NORFOLK, Va. — Around 200,000 service members transition from military service to civilian life each year.
For many, it's not easy, as members of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity heard last week from former military members who'd recently made the switch.
"I opted to do the in-person TAPS (Transition Assistance Program) class on board Naval Station Norfolk and I personally do not find the week-long classes to be beneficial," said former Navy sailor Kaytlyn Brown.
"I spent over two years using my GI Bill for a career that I don't think I ever wanted. I then proceeded to continue to use it for a four-year university with the same outcome. Here I sit, an almost 17-year veteran, with over $30,000 in student debt," said former Air Force Airman Danielle Luba.
"In my own experience, transitioning from military service to academia was a process of trial and error. I found myself job-hopping, trying to find a role that suited my skills and interests. This period was challenging and very often discouraging," said former National Guard soldier Adrian Moreno.
A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlights the challenges facing the DOD's "SkillBridge" program. It is designed to assist departing service members by allowing them to participate in voluntary civilian job and job training up to 180 days before they leave military service.
Only about 12,000 service members participated in the first half of Fiscal Year 2024.
The GAO found that the services don't consistently collect or analyze data about service members' participation in the program.
As a result, the report concludes: "This absence of data, analysis, and corrective action plans could make it difficult for key decision-makers to provide oversight to the program."