 

Defense SkillBridge initiative during their final 180 days of Active 

Duty. For example, the Navy is supporting the Solar Ready Vets 

pilot program in Norfolk in partnership with Tidewater Community 

College and the Department of Energy. The Navy continues to 

work with public and private organizations like zero8hundred to 

provide sailors additional transition assistance opportunities. 

Each sailor who selflessly serves our Nation eventually separates 

or retires and, in doing so, has earned our unwavering commitment 

to provide them the tools that will position them for success as they 

transition and continue serving our Nation as honored and distinguished veterans. 

I thank you for your steadfast support for all Navy sailors, and 

I look forward to your questions. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Yavorski can be found in the Appendix on page 89.] 

Dr. HECK. Mr. Larry. 
23 

STATEMENT OF HORACE LARRY, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF AIR 

FORCE SERVICES, DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR MANPOWER AND PERSONNEL, HEADQUARTERS U.S. AIR FORCE 

Mr. LARRY. Thank you, sir. 

Chairman Heck and distinguished members of this subcommittee, I am pleased to testify before you today regarding transition assistance the Air Force provides to our Active Duty, Guard, 

and Reserve members and their families. 

In 2012, we revamped our Transition Assistance Program with 

a major overhaul that embraced requirements outlined in the Veterans Opportunity to Work to Hire Heroes Act and the Veterans 

Employment Initiative. We executed a partnership with the staff of 

the Office of the Secretary of Defense, our fellow armed services, 

the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Labor, and Education, as well 

as the Small Business Administration, and the Office of Personnel 

Management. 

Along the way, we teamed with industry leaders in orchestrating 

a type of revamped Transition Assistance Program that is delivering what our members need and want. Through our collaborative 

efforts, the Air Force has created a win-win situation where our 

airmen succeed as employees, students, or business owners and as 

productive members of the private sector while in transition from 

military service. 

The Air Force is committed to furthering collaboration as we 

press forward in delivering the best transition assistance possible 

for our members and families. Thank you for this opportunity to 

testify before you, and I look forward to addressing any questions 

you may have. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Larry can be found in the Appendix on page 97.] 

Dr. HECK. Again, thank you all very much for coming and participating today. 

Dr. Kelly, in your testimony, you mentioned a TAP interagency 

organization. So is there representation from the private sector on 

that interagency group, such as entities like zero8hundred or 

American Dream U? 

Dr. KELLY. The TAP interagency governance structure, both the 

executive council and the senior steering group, are made up of the 

Federal agencies as well as the services. 

Dr. HECK. So, in your opinion, is there an opportunity or, I mean, 

would there be a benefit to have representation from the private 

sector, especially those entities that are looking to try to offer services to transitioning service members? 

Dr. KELLY. I think if you give the services the opportunity to talk 

about all of their public-private partnerships that they are engaged 

in right now, you will find out that they are getting feedback from 

the program. But, also, I think we have evolved from just providing 

a Transition GPS curriculum and meeting Career Readiness Standards. It has been a tremendous learning experience over the last 

couple of years. 

We were very much focused on unemployment of our veterans 

and resolving that issue and working with employers to resolve 

that issue. What we have learned is that employers are now com-
24 

ing to us and saying, ‘‘This is a real talent pool, and we want early 

access to that.’’ 

But the other lesson that we have learned is that this is a community issue that is probably best addressed at the community 

level. You heard of the terrific success of zero8hundred. He talked 

about using the 2–1–1 directory for the community resources that 

are in that community. He talked about bringing in the employers, 

bringing in the installation commanders. 

So he mobilized or that entire community mobilized their community resources and looked at the needs of that community and 

developed a solution. You see that going on in multiple places, 

which some of the installations are part of. You see those kinds of 

communities coming together and saying, how are we going to use 

what we have to either keep these service members here because 

they are a terrific talent pool for us, you see it going on in North 

Carolina, you see it going on in Washington State, you see it going 

on in California. But what is happening is that they are developing 

efforts to address the workforce skill gaps in those States and in 

those communities, and that becomes more meaningful. 

Dr. HECK. So is there a process, a formal process, by which a program, let’s say, like zero8hundred that has done extremely well in 

the San Diego area, is evaluated for potential implementation or 

recommendation to be used in other locations? I mean, if we find 

a private-sector program that seems to be working in one area, is 

there some formal process by which that is looked at to see whether or not it can be implemented elsewhere? 

Dr. KELLY. Well, the Secretary of Defense then at the time, Secretary Hagel, provided guidance to the military departments, the 

Secretaries of the military departments, the Chiefs, and the Chairman and provided guidance, saying, look at allowing non-Federal 

entities onto the installations when they are providing support to 

our military members and our families. 

There was very explicit guidance and templates, actually, on how 

to evaluate those entities, but left to the installation commanders 

and those communities to evaluate those programs, what was needed by the service members on those installations and those families, and how that fit into the community. So that authority still 

is retained by each one of the installation commanders. 

And as we see this evolving, it seems to be the community-level 

efforts that have the most meaning. And if we look at it in the long 

term, we can build that economic prosperity for our States and our 

communities using the workforce skills of our transitioning service 

members. And I think we have to figure out and come to an agreement as to what are our long-term goals. 

Dr. HECK. Great. 

My second question will take longer than the 45 seconds I have 

left, so I will wait for the second round. 

Mrs. Davis. 

Mrs. DAVIS. Thank you very much. 

I actually wanted to ask all of you to just respond to anything 

you heard in their presentations that could be problematic in terms 

of the services or what you would welcome. 

I think, Dr. Kelly, you are suggesting that having the community 

engaged in the activities is very, very valuable. But I think it also 
25 

raises some questions about the capacity of our services to respond 

and, I guess, to be able to spend some valuable time interacting 

with them, as well, in order to make that effort go further. 

How is that? What do you say to the organizations that are 

working hard in the communities? And does that say something 

about the fact that maybe you are not totally having a TAP program that works for the service members, as well? 

Dr. KELLY. I am sorry, I am not quite clear on what the question 

is. 

Mrs. DAVIS. I am just wondering about a reaction to what you 

heard and whether there are some instances in which perhaps they 

do get in the way, in some instances, or just the fact that you are 

trying to provide the authority for them to go on base becomes 

problematic in any community. How can they deal with that? 

Dr. KELLY. Go ahead. 

General WHITMAN. We do have to balance at each installation 

the opportunity. We are eager to have the engagements with partners, even with hiring partners, to the greatest extent that we can. 

We have to balance that at times with safety concerns, security 

concerns, just installation capacity concerns, which may mean 

sometimes we might want to move something off the base. It might 

not be quite as appealing. 

Each installation is different. That is why it has made sense for 

us so far to let each installation determine how best to manage 

that. At Camp Lejeune, which is not close to a big urban area, we 

manage that pretty differently from the way we do at Camp Pendleton, California, which is very close to lots of urban, big hiring 

organizations. 

And we also have to balance the goodness that comes from entering into these partnerships with ensuring that we do it legally and 

also fairly, in a way that doesn’t give preferential treatment to 

someone that someone else may not like. 

But we are doing it in a very robust fashion. You will hear from 

all of us, we are partnering heavily in every one of the installations, much more so than in the past. 

General IACOCCA. Yes, ma’am. We, too, in the Army allow our installation commanders flexibility in the program. And we do have 

to maintain balance of who we allow on post. But, in many cases, 

as you heard, they have access to posts, and our soldiers are participating in their programs. 

But one of the things that we are working through is to stress 

to our soldiers to go to transition early and often and not wait till 

they get to the end of their service when they are close to transition. And that would allow more time. 

And many of our soldiers are starting to go earlier and go more 

often. And it makes the program easier to digest, rather than try 

to do it in a condensed 5-day program as they are getting ready to 

transition out. 

Thank you. 

Mrs. DAVIS. Right. 

And anything that is different? I mean, if you find that you can 

work well with these organizations, that is great. 

Mr. YAVORSKI. I would just like to address one of the issues that 

one of the gentlemen brought up about the PowerPoints, in that we 
26 

recognize that. And that is why we put the computers in all the 

classrooms, the WiFi. It is interactive. 

They can bring their own computer in. We have computers for 

all of those—we talked about social media and LinkedIn through 

the VA. And every service member veteran gets 1 year of premium 

free LinkedIn membership. So we are stressing that and teaching 

that in our classes. So we are taking that on board. 

Mrs. DAVIS. Great. 

Mr. LARRY. In terms of access to the bases, we, the Air Force, 

take a similar approach. It is a balancing act, it most certainly is, 

with the force protection and the requirements of the base, et 

cetera. But the other part of that, we do look at opportunities to 

bring on specific agencies or organizations to see how they could 

team with us, as well. We don’t have an overarching process where 

it says, here is where we go Air Force-wide, but we leave it to the 

individual installations. 

So we take the GPS TAP program; here is where we start, here 

is how we have to finish, here are the outcomes we see. But within 

that, like at Eglin Base in Florida, look at the Boeing Company, 

we bring them on and say, we have some opportunities, and we 

will work with you. And we give the members specifics, as opposed 

to the job search overall. 

So we do work to embrace the local communities in this process. 

Mrs. DAVIS. Thank you. 

Just going back to the Marines very quickly, and you talked 

about being a Marine for Life. In the other services, do you also 

work with organizations that work with the service member after 

they get out, specifically in your service? 

General IACOCCA. I think, in the Army, if there is an issue with 

transition, we do the warm handover with the VA or the Department of Labor. 

Mrs. DAVIS. With the VA. Okay. Thank you. 

Mr. YAVORSKI. In the Navy, we don’t have a ‘‘Sailor for Life,’’ but 

we have a lot of those programs in our Fleet and Family Service 

Center and a warm handover and so forth. 

Mr. LARRY. Similar with the Air Force, we don’t have a codified 

program like the Marines, but we do the warm handover and validate that is done. 

Dr. HECK. Mr. Coffman. 

Mr. COFFMAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Can you tell me about, in the transition phase, the integration 

with the Department of Veterans Affairs? To what extent do they 

make themselves available, and how are they integrated into what 

you do? 

Dr. KELLY. The VA’s benefits briefings are a mandatory briefing. 

There are no exemptions for any of the service members. So that 

is 6 hours of face-to-face time with the benefits briefers. And there 

are follow-on one-on-one appointments after that. 

So you have VA benefits briefings as part of the mandatory Transition GPS core curriculum. But VA also volunteered to build a curriculum for the career technical training track for those service 

members who want to use their Post-9/11 GI Bill to get certifications in the trades. And that course teaches them how to choose 

the best institution, get the most financial aid, choose the course 
27 

of study, and sets them up well to apply for those particular institutions. 

So VA is very well integrated across the Transition GPS curriculum and on the installations. 

Mr. COFFMAN. To what extent when members, because a lot of 

the members that leave tend to be, probably, disproportionally junior enlisted, junior officers. And so, to what extents are—and a lot 

of them have an inactive requirement but have no Active Reserve 

requirement. 

To what extent do their respective services try to sell them on 

continuing their military service in the Active Reserves and also 

potentially getting another—are there opportunities to earn a different occupational specialty on their way out the door through a 

Reserve school to fit a unit requirement in whatever geographic 

area they are relocating to? 

Dr. KELLY. Well, on the first point, one of the Career Readiness 

Standards is to go through the interview with the Reserve recruiter. 

Mr. COFFMAN. Oh, great. 

Dr. KELLY. So that is mandatory. We are realistic, in that we 

want to keep the best. So that is a Career Readiness Standard for 

all service members. 

In reference to MOSs, I will let the services speak to that. 

General WHITMAN. We do, we pursue that programmatic piece 

aggressively. And we do offer retraining in occupational skills 

based on the need at the time. We are constantly reassessing that, 

sometimes even with bonuses, to try to get the right people in the 

right place. 

General IACOCCA. While in the transition phase, sir, there is not 

an opportunity to train them on a new MOS, but they do have opportunities to participate in a career skills program to gain new 

skills that they can use as they transition out of the Army. 

Mr. COFFMAN. No, that would make absolute sense. But so, in 

other words, a lot of times you have Reserve units in their geographic area, there is not an MOS match with what they have, say, 

in the Army today and what that unit is in proximity to where they 

are going to live, and so that would require an MOS school. And 

so is that available? 

General IACOCCA. Yes, sir, that is available. Once they transition, 

if they go into a Reserve unit where there may be a MOS mismatch 

at the time, they can go to school once they are in that Reserve 

unit. 

Mr. COFFMAN. Okay, but let me phrase this differently. So they 

are in transition. They decide they do want to re-affiliate to another unit. They are talked to by the Reserve recruiter. So are 

there orders cut for them when they are leaving Active Duty to go 

to their school before they even report into the unit? 

Quite frankly, that was an offer made to me when I was leaving 

the Marine Corps to the Marine Corps Reserves. 

General IACOCCA. Sir, I will have to get back to you on that. I 

know that opportunity exists. I don’t know if it happens—I don’t 

know if they are issued their orders prior to leaving. But I will get 

back to you on that, sir. 
28 

[The information referred to can be found in the Appendix on 

page 107.] 

Dr. HECK. Mr. O’Rourke. 

Mr. O’ROURKE. Thank you. 

And, Dr. Kelly, you may have covered this in your introductory 

remarks, and I am sorry I missed them. What is the total budget 

for the Transition Assistance Program? 

Dr. KELLY. The Transition Assistance Program is not actually a 

line item. The activities are spread throughout many of the different activities within the military personnel system. 

Mr. O’ROURKE. Do we have an idea of what it costs us to perform 

these activities? 

Dr. KELLY. We are currently going through the process of publishing our DODI [Department of Defense Instruction] and publishing that on the Federal Register. And it is in the neighborhood 

of $100 million per year. 

Mr. O’ROURKE. Okay. 

And then I know from reading some of the conclusions from the 

2014 GAO [Government Accountability Office] report, there is the 

recommendation that we do a better job of measuring the effectiveness of the TAP program. 

Dr. KELLY. Yes. 

Mr. O’ROURKE. What are the measures that we would look at? 

Veterans’ unemployment? Percentage who are connected with a job 

within so many months? What are the things that you will measure going forward? 

Dr. KELLY. We actually have a TAP evaluation strategy that was 

requested by OMB [Office of Management and Budget] and was approved by OMB. It has three pieces to it. 

One is to make sure that the program is implemented that meets 

the law and policy. So we monitor VOW compliance as well as Career Readiness Standards that are met by the service members; 

also, customer satisfaction. And we monitor that through the Participant Assessment Tool, an anonymous online tool, and provide 

the results of that at the installation level every quarter, so even 

commanders can monitor that at their own installation. And then, 

finally, looking at long-term outcomes. 

For DOD, our input into the evaluation is our VOW compliance 

and our Career Readiness Standards. Our partners on the other 

side of the DD 214 [military discharge document] are looking at 

long-term outcomes—for instance, for Veterans Affairs, the use of 

the Post-9/11 GI bill, the successful use of that; persistence rate, 

the numbers who are actually completing courses; as well as a 

Small Business Administration for the entrepreneurship track, how 

many are still in business at certain periods of time; and then for 

the Department of Labor, also looking at unemployment. 

Mr. O’ROURKE. So employment is part of that? 

Dr. KELLY. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. But we are in the process of looking at even longer-term outcomes. And DOL is looking at a quasiexperimental design to look at some more results. 

Mr. O’ROURKE. And did I understand that you are in the planning stage of defining those metrics? Or have you already published what those metrics will be and you are measuring and you 

will then publish the results the coming year? 
29 

Dr. KELLY. We have identified some of the measures. With some 

of the measures, we are identifying or tracking milestones, because 

it takes time to put the data collection process someplace, as well 

as the IT [information technology] infrastructure to capture the 

data, and to work through the PII [personally identifiable information] issues of data-sharing. 

But we have milestones, and we are tracking those milestones. 

That is one of the purposes of the TAP interagency governance 

structure. And that is looked at every quarter. 

Mr. O’ROURKE. And my last question. I appreciate my colleague 

asking about your effectiveness in working with the VA. I think 

one of the things that a separating service member is counseled on 

is their eligibility for health benefits within the VA. Tell me what 

the consequences are of poor performance within the VA on access 

to mental health. 

We have an especially acute situation in El Paso. And I am hearing from recently separated service members who are living with 

PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder], for example, that their inability to access health care, mental health care, is affecting their 

ability to pursue employment or, you know, have a quality of life 

that perhaps many of us take for granted. 

Any thoughts on that? 

Dr. KELLY. Well, certainly, Veterans Affairs is given 6 hours of 

face time with each transitioning service member to go through the 

VA benefits briefing. That is a mandate. There are no exemptions 

for that. That is tracked. That is one of the mandatory attendance 

and mandatory Career Readiness Standards. 

But one of the basic tenets of the TAP redesign was to ensure 

that connectivity between the installation, wherever any service 

member is transitioning from, to the resources with VA, also the 

resources for DOL. So they are taught how to navigate the Webbased tools to identify the resources in their own communities and 

to connect to those staff members in their own communities to 

which they are relocating. 

Past their transition out of Active Duty, that would have to be 

tracked by Veterans Affairs. 

Mr. O’ROURKE. Thank you. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Dr. HECK. Thank you. 

Well, that bell signified the votes series, so we will forgo a second 

round of questions. My second question I will submit for the record. 

Again, I want to thank all the witnesses on both panels for taking the time to be here and for hanging with us through our hourlong delay. I appreciate what you are doing for our service men and 

women as they prepare to take on their civilian second careers. 

And until we see you at the next hearing, we will be adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 5:00 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.] 

A P P E N D I X 

OCTOBER 28, 2015 

PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD 

OCTOBER 28, 2015 

(35) 
36 
37 
38 
39 
40 
41 
42 
43 
44 
45 
46 
47 
48 
49 
50 
51 
52 
53 
54 
55 
56 
57 
58 
59 
60 
61 
62 
63 
64 
65 
66 
67 
68 
69 
70 
71 
72 
73 
74 
75 
76 
77 
78 
79 
80 
81 
82 
83 
84 
85 
86 
87 
88 
89 
90 
91 
92 
93 
94 
95 
96 
97 
98 
99 
100 
101 
102 
103 

WITNESS RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ASKED DURING 

THE HEARING 

OCTOBER 28, 2015 

(107) 

RESPONSE TO QUESTION SUBMITTED BY MR. COFFMAN 

General IACOCCA. Transitioning RA Soldiers do not get training or schooling required for a new Reserve Component (RC) MOS or unit while they are still on active 

duty. If a Soldier transitions from active duty and joins the Reserve Component 

(RC) and that Soldier has already signed into his or her RC unit, then the RC funds 

the training (assuming it is a ‘‘will-train’’ position) after he/she transitions off of active duty. In some cases that training happens immediately after the transition, and 

in other cases it may happen months post-transition. The exception to this norm is 

the 365 Pilot Training Program at Fort Hood. That pilot allows a Soldier to train 

in a new military occupational specialty prior to transitioning off of active duty from 

the Regular Army. The Army Marketing and Research Group funded this pilot for 

Fiscal Year 2015. However, funds are still pending for Fiscal Year 2016. The program is on track to expand to Fort Bragg later this year pending the release of a 

third fragmentary order and additional funds. [See page 28.] 

QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS POST HEARING 

OCTOBER 28, 2015 

(111) 

QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MR. WALZ 

Mr. WALZ. It is encouraging to learn of the continued emphasis and on-going successful development of the Transition Assistance Program? Looking forward, what 

additional assistance from Congress, if any, do you require in order to increase the 

effectiveness of the program? 

Dr. KELLY. The Department is very appreciative of the support Congress, and this 

Committee in particular, has given to our transitioning Service members. We would 

appreciate your continued support and assistance in directing your constituent Service members to: 

• register at an American Job Center and take advantage of the programs and 

services they provide regarding employment assistance; 

• apply for VA benefits immediately, if they did not do so prior to separation; and 

• use their robust Post-9/11 G.I. Bill wisely. 

Congress can continue to support TAP by encouraging employers in your respective districts to take advantage of the job announcement, skills training, and placement opportunities available to them at the American Job Centers in your state. 

The American Job Centers now have millions of dollars in funding to help employers 

develop new apprenticeships and skills training that are needed in the local economies. All jobs are local. The more employers engage with the local American Job 

Centers, the more Veterans can return to their local communities and look forward 

to economic opportunity. 

QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MR. KNIGHT 

Mr. KNIGHT. Do we have a system in place for ensuring every vet’s ‘‘hand-off’’ has 

succeeded 6, 12, 24 months down the road? How are service men and women 

‘‘tagged and tracked,’’ so to speak, by TAP? 

Dr. KELLY. The Department of Defense’s authority and ability to track a Service 

member ends once a Service member separates from the military. However, as 

members of the TAP interagency governance body, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Small Business Administration 

are working on developing long-term outcome indicators/measures of TAP. The successful use of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill for completion of a college degree and the new 

business formation rate for those veterans interested in pursuing entrepreneurship 

are two examples of ensuring long-term success. Additional long-term, outcome-oriented evaluations are in development by the VA and DOL to further strengthen the 

interagency evaluation approach and ensure that the TAP is continuously improved. 

For example, VA intends to conduct a survey to veterans (post-transition) on the 

value of the TAP. Due to the Department of Defense’s limited role after a Service 

member separates, our TAP interagency partners are better suited to provide additional data on the long-term effectiveness of TAP. 

Mr. KNIGHT. What percent of service men and women leaving the Armed Forces 

today who want jobs transition to jobs within 6 months? And within a year? 

Dr. KELLY. The Department of Defense’s authority and ability to track a Service 

member ends once a Service member separates from the military. Our Transition 

Assistance Program (TAP) interagency partners, particularly the Departments of 

Veterans Affairs and Labor, have mechanisms in place and in development to assess 

such outcomes of Veterans. In particular, the Department of Labor, through its National Longitudinal Survey, is able to track the employment situation over time of 

some Veterans. Due to the Department of Defense’s limited role after separation, 

the Department of Labor may be better suited to supply this data. 

Mr. KNIGHT. What letter grade, or qualitative assessment, would each of the military branches give the TAP today? How much has TAP improved since 2011? 

General WHITMAN. Our qualitative assessment of TAP is that it is a vital, useful 

tool for Marines; it has improved significantly since 2011. TAP continues to gain mo-
112 

mentum as we move forward in the Marine For Life Cycle with increased interagency collaboration, an improved governance process, and annual reviews and updates. Metrics have been put in place to track its effectiveness. Working groups with 

interagency partners discuss challenges and implement improvements in the program. Through these efforts, we remain actively involved and committed to ensuring 

Marines are successfully meeting in-service and post-transition goals. 

Mr. KNIGHT. What letter grade, or qualitative assessment, would each of the military branches give the TAP today? How much has TAP improved since 2011? 

General IACOCCA. VOW to Hire Heroes Act compliance through third quarter Fiscal Year 2015 was 90% for Active Component. For this reason the Army overall correlates as an ‘‘A¥’’ for executing Transition Assistance Program (TAP) services, 

whereas Army was a ‘‘B’’ in Fiscal Year 2014 with Active Component at 83% compliance. The Army is doing well and improving year after year meeting the law and the 

additional White House components of TAP. In the last five years, the Army’s Soldier for Life–Transition Assistance Program (SFL–TAP) has grown from 54 to 75 

centers worldwide, and from 225 to 700 transition, financial, and education counselors and staff. The program added a center in Kuwait, and established mobile 

transition teams to support the National Guard and Army Reserve at home and at 

demobilization stations. Additionally, the Army created a 24/7 Virtual SFL–TAP 

Center to meet the needs of remotely located Soldiers, those deployed in Iraq and 

Afghanistan, and for any Soldier that needed to receive transition services telephonically or virtually. 

Furthermore, the Army has improved Soldiers’ opportunities to reach their posttransition career and education goals by establishing a Career Skills Program. The 

Career Skills Program affords transitioning Soldiers the opportunity to obtain industry-recognized credentials, the opportunity to participate in first-class apprenticeships, on-the-job training, job shadowing, and employment skills training up to 

180 days prior to transitioning from the Army. 

Finally, the Army is working to improve the accuracy of our TAP assessments by 

increasing the quality and quantity of post-transition feedback from our partnering 

agencies of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Labor, and the Internal Revenue Service. 

Mr. KNIGHT. What letter grade, or qualitative assessment, would each of the military branches give the TAP today? How much has TAP improved since 2011? 

Mr. YAVORSKI. I would give the Navy Transition Assistance Program (TAP) a 

grade of B+, and improving. Sailor feedback reflects that 86 percent agreed, or 

strongly agreed, that TAP was beneficial in helping them gain the information and 

skills to better plan for transition. Since 2011, the program has greatly improved 

as a result of: • revising the core transition assistance curriculum and increasing the length 

from four days to five days; 

• adopting career readiness standards upon which the new curriculum is based; 

• adding two-day tracks on assessing higher education, career technical training, 

and entrepreneurship. (Sailors can also take the Small Business Administration 

advanced entrepreneurial workshop); 

• adding a capstone event to ensure Sailors meet career readiness standards, or 

are provided a warm handoff to partner agencies; 

• incorporating the transition Military Life Cycle into our existing career development program to prepare Sailors for eventual transition throughout their military career; 

• offering Sailors the opportunity to pursue employment skills training during the 

last 180 days of active duty. 

• updating curriculum software, enhancing WiFi capability, and adding 2,493 new 

computers to facilitate an interactive classroom environment; and 

• improving access to classroom curriculum for remote overseas locations. 

We will continue to monitor the effectiveness of Navy TAP with an eye towards 

opportunities for additional program enhancements based on sharing lessons 

learned from the current program across the Department of Defense. 

Mr. KNIGHT. What letter grade, or qualitative assessment, would each of the military branches give the TAP today? How much has TAP improved since 2011? 

Mr. LARRY. The Air Force believes an ‘‘A’’ should be awarded to today’s TAP. 

Since 2011, the Air Force has been sharply focused on the redesigned Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to support Airmen as they transition back to civilian life. 

The Air Force prepares our Airmen for transition in partnership with the Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Personnel Management, 

Department of Education and the Small Business Administration. Collectively, these 

partners provide services or support for delivering a purposeful Transition Assist-
113 

ance Program that helps ensure transitioning Airmen are ready for the next steps 

in civilian life—whether as a full-time student, employee and/or business owner— 

to help them in having successful careers. The Air Force remains committed to ensuring Airmen, as they depart military service, are ready for the challenges and rewards of civilian life and we extend a great deal of gratitude to our private sector 

partners. 

Æ