Aumua Ensures Insular Vets Included in TAP Improvements

Washington, D.C. –Wednesday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata, and the House Veterans Affairs Committee conducted a markup of several pieces of legislation that will affect our veterans, including improvements to the Transition Assistance Program (TAP).

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“I want to make sure that our veterans who reside in the territories are being given the same opportunities as those in the states, as well as identifying the special needs they may have when transitioning to civilian life,” said Amata. “While a veteran is a veteran, no matter where they hail from, we must ensure that those who reside in other regions, or are part of a minority group are given assistance that conforms to their particular needs,” continued Amata.

The federal Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is designed to ease the way to civilian life for service members leaving the military. In particular, TAP helps transitioning service members train for and find meaningful, well-paying jobs through the combined efforts of three Federal agencies – the Departments of Labor (DOL), Defense (DoD), and Veterans’ Affairs (VA).

The most recent figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that veteran unemployment is at a seven-year low. Yet, according to the Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Employment, Training, and Employer Outreach (ACTVETEO) at DOL, certain groups of veterans – women veterans, Native American veterans, Insular veterans, and veterans with disabilities – face challenges and aspire to jobs that differ from the broader population of transitioning service members. As the American Legion has attested, insular veterans also need differentiated job training to prepare them for employment in the U.S. territories.

To ensure that policymakers are ahead of a developing trend regarding the unique needs of these subgroups of transitioning veterans, Congresswoman Amata and Rep. Takano (D-CA-41) introduced bipartisan legislation that identifies how the needs of these veterans differ from the broader veterans’ population, and encourages policymakers to find innovative approaches toward meeting these unique needs.

Specifically, the Improving Transition Programs for All Veterans Act requires the VA to initiate a research program, in collaboration with DOL and DOD, to better understand if and how the current TAP addresses the differentiated needs, challenges, and post-service aspirations of women veterans, veterans with disabilities, Native American veterans, Insular veterans, and other groups of minority veterans as identified by the VA, DOL, and DOD secretaries. The agencies would also recommend changes to the current TAP that would appropriately address barriers and better serve these groups of veterans in their pursuit of meaningful employment following their military service.

“I want to thank my colleague, Rep. Takano for working together with me on this important legislation that will help to better assist our insular veterans, and help them find well-paying and meaningful work upon their transition in the private sector,” concluded Amata.

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