Senator Murray Discusses Supporting Servicemembers' Transition to Civilian Life in Washington State
Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, hosted veterans and advocates in King County for a roundtable discussion on the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and her work to support military servicemembers' transition to civilian life. During the event, Murray spoke with participants about the implementation of the "VOW to Hire Heroes Act," her bipartisan, bicameral, comprehensive legislation signed into law by President Obama that has lowered the rate of unemployment among our nation's veterans. Murray also spoke with roundtable participants about what more can be done to support Washington state servicemembers' transition back into their communities.
"For our veterans, coming home is a special time for their families and their communities, but it can also be stressful and daunting for them. The transition back into civilian life involves so many different factors: mental health, housing, workforce training, and more," said Senator Murray. "But so much of the transition back to civilian life is rooted in stable, gainful, fulfilling employment. That's why I wrote the bipartisan VOW to Hire Heroes Act as Chair of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and pushed to make many of its incentives to hire veterans permanent. I am going to keep working and getting veterans the resources they need to thrive here in Washington state -- and supporting a successful transition back to civilian life is an important part of that."
During the roundtable, Senator Murray was joined by Lt Col. Lita Rakhra is WA Air National Guard Deputy Chief of Staff, WMD, Garrison Commander; Annie DeAndrea, Transition Assistance Specialist for the Washington National Guard; Britt Feldman, the Navy Region Northwest Work and Family Life Coordinator; Dr. Larry Pruitt, Director for Suicide Prevention Programs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Puget Sound Health Care System; Michael Schindler, a U.S. Navy veteran, CEO Operation Military Family; Rick Kelling, a U.S. Army veteran, ETS Sponsorship Program; Leon Richardson, U.S. Army Reserve, Director of Adult Services Division for King County's Department of Community & Human Services; Megan Stanley, the Veterans Administrator for King County's Department of Community & Human Services, Adult Services Division; COL (Retired) Mary Forbes, Assistant Director at WDVA; Lt Col, Alex Straub, attorney for the Washington National Guard and transitioning servicemember; and Master Chief Trev Lawrence, Leading Yeoman/ Personnel Officer and transitioning servicemember.
Once known as Transition GPS (Goals, Plans, Success), the TAP process is broken down into five parts over a minimum 12-month timeline, although those getting ready to retire can start as far as 24 months out. The Transition Assistance Program provides information, tools, and training to ensure servicemembers and their spouses are prepared for the next step in civilian life. TAP is a cooperative effort amongthe Departments of Labor, Defense, Education, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs, the Small Business Administration, and the Office of Personnel Management.
The daughter of a World War II veteran and also a senior member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Murray has been a longtime advocate of military servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Earlier this month, Senator Murray helped to pass the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act (PACT Act) into law. The PACT Act would, among other things, expand the toxic-exposure coverage for post-9/11 veterans and create a framework for coverage going forward. In May, she introduced the Helping Heroes Act, new legislation to support the families of disabled veterans, including children who take on caregiving roles. Senator Murray is also a cosponsor of the BUILD for Veterans Act, which would help the VA build new facilities that would better meet the needs of current and future veterans -- including women veterans, veterans in need of long-term care and veterans with spinal cord injuries and diseases.
In addition, Senator Murray helped pass the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (NDAA) where she championed measures to support quality of life improvements for servicemembers and their families, such as a 2.7% pay raise for military servicemembers, 12 weeks of parental leave for servicemembers, establishing a Basic Needs Allowance for servicemembers, and inclusion of provisions from the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act to address sexual assault in the military. Senator Murray also worked hard to include billions of dollars in relief for veterans national assistance programs in the American Rescue Plan including $14.5 billion for health care services, $400 million for rapid retraining assistance, and $500 million to help states upgrade State Veterans Homes across the country and $250 million in one-time emergency grants to support these facilities and ensure they can care for our veterans during the pandemic.
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