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Transition Assistance Program

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The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is a U.S. Department of Defense-led program that provides service members with resources for life after the military. Other U.S. agencies that participate in the process include the U.S. Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs, Small Business Administration, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Education, and Office of Personnel Management.[1]

The program offers curricula for service members through classroom training and online through the Joint Knowledge Online portal.[2]

History

In 1990, as the U.S. military's post-Cold War drawdown was beginning, the United States Congress authorized through H.R. 4739, which became PL 101-510[3] a set of benefits and services to assist military personnel in the transition to civilian life. Many of these authorities continued until 2011, when President Barack Obama announced plans for the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to design a "reverse boot camp" to improve the transition from military to civilian life.[4]

In late 2011, the Congress modified the program through H.R. 674, which became PL 112-56.[5] Major modifications to the program authorized in PL 112-56 included mandatory participation for all service members, standardized curriculum and learning outcomes, expanded timeline and smaller class sizes, the requirement to have components of the program spread throughout a service member's military career, completion of Career Readiness Standards, and the verification by a commander of a service member’s career readiness. On average, 200,000 service members leave the military each year.[6]

In 2015, the director of the Transition to Veterans Program Office, the U.S. Department of Defense office that governs the Transition Assistance Program, was nominated for the Partnership for Public Service's Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal award in the category of Management Excellence for "her efforts to redesign the Transition Assistance Program" to comply with PL 112-56.[7]

Career Readiness Standards

Career Readiness Standards (CRS)[8] are a set of career preparation activities Service members must complete to depart from active duty and be considered "career ready." The standards provide Service members with a set of activities to ensure they have the training needed to transition successfully into civilian life.

All Service members departing from active duty must complete the Individual Transition Plan;[9] complete an integrated 12-month post-separation budget; register on the Veteran Affairs eBenefits site; evaluate transferability of military skills to the civilian workforce; go through pre-separation counseling;[10] and attend the United States Department of Labor Employment Workshop,[11] among other criteria.[1]

Curriculum

Service members complete the CRS through attending TAP's core curriculum classroom training. This core curriculum, called Transition GPS (Goals, Plans, Success),[12] includes courses such as the Military Occupational Code Crosswalk, Financial Planning for Transition, Resilient Transitions, VA Benefits Briefing, and the Department of Labor Workshop, among others.

Transitioning Service members may also opt to enroll in two-day training tracks, namely Accessing Higher Education, Career Technical Training and Entrepreneurship.

The Military Life Cycle (MLC) Transition Model allows a Service member's transition to begin early through training and educational opportunities.

References

  1. ^ a b "DoDTAP.mil". dodtap.mil. Cite error: The named reference "DoDTAP.mil" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ "JKO". jko.jten.mil.
  3. ^ "Public Law 101-510". thomas.loc.gov.
  4. ^ "Obama Announcement". whitehouse.gov.
  5. ^ "Public Law 112-56". gpo.gov.
  6. ^ "Military Separations" (PDF). gao.gov.
  7. ^ "SAMMIE Award". servicetoamericamedals.org.
  8. ^ "Career Readiness Standards". dodtap.mil.
  9. ^ "Individual Transition Plan" (PDF). uscg.mil.
  10. ^ "Pre-Separation Counseling". military.com.
  11. ^ "DOL Employment Workshop" (PDF). dol.gov.
  12. ^ "Transition GPS Curriculum". dodtap.mil.
  • [1], the Department of Defense portal for information on the Transition Assistance Program
  • [2], the DoD-sponsored, Joint Staff training portal providing distributed learning access to Web-based joint courses
  • [3], a joint VA/DoD web portal that provides resources and self-service capabilities to Veterans, Service members, and their families
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