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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 preparation and resources for their civilian life after they separate from the military. TAP is an interagency program between the Department of Defense (DoD), 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] Service member participation in TAP is mandatory.

The program offers curricula for Service members through classroom training as well as online through the Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) portal for geographically separated Service members, short-notice separatees, spouses, or as a refresher for veterans.[2] The curriculum is standardized by the DoD and administered individually by each Service. It is reviewed annually based on participant and other SME feedback. TAP courses have been executed at over 200 military installations.

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. In 2011, 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] On November 21, 2011, President Barack Obama signed the "VOW to Hire Heroes Act" which brought major changes to the Transition Assistance Program. The Act recently celebrated its 5th anniversary. [5]

The redesign to the program was authorized in PL 112-56 and 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 separate from the military each year.[6]

Curriculum

Service members complete the CRS through attending TAP's core curriculum five-day classroom training. This core curriculum, called Transition GPS (Goals, Plans, Success),[7] 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 additional courses. There are three of these Training Tracks: Accessing Higher Education, Career Technical Training and Entrepreneurship. [8] In the Accessing Higher Education Training Track, Service members will learn how to choose a college or university, how to submit an application, and the various ways they can find financial aid. The Career Technical Training Track helps Service members select a technical training school, and connects them with the school or a counselor. The Entrepreneurship Training Track is the Small Business Administration's "Boots to Business" course, and helps Service members who are interested in starting their own business build a business plan.

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

Career Readiness Standards

Career Readiness Standards are a set of career preparation deliverables that Service members must complete to depart from active duty and be considered "career ready." The standards provide Service members with a set of tools and resources to ensure they have the training needed to transition successfully into civilian life. Examples of these deliverables include: completing an Individual Transition Plan (ITP), creating a 12 month post-separation budget, and registering with the VA eBenefits site. All CRS are verified by a Service member's Commander. [9]

References

  1. ^ https://dodtap.mil/partners.html
  2. ^ "JKO". jko.jten.mil.
  3. ^ "Public Law 101-510". thomas.loc.gov.
  4. ^ "Obama Announcement". whitehouse.gov.
  5. ^ http://www.dodlive.mil/index.php/2016/11/5-years-on-obama-admin-highlights-improvements-to-tap/
  6. ^ "Military Separations" (PDF). gao.gov.
  7. ^ "Transition GPS Curriculum". dodtap.mil.
  8. ^ https://dodtap.mil/tracks.html
  9. ^ https://dodtap.mil/career_readiness_standards.html
  • [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
  • [4], the DoD TAP Youtube channel
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