Sec. 10. Sense of Congress on Transition Assistance Program and other transition-related assistance for members of the Armed Forces
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/bill/116/s/1555/is/section-10·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
It is the sense of Congress— to acknowledge that the Armed Forces face significant and often competing pressures in carrying out its essential and fundamental mission to defend the nation; that ensuring the effective transition of members of the Armed Forces from military life to civilian life represents an essential component of this mission, contributing directly to the long-term success of the United States military and its missions through its effects on— the long-term success and well-being of current and former members of the Armed Forces and their families; the perception of the Armed Forces by the American public; and the civilian-military partnership integral to the United States military; that the program of counseling, information, and services under section 1142 of title 10, United States Code (as amended by section 2 of this Act), while effective in the worthy goal of reducing the need for unemployment assistance among former members of the Armed Forces, should be designed and carried out for the holistic benefit, in both good and bad economic climates, of members of the Armed Forces participating in the program, and not simply as a metric or tool for employment; to support and commend efforts by the Department of Defense, the Department of Labor, and other agencies of the Federal Government in coordinating Federal and State efforts to assist members of the Armed Forces in identifying civilian equivalences for military occupational skills, but also to urge the Department of Defense to ensure that the Transition Assistance Program also provides members the tools and assistance for reinventing themselves during the transition from military life to civilian life, even when their new personal and professional goals do not align with their military occupations; to commend and further encourage efforts to incorporate metrics for compliance with Transition Assistance Program requirements into leadership assessments and criteria for promotion of commanding officers in the Armed Forces; to encourage the Secretary of Defense to assign accountability and responsibility for compliance with Transition Assistance Program requirements to the lowest level of command appropriate and to establish uniform, Armed Forces-wide policy on the individuals at unit level who are responsible for monitoring compliance of members of the Armed Forces with such requirements; that the Secretary of Defense should seek to enhance collaboration and access to transition-related services by members of the Armed Forces by seeking to co-locate Federal, State, and local officials and contractors who administer the Transition Assistance Program and State and local officials and partner, non-governmental entities associated with the Transition Assistance Program or who offer transition-related services in the same or proximate physical locations, when possible; that the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Labor should seek to minimize subjectivity in career readiness metrics under the Transition Assistance Program in accordance with recommendations of the Comptroller General of the United States; and to encourage the Department of Defense, the Department of Labor, the Department of Veterans Affairs and appropriate State agencies to work together, and with veterans service organizations, to establish in States or locales, as appropriate, local points of contact responsible for— at the election of members of the Armed Forces relocating to such State or locale after military service, contacting the members before separation from the Armed Forces; providing members of the Armed Force with employment, education, and other appropriate information about the State or locale to assist in relocation; and coordinating services for members of the Armed Forces and the spouses who relocate to the State or locale after military service.