House lawmakers are pushing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to intensify its efforts in helping veterans transition smoothly into civilian life. While the VA has reported increased staffing and new outreach strategies, members of the House VA Committee’s Economic Opportunity Subcommittee argue that more needs to be done, particularly for veterans with service-related disabilities.
The Biden administration has also called on both the Defense Department and the VA to improve the overall transition experience for service members, whether they are returning to school or entering the workforce.
According to Nick Pamperin, the VA’s executive director of readiness and employment, the department is witnessing “record growth” in its Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program, which offers support to veterans with service-related disabilities that affect their ability to work. Pamperin told lawmakers at an August 23rd hearing that the program has grown from 117,000 participants two years ago to around 160,000 today, with a 45% increase in applications and 38% more active participants.
Despite these numbers, lawmakers stress the need for better outreach. Subcommittee Chairman Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) pointed out that the VA lacks precise data on how many veterans are eligible for the VR&E program, making it difficult to determine proper staffing and budget needs. “Until you have an actual survey, until you have a census of the amount of veterans that are currently enrolled… you cannot reasonably ask us for the appropriate amount of money,” Van Orden said.
A 2022 study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that more than 4,300 at-risk service members did not receive adequate support during the Transition Assistance Program (TAP)—a mandatory initiative designed to prepare them for civilian life. Van Orden stressed that the current TAP program is not meeting the needs of today’s service members, noting that many veterans “fall through the cracks” during this critical transition period.
Efforts to Improve Transition Programs
In response to the gaps in the TAP program, lawmakers have introduced bills to improve how service members transition to civilian life. Van Orden’s TAP Promotion Act aims to provide service members with information from Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) during their transition. Meanwhile, Subcommittee Ranking Member Mike Levin (D-Calif) is leading the Transition Improvement by Estimating Risk (TIER) Act, which seeks to add new screening criteria to identify risk factors for each service member. Levin noted, “There is no one size fits all for transitioning service members; it simply doesn’t work.”
Levin’s TIER Act passed the House as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.
New Outreach Initiatives from the VA
The VA has ramped up efforts to connect with newly separated veterans through its Solid Start program, which launched in 2019. Under Solid Start, veterans are contacted three times in their first year of separation to ensure they are aware of their benefits, such as health care, home loans, and employment support. Melissa Cohen, the Veterans Benefits Administration’s executive director for outreach, said the program currently has a 70% success rate for connecting with veterans.
The VA is also working to improve its presence on college campuses through the VetSuccess on Campus (VSOC) program. This initiative places VA Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors at more than 100 colleges and universities to help veterans adjust to campus life and achieve their educational and employment goals. Pamperin noted that despite hiring more than 340 full-time staff this year, there is still a waitlist of over 300 universities seeking VSOC counselors.
The VA has encountered hiring challenges, partly due to strict qualification requirements for VSOC counselors. Pamperin suggested that these restrictions should be relaxed to allow a broader pool of candidates to serve veterans more effectively.
For more information, read the full article at Stars and Stripes.
