There has been a chasm between the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) that service member must navigate during transition. Although there is a partnership between the DoD and DVA, no one has ownership in this process. That lack of ownership leads to service members falling through the cracks and not getting the care and benefits they have earned.
DoD has worked to bridge that gap by working to update and change the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) over the years. However, a gap continues to exist between these two organizations. Recently, Secretary Doug Collins and Secretary Pete Hegseth signed an agreement to improve post-military transition programs and collaboration between DVA and DoD. In the agreement, there are plans to relook and reform the transition program as needed.
Give DoD the Lead
Veterans Justice Commission (VJC) Director David MacEwen applauds the DVA and DoD transition efforts and urges further action. The VJC released From Duty to Dignity: Supporting Service Members in Their Transition to Civilian Life in February 2024. In it, they share their recommendations on how to overhaul the current transition process. One thing the commission discusses is how there currently isn’t anyone in charge of military transition. They believe there needs to be a clear program with specific goals. They also recommend creating an Undersecretary of Defense for Transition.
MacEwen says, “You have to give DoD a core priority mission. DoD whenever given a priority mission, they make it happen. If you do that and you give them the responsibility and then give some recommendations on how to make that work. Then that will help recruiting. It will also help with retention. And ultimately, it will help the transition of military members. Because so many struggle in their transition.”
Create a Joint TransItion Center
MacEwen went on to share how important it is to give all veterans the same opportunities. Currently, SkillBridge is open to service members within six months of leaving the service. But that benefit can be taken away by Commanders who will not receive a new person to backfill the vacancy. It creates what MacEwen calls the “commanders dilemma”
MacEwen shared, “Similar to how you are not part of an operational force when you go to Basic and your technical school. Do the same thing on the back end for those at most risk. Put them in a Joint Transition Center near where they are going to transition out and then they can go to SkillBridge.” This would allow members to take full advantage of the benefit, allowing Commanders to have needed positions filled to meet the mission.
Access the need of Service members before transItion
MacEwen also discussed the importance of DoD using the information they already collect. Then using it to to help access how well members will transition to civilian life. Based on the risk assessment DoD should provide additional tools and resources for transition. He said, “DoD should create and implement a validated risk needs assessment to identify service members who are high risk. Especially since we are looking at criminal justice involvement. But there is also suicide risk, substance abuse risk, all those risks veterans may face after leaving service.”
The commission also focused on getting veterans connected with their benefits. One recommendation was instead of requiring veterans to apply for VA Health Care and having to re-establish care. Changing the enrollment process so veterans are automatically enrolled in VA health care and information from Tricare is passed on to VA Health Care clinics and hospitals to ensure care is not interrupted.
VJC hopes leaders will use the information they created from the input of fifteen former government leaders, including two previous U.S. Defense Secretaries (Chuck Hagel and Leon Panetta) to help make future transitions for service members better. They believe that these changes will not only improve the transition for the service members but also bring in new recruits who see the opportunities that can be gained from military service.
