Military and Veterans' Benefits
Observations on the Transition Assistance Program Gao ID: GAO-02-914T July 18, 2002Since its inception, the Transition Assistance Program has served more than one million separating and retiring military personnel through the coordinated efforts of the Departments of Defense, Transportation, Labor (DOL), and Veterans Affairs. In fiscal year 2001, the military branches and DOL spent $47.5 million to provide transition assistance to 222,000 separating and retiring service members. Although each branch provides required preparation counseling and offers transition assistance workshops to help service members transition to civilian life, not all eligible service members receive transition assistance. Because they have considerable flexibility in designing their programs, transition assistance varies in content and delivery across the military branches. In addition, service members experienced differences in access to transition assistance depending on their unique circumstances. Isolating the impact of transition assistance on employment, education, and other outcomes is difficult because of data inadequacies and methodological challenges.
GAO-02-914T, Military and Veterans' Benefits: Observations on the Transition Assistance Program
This is the accessible text file for GAO report number GAO-02-914T
entitled 'Military and Veterans' Benefits: Observations on the
Transition Assistance Program' which was released on July 18, 2002.
This text file was formatted by the U.S. General Accounting Office
(GAO) to be accessible to users with visual impairments, as part of a
longer term project to improve GAO products' accessibility. Every
attempt has been made to maintain the structural and data integrity of
the original printed product. Accessibility features, such as text
descriptions of tables, consecutively numbered footnotes placed at the
end of the file, and the text of agency comment letters, are provided
but may not exactly duplicate the presentation or format of the printed
version. The portable document format (PDF) file is an exact electronic
replica of the printed version. We welcome your feedback. Please E-mail
your comments regarding the contents or accessibility features of this
document to Webmaster@gao.gov.
This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright
protection in the United States. It may be reproduced and distributed
in its entirety without further permission from GAO. Because this work
may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the
copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this
material separately.
Testimony:
Before the Subcommittee on Benefits, Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
House of Representatives:
United States General Accounting Office:
GAO:
For Release on Delivery Expected at 10:00 a.m. EST, Thursday, July 18,
2002:
Military and Veterans' Benefits:
Observations on the Transition Assistance Program:
Statement of Cynthia A. Bascetta, Director
Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues:
GAO-02-914T:
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:
Thank you for inviting me to discuss the military's transition
assistance program, which the Congress established in 1990 during a
time of military downsizing to help service men and women return to
civilian life. Since its inception, the program has served over one
million separating and retiring military personnel and has been
administered through the coordinated efforts of the Departments of
Defense (DOD), Transportation (DOT), Labor (DOL), and Veterans Affairs
(VA). In fiscal year 2001, the military branches and DOL spent
approximately $47.5 million to provide transition assistance to about
222,000 separating and retiring service members.
Today, I will describe the transition assistance offered by each
military branch and how their transition assistance programs and
services differ. I will also discuss what is known about how well
program objectives, such as transitioning to civilian employment, have
been met. To conduct our work, we analyzed program descriptions and
administrative data from documentation provided by DOD, DOT, DOL, and
VA. We also conducted structured group interviews during fieldwork at
five locations, one at each military branch--the Army, Air Force, Navy,
Marines, and Coast Guard.[Footnote 1] We talked to about 70 service
members, including separatees and retirees as well as members expected
to separate with a disability, who had participated in the transition
assistance workshop. At each location, we also interviewed commanding
officers, supervisors, and transition assistance program staff. While
all military branches were represented, we cannot generalize from this
information. In addition, we did not interview service members who did
not receive transition assistance services. Finally, we reviewed
existing studies of the transition assistance program. Our work was
conducted from March 2002 through July 2002, in accordance with
generally accepted government auditing standards.
In summary, while each branch of the military provides required pre-
separation counseling and offers transition assistance workshops to
help service members transition to civilian life, not all eligible
service members receive transition assistance. Because the military
branches have considerable flexibility in designing their programs to
address the perceived needs of their service members, transition
assistance varies in content and delivery across the military branches.
For example, the Army uses contract staff and interactive job
assistance tools to provide the level of employment-related assistance
it believes many of its service members need. In addition, service
members experience differences in access to transition assistance
depending on their unique circumstances. For example, service members
who receive transition assistance while stationed at remote locations
often receive less extensive transition assistance than what is
available at other locations. Service members we talked to liked the
services they received, and several studies confirm participant
satisfaction with transition assistance. However, isolating the impact
of transition assistance on employment, education, and other outcomes
is difficult because of data inadequacies and methodological
challenges. Only two program evaluations from the early 1990s evaluated
the effectiveness of transition assistance on employment and provided
limited information. Moreover, they did not evaluate the impact of
transition assistance on other potential goals, including recruitment
and retention, which could have growing importance now that the
military is no longer downsizing.
Background:
When the Congress established the transition assistance program in
1990,[Footnote 2] significant reductions in military force levels were
expected. The law noted that many of these service personnel
specialized in critical skills, such as combat arms, which would not
transfer to the civilian workforce. Transition assistance, including
employment and job training services, was established to help such
service members make suitable educational and career choices as they
readjusted to civilian life.
The law directed DOL, DOD, and VA to jointly administer the program. To
do so, the agencies entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU),
which spelled out each agency's role in the provision of services to
members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. When the Coast Guard
started to operate the transition assistance program in 1994, DOT
entered into a similar agreement with VA and DOL.
Each branch of the military is required to provide pre-separation
counseling to all military personnel no later than 90 days prior to
their separation from the military. Pre-separation counseling,
according to the law, shall include information about education and
vocational rehabilitation benefits, selective reserve options, job
counseling and job search and placement information, relocation
assistance services, medical and dental benefits, counseling on the
effects of career change, and financial planning. The military branches
are to provide space for the provision of transition services at
locations with more than 500 active duty personnel. Separating service
members must complete a pre-separation counseling checklist indicating
that they have been informed of the services available to them and, on
this checklist, they are to indicate the services they wish to receive,
including if they wish to participate in the transition assistance
workshop.
For locations in the United States, DOL is responsible for providing
transition assistance workshops, which are generally 3-day training
sessions focusing primarily on resume writing and job search strategies
and includes a manual with basic information on the material covered in
the workshop.[Footnote 3] The MOU identifies specific workshop
objectives, including preventing and reducing long-term unemployment,
reducing unemployment compensation paid to veterans, and improving
retention.
DOL spent about $5 million in fiscal year 2001 to provide about 3,200
workshops, in addition to the funding spent on transition assistance by
the military branches shown in table 1. The workshop and other
transition services are to be accessible to service members two years
prior to retirement and one year prior to separation.[Footnote 4] As
part of the transition assistance workshop, VA is responsible for
providing information on veterans' benefits, including information on
disability benefits. VA is also responsible for providing more detailed
information and assistance to those service members separating or
retiring due to a disability.
Table 1: Transition Assistance Funding by Military Branch, Fiscal Year
2001:
Funding (in millions)[A]:
DOD; Army: 13.5; Air Force: 8.9; Marine: 4.0; Navy: 10.3; Coast Guard:
0.0; Total: 36.7.
Other; Army: 5.3[B]; Air Force: 0.0; Marine: 0.0; Navy: 0.0; Coast
Guard: 0.5[C]; Total: 5.8.
Total; Army: 18.8; Air Force: 8.9; Marine: 4.0; Navy: 10.3; Coast
Guard: 0.5; Total: 42.5.
Transition Assistance Workshops[D]; Army: [Empty]; Air Force: [Empty];
Marine: [Empty]; Navy: [Empty]; Coast Guard: [Empty]; Total: [Empty].
Number held; Army: 1,207; Air Force: 1,115; Marine: 520; Navy: 1,075;
Coast Guard: 33; Total: 3,950.
Length (in days); Army: 2-3; Air Force: 3; Marine: 3-4; Navy: 4; Coast
Guard: 4; Total: N/A.
Average class size; Army: 24; Air Force: 25; Marine: 41; Navy: 38;
Coast Guard: 35; Total: N/A.
[A] These amounts do not include DOL or VA funding, DOD overhead
expenditures or any resources contributed by local installations.
[B] The Army provides funds to supplement transition assistance.
[C] This amount includes funds from both Coast Guard Headquarters and
local Coast Guard installations. :
[D] These numbers include both DOL facilitated and contractor
facilitated workshops in the U.S. and DOD facilitated workshops
overseas.
Source: DOD and DOT.
[End of table]
In 1996, Congress established the Commission on Servicemembers and
Veterans Transition Assistance and directed it to review programs that
provide benefits and services to veterans and service members making
the transition to civilian life. The Transition Commission examined
pre-separation counseling and transition assistance program workshops
as part of its work.[Footnote 5]
Transition Assistance Varies in Key Ways Across the Military Branches:
Each branch of the military provides the required pre-separation
counseling and offers workshops focusing on employment assistance and
veterans' benefits, although not all service members participate. In
addition, disabled service members are provided detailed information on
benefits and services available to service members with disabilities as
well as assistance in accessing these services. The military branches
have considerable flexibility in designing their programs, allowing
them to vary the content as well as the delivery of their programs.
Moreover, the priorities of the military mission can also affect
delivery and access to transition assistance.
Military Branches Provide Required Services, but Participation Varies:
All military branches provide pre-separation counseling and offer
transition workshops that include employment assistance and information
on veterans' benefits. However, military branch data indicate that not
all service members receive the required pre-separation counseling or
participate in the workshops. As shown in table 2, in fiscal year 2001,
81 percent of service members received pre-separation
counseling,[Footnote 6] and 53 percent attended a transition workshop.
The transition workshop participation rates for each branch ranged from
29 percent for the Coast Guard to 72 percent for the Navy. These
participation rates may not be reliable because some branches' data
include service members who participated but did not separate. To the
extent that this is occurring, the percentages on participation are
overstated.
Table 2: Participation in Pre-Separation Counseling and Transition
Assistance Workshops by Military Branch, Fiscal Year 2001:
Participation: Total Separated/Retired; Air Force: 43,756; Army:
85,190; Marines: 31,319; Navy: 57,452[A]; Coast Guard: 4,037; Total or
Average: 221,754.
Participation: Number of pre-separation counselings; Air Force: 39,375;
Army: 77,146; Marines: 27,849; Navy: 30,508; Coast Guard: N/A[B]; Total
or
Average: 174,878.
Participation: Percent receiving pre-separation counseling; Air Force:
90%[C]; Army: 91%; Marines: 89%; Navy: 53%; Coast Guard: N/A[B]; Total
or
Average: 81%.
Participation: Number attending transition assistance workshop[D]; Air
Force: 27,815; Army: 28,464; Marines: 21,397; Navy: 41,181; Coast
Guard: 1,155[E]; Total or
Average: 120,012.
Participation: Percent attending workshop; Air Force: 64%; Army: 33%;
Marines: 68%; Navy: 72%; Coast Guard: 29%; Total or
Average: 53%.
[A] According to the Navy, this total includes 8,387 service members in
training who were not required to receive pre-separation counseling
because they had less than 180 days of active duty.
[B] The Coast Guard does not have an automated system to collect these
data.
[C] Air Force officials told us that a record audit conducted in 2000
indicated that 97 percent of its separating and retiring service
members received pre-separation counseling in 1999. However, they did
not provide more current audit results.
[D] We are not reporting participation in disabled transition
assistance workshops because VA does not collect this information.
[E] This number represents Coast Guard service members who attended
Coast Guard facilitated workshops. :
Source: GAO analyses of data provided by the military branches.
[End of table]
In addition to pre-separation counseling and the transition assistance
workshops, the military branches may provide optional services such as
(1) help with resume writing, (2) career counseling, (3) training in
job interview skills and strategies, (4) stress management, (5) job
fairs, and (6) access to automated job listings.
Service members separating with a disability are offered more detailed
information relevant to their unique needs. For these service members,
VA offers detailed information on VA disability-related benefits such
as disability compensation, health care and vocational rehabilitation,
as well as assistance in accessing them.[Footnote 7] These efforts are
considered to be a part of the disability transition assistance
program.
Service Members Experience Differences in Content, Delivery, and Access
to Transition Services:
Because the military experiences of the members in each branch are
different, some branches tailor the content of transition services to
better meet the needs of their service members. For example, the Army
believes that many of its separating soldiers need additional
employment-related assistance and more individualized attention. A
large number of the Army's separating service members have held combat-
related jobs, which provide skills that have limited transferability to
jobs in the civilian labor market. Further, many of these soldiers are
young and have little civilian work experience. Therefore, the Army
supplements DOD transition assistance funds to provide additional one-
on-one counseling and interactive job training and assistance.
The Coast Guard also tailors the content of its program to meet what it
believes are the unique needs of its service members. According to the
program manager, many separating members of the Coast Guard have unique
classifications like Marine Science Technician, a job category not
easily transferable to the civilian labor market. In an attempt to
provide their members with transition assistance workshops that will
help them find appropriate civilian employment, the Coast Guard hires
contractors to facilitate its transition assistance workshops. The
contractor staff is trained along with the Coast Guard's transition
assistance coordinators to help service members identify their most
marketable skills and communicate them in a way that will make them
successful in the civilian labor market.
The military branches also have different methods of delivering both
pre-separation counseling and workshops. For example, some military
branches provide pre-separation counseling in individual sessions prior
to attendance at a transition workshop, while others may provide group
counseling. In addition, the length of transition workshops can vary by
location. While the transition assistance workshop was designed to take
3 days, the schedule of workshops for fiscal year 2002 shows the actual
time ranges from 1 day to 5 days depending on the local arrangements
between military installations and DOL. For example, according to the
program manager, the Navy added a day to the 3-day workshop to provide
more detailed information on military benefits. Further, program
officials told us that at some locations different transition
assistance workshops are provided to separating and retiring military
members. For example, at one location we visited the separatees had a
2-day transition assistance workshop and the retirees had a 3-day
workshop. Transition assistance program managers told us that workshops
can be offered in a variety of settings. For example, at one location,
the workshop was offered in a religious education building. At another,
it was offered in space rented at a nearby hotel. At several locations
we visited, class size greatly exceeded the maximum of 50, recommended
in the MOU. At one location, to accommodate large numbers of service
members separating with the number of workshops scheduled, the workshop
had 300 participants.
Other adjustments to the delivery of transition assistance are
potentially more far-reaching. For example, to create a more
comprehensive approach to career planning, the Air Force is integrating
transition assistance into the role of a work life consultant who works
with airmen throughout their military career. This individual serves as
a focal point for information on all personnel matters and helps with
paperwork for anticipated separations and retirements. The Navy is
providing transition assistance services earlier in a sailor's military
career than the law requires to help them more easily translate their
military experience into the civilian labor force when they do
separate. The Navy has also broadened the mission of its transition
assistance program to increase retention by providing professional
career development resources throughout the service member's military
career. Providing earlier services responds to comments from service
members that they would benefit from beginning the transition process
sooner than 90 days before separation.
The delivery of transition assistance for disabled service members
appears to be more consistent across the branches. In the past,
disabled service members were primarily offered separate disability
transition assistance briefings supplemented by individualized
assistance upon request. The current practice is generally to provide a
basic discussion of disability benefits and services as part of the
transition assistance workshop provided to all participants,
supplemented by one-on-one sessions with disabled service members, upon
request. However, some locations still offer a separate disability
transition assistance briefing. In addition, as part of an initiative
in two regions, VA provides special 3-5 day workshops focusing on the
unique needs of disabled veterans seeking employment.
Service members also experience variation in access to transition
assistance based on specific circumstances. Service members who are
deployed, stationed in remote locations, or engaged in essential
military duties may access a modified version of transition assistance
services. For example, the Marines place a transition assistance
specialist on some ships and give priority to those who will be
separating from the military within 90 days or less. The specialist
offers a condensed version of the transition assistance workshop and
will meet with Marines during their free time, which could be anytime
of the day or night.
Service members stationed in remote locations also received modified
versions of transition assistance. For example, a significant percent
of service members in the Coast Guard tend to be stationed in remote
areas far from where the transition assistance workshops are offered.
To address their needs for transition assistance, the Coast Guard sends
a videotape accompanied by the DOL workbook. The videotape presents
general information on how to conduct a job search and the workbook
covers the topics offered in the transition assistance workshops. The
Army also mails materials to soldiers in remote locations and follows
up with distance counseling by telephone, fax, or e-mail. In addition,
the Army will send transition assistance specialists periodically to
remote sites with small populations of soldiers.
Even when service members are in locations where a range of transition
services can be offered on site, military mission and the support that
supervisors have for transition services may determine the degree to
which they have access to the services. Because the military mission is
always the top priority, it can be difficult for service members to be
released from military duties to receive services. Service members,
supervisors, commanders, and transition assistance program staff at the
locations we visited told us that because of mission-related work
priorities, service members may receive transition assistance later
than is optimal. Several service members told us that they had to delay
attending the transition workshop because of their military duties,
thereby limiting their ability to utilize other transition
services.[Footnote 8]
In addition, if supervisors are not supportive of the transition
assistance, or if they feel that mission needs are too pressing, they
may be reluctant to allow service members under them to access services
offered. In 1994, we reported that lack of support from military
commanders was one of the most frequently cited reasons for not using
transition assistance.[Footnote 9] In response, the Secretary of
Defense issued a memorandum to the secretaries of the military
departments and other key DOD officials underscoring the need for
commander support of transition assistance for all service members. The
Marines recently made participation in a transition assistance workshop
a mandatory activity for all Marines because they recognized that
service members were having difficulty being released from their
military duties to attend the workshops. The Transition Commission
noted that starting transition assistance earlier could provide
commanders more flexibility to meet mission needs, because many service
members are deployed during the last 6 months of their active duty.
Reducing potential mission conflicts in this way could help increase
commander support of the program, thereby resulting in increased
participation.
Studies Provide Limited Information on the Effectiveness of the
Transition Assistance Program:
Several studies confirm participant satisfaction with transition
assistance, but limited information is available about the overall
effectiveness of the transition assistance program. Evaluating the
effectiveness of these services is complicated by data inadequacies and
methodological difficulties. For example, most of the data currently
available are collected for purposes of program monitoring and are not
comparable across the branches. Also, following up with service members
who have separated is challenging. Moreover, the changing nature of
transition assistance could result in a shift in emphasis on different
goals, including recruitment and retention, in addition to civilian
employment.
Studies Indicate Participant Satisfaction with Services, but Less Is
Known about Effectiveness:
In 1994, we reported that service members and spouses we surveyed found
seminars and employment assistance centers were beneficial in
readjusting to civilian life. They said that they learned about
individualized job search techniques and other benefits available to
them. They also reported that their confidence had increased as a
result of receiving these services, especially in the areas of resume
preparation and job search and interview techniques.
During our interviews, service members told us that the transition
assistance workshop either met or exceeded their expectations. Many
service members told us that they thought the resume preparation and
job search and interview techniques would be the most helpful in their
transition. However, some felt that the workshop was not long enough
for them to complete preparing their resumes and develop their job
interviewing skills. Several service members told us that they had
pursued or planned to pursue additional job-related transition
assistance offered at their locations. Some service members also found
other transition assistance informative, such as financial planning,
stress management, and VA benefit information. Service members told us,
however, that earlier access to this assistance would enable them to
better utilize it and smaller class sizes would allow them adequate
time for questions and answers.
In 1999, DOL sponsored a study to assess the attitudes and opinions of
participants in the transition assistance workshop.[Footnote 10]
Twenty-one focus groups of persons who had attended a transition
assistance workshop in the prior month were asked about the structure
and content of the workshops and the extent to which they felt their
participation helped prepare them to find civilian employment.
Participants generally agreed that the services they received
contributed to their knowledge and confidence about transitioning to
civilian life. Many participants felt that attendance in the workshop
should be mandatory and that receiving the service earlier in an
individual's military career would be beneficial.
While participants generally appear to find assistance helpful, much
less is known about the ultimate impact of transition services on
employment or other outcomes, such as education and retention. Two
studies conducted about 10 years ago found limited impact of transition
assistance on employment. An early DOL evaluation required by the
Congress assessed the impact of the pilot transition assistance program
on service members who transitioned to civilian life in 1992.[Footnote
11] This study compared a sample of those who had attended a transition
assistance workshop with those who had not to analyze whether
transition assistance had any effect on post military job search and
employment. Although both groups were found to have similar aspirations
for jobs, careers and salaries, the results indicated little difference
between the employability of those who had taken the workshop and those
who had not. However, the study noted that service members who received
transition assistance found jobs 3 to 7 weeks earlier than those who
had not.
The Army sponsored an evaluation of its Job Assistance Centers to
determine whether services provided at these centers affect soldiers'
employment outcomes.[Footnote 12] A group of ex-service members who
separated between October 1, 1992, and September 30, 1993 were
interviewed to determine whether the job assistance services they
received affected their post-transition earnings, receipt of
unemployment compensation, and ratings of preparedness for the job
market. The study reported that individuals who said they had received
more job search assistance services, and those who indicated a greater
degree of satisfaction with the services, were more likely to feel
prepared for the civilian labor market and were also more likely to
have some increase in earnings. However, because this study did not
verify the self reported information, the conclusions cannot be
validated.
Currently at least two branches of the military, the Army and Navy,
track the amount of unemployment compensation paid to separating
service members as an indicator of program effectiveness. For example,
the Army reports that the amount of unemployment compensation benefits
paid to soldiers separating in fiscal year 2001 was about half that
paid out in fiscal year 1994. However, Army officials concede that it
would be difficult to attribute these changes to transition assistance
services alone.
Evaluating Effectiveness of Transition Assistance is Challenging:
Several factors complicate evaluating the effectiveness of human
resource interventions, including the transition assistance program.
First, achieving consensus on program goals is necessary to develop
measurement and data collection strategies. Second, service branch data
on what specific assistance service members received is necessary to
compare the effects of different interventions. Third, following up
periodically after separation with those who received services as well
as those who did not is necessary to try to isolate the impact of
transition assistance.
Assessing overall effectiveness of the transition assistance program
would require agreement on what the program is trying to accomplish.
When first piloted, the objectives of the program included helping the
military meet its personnel needs as well as helping separating service
members meet their needs. However, since that time, the goals have
expanded as a result of changing military needs and service member
expectations. When the program was fully implemented, it dropped the
retention goal and focused on providing transition assistance,
coinciding with the downsizing of the military. During this time, the
program focused on employment-related transition assistance. The
Transition Commission noted that transition assistance needs to
continually evolve to remain capable of bridging the ever-changing
military and civilian environments.
Service members also seek assistance with furthering their education or
obtaining vocational rehabilitation in addition to employment-related
transition assistance. For example, some service members enlisted with
the specific intention of returning to school at the completion of
their military service rather than working right away. Moreover, the
military's personnel needs have changed from downsizing to recruiting
and retaining service members. The Transition Commission reported, for
example, that retention was positively affected by transition
assistance because it offers a realistic view of civilian job market
prospects. This may lead some service members to conclude that they
need more preparation to reenter the civilian workforce and to postpone
separation to gain additional skills, education, or income.
Data limitations also make transition assistance program evaluations
difficult. There is limited data on the services individual service
members actually receive and virtually no data collected on how they
fare after leaving the military. DOL is required to collect participant
data for the transition assistance workshops it provides, and although
not required, the military branches collect data to monitor program
participation. However, these data are often not comparable, and
service members may also obtain military branch-sponsored assistance at
locations where they are stationed. In addition, service members may
obtain assistance from VA or community sources that might not be
documented in DOL's or the military branches' records. This makes valid
comparisons across branches very complicated.
Finally, following up periodically with individuals once they leave the
military to assess how they are faring in civilian life is difficult.
In its 1995 study of the transition assistance program, DOL reported
the difficulty it experienced trying to follow up with separated
service members. Officials we interviewed told us about similar
experiences. For example, one transition assistance workshop
facilitator told us that he was able to follow up with only about 20
percent of workshop participants. The Transition Commission noted that
DOD, VA, and DOL each have separate data collection systems with their
own information that could help determine the usefulness of transition
assistance, but little has been accomplished to coordinate information
requirements between the departments. Collecting the data necessary to
track long-term usage and outcomes would help better position the
departments to assess the value of transition assistance as well as
determine ways to improve it.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared remarks. I would be happy to
answer any questions that you or the other subcommittee members might
have.
Contact and Acknowledgments:
For further information regarding this testimony, please contact me at
(202) 512-7101 or Shelia Drake at (202) 512-7172. Margaret Boeckmann,
William R. Chatlos, Corinna Nicolaou, Linda Stokes, and Paul Wright
also contributed to this statement.
FOOTNOTES
[1] We conducted structured group interviews at Camp LeJeune, North
Carolina; Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland; Fort Stewart, Georgia;
Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida; and U.S. Coast Guard
Integrated Support Command Miami, Florida. We observed a transition
assistance program workshop at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. We
also observed disabled transition assistance program workshops at the
National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland and at the Walter
Reed Army Medical Center in the District of Columbia.
[2] National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991, P.L. 101-
510, November 5, 1990.
[3] When available these seminars are facilitated by Local Veterans
Employment Representatives (LVER) or Disabled Veterans Outreach Program
(DVOP) specialists, federally funded staff, who are part of states'
employment service systems and provide direct employment services to
eligible veterans. If they are unavailable, federal DOL staff or a DOL
contractor facilitates the transition assistance workshop. At overseas
locations, the workshops are facilitated by DOD.
[4] Veterans Education and Benefits Expansion Act of 2001, P.L. 107-
103, Dec. 27, 2001, extended from 6 months to 1 year for separatees and
from 1 year to 2 years for retirees, the time prior to separation that
service members may access transition assistance.
[5] Report of the Congressional Commission on Servicemembers and
Veterans Transition Assistance (Washington, D.C.: 1999).
[6] This does not include the percentage of Coast Guard service members
who received pre-separation counseling.
[7] VA compensates veterans who are disabled by injury or disease
incurred or aggravated during active military service.
[8] Although they are allowed to access these services after
separation, many members return to areas that do not have these
services.
[9] U.S. General Accounting Office, Military Downsizing: Persons
Returning to Civilian Life Need More Help from DOD, GAO/HEHS-94-39
(Washington, D.C.: Jan. 21, 1994).
[10] U.S. Department of Labor/Veterans' Employment and Training, TAP
Focus Group Evaluation Final Report (Washington, D.C.: 2000).
[11] U.S. Department of Labor/Veterans' Employment and
Tranining,Transition Assistance Program: Phase III Impact Analysis
(Washington, D.C.: 1995).
[12] Human Resources Research Organization/U.S. Army Research Institute
for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, Final Report: Outcome
Evaluation of the Army Career and Alumni Program's Job Assistance
Centers (Alexandria, Va.: 1995).
