By Larry Dandridge
This is the second article in a series of three articles in The Island News on veterans’ benefits that will cover VA career and employment assistance.
This week’s article will specifically cover VA transition assistance; finding a Job through the Department of Labor; finding VA careers and support; printing your VA civil service preference letter; getting free classes for a year (thru LinkedIn); requesting a decision review or managing a legacy appeal; and checking your claim, decision review, or appeal status.
VA transition assistance
As military members separate from the military, they should explore their career options by attending a Transition Assistance Program (TAP) briefing. According to the VA’s “Outreach, Transition, and Economic Development (Your VA TAP)” webpage found at https://bit.ly/3Q2kaJu, about 200,000 service members transition to civilian life each year. The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) provides information, resources, and tools to service members and their loved ones to help prepare for the move from military to civilian life. Service members begin TAP one year before separation, or two years before retiring.
The VA portion of TAP is a one-day, in-person course called “VA Benefits and Services.” Led by VA Benefits Advisors,” the course helps military members and veterans understand how to navigate the VA and the benefits and services they have earned through their military career. The course offers interactive exercises, and real-life examples, and covers topics important to veterans like family support, disability compensation, education, and health care benefits. Veterans will find the “VA Benefits and Services Participant Guide” at https://bit.ly/3UgKBxz helpful and full of helpful resources, and other important information.
Finding a job (U.S. Department of Labor)
The Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) is committed to helping America’s veterans, separating service members, and their spouses by preparing them for meaningful careers, and providing employment resources and expertise. Veterans should use the US Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service “Find a Job” webpage https://bit.ly/3xzCYcJ to:
- Find one of the nearly 2,400 American Job Centers to help search for jobs, find training, and answer employment-related questions at https://bit.ly/4aP0zVP.
- Search for a job right now by job description and location with CareerOneStop’s Job Finder at https://bit.ly/3VU7AzS.
- Watch the CareerOneStop YouTube video titled “How the Department of Labor and CareerOneStop helps Veterans” to learn about all the tools it offers to help job seekers, students, businesses, and career professionals.
Veterans can use the US Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service “Find a Job” webpage https://bit.ly/3xzCYcJ to learn about:
- Transition Assistance Employment for Military Spouses (TEAMS). Found at https://bit.ly/3JhAgv6. TEAMS is a series of Department of Labor employment workshops that extend the Department’s Transition Assistance Program to assist military spouses and caregivers as they plan and prepare for their job search in pursuit of their employment goals.
- Off-Base Transition Training (OBTT). Found at https://bit.ly/3xB713T. The Department of Labor’s OBTT pilot program is an opportunity earned through service for veterans, veterans currently serving in the National Guard and Reserve, and their spouses to take control of their careers through workshops to help meet their employment goals.
- DOL Transition Assistance Program, found at https://bit.ly/3U1GzrA. The TAP employment assistance you need, for any time or transition is found here.
- CareerOneStop, found at https://bit.ly/440XeA1. Veterans can find training programs, colleges, and universities in their local area.
- Veterans’ Preference, found at https://bit.ly/3Jkbdrm. Veterans’ preference may give you preference over non-veteran applicants in the hiring process. Veterans’ preferences can be used when applying to permanent and temporary positions in both the competitive and excepted service (of the executive branch).
- Working in Government: Veterans (USAJobs.gov), found at https://bit.ly/3Q3Q0FJ. If you are a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and were separated under honorable conditions, you may be eligible for veterans’ preference, as well as other veteran-specific hiring options.
- FedsHireVets.gov found at https://bit.ly/3UgLhD7. Feds Hire Vets is an OPM website that is specifically designed for veterans to find resources about the federal hiring process. It is a critical component of the Federal Government’s strategy for the recruitment and employment of veterans.
- Apprendiship.gov found at https://bit.ly/3vOAg2F. For members of the military or veterans, apprenticeship is a unique and rewarding pathway to developing in-demand workplace and technical skills while earning a paycheck in the career of your dreams from day one.
- CareerOneStop: Veterans Job Matcher found at https://bit.ly/3Uh7vEZ. Use the Veterans Job Matcher to find civilian careers that might be a good match for your military skills.
- O*net Interest Profiler found at https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip. The O*NET Interest Profiler can help veterans find out what their interests are and how they relate to the world of work. Veterans can find out what they like to do. The O*NET Interest Profiler helps veterans decide what kinds of careers they might want to explore.
- USERRA – Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, found at https://bit.ly/3VY8qLO. USERRA protects civilian job rights and benefits for veterans and members of reserve components. It also protects service members’ rights and benefits by clarifying the law and improving enforcement methods.
- VA’s webpage titled “How to apply for the GI Bill and Related Benefits” found at https://bit.ly/49HpYPE. Tells how to apply for the GI Bill and other VA education benefits as a veteran, service member, or qualified family member.
- Job Accommodation Network (JAN) found at https://bit.ly/3Q1Vr8k. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) provides free, expert and confidential technical assistance to both employees and employers regarding workplace accommodations and disability employment issues.
- DODSKILLBRIDGE found at https://bit.ly/3UgLoyx. SkillBridge is an excellent opportunity as military members plan for their lives after the military. SkillBridge matches civilian opportunities to military members’ job training and work experience at the end of their military duty. In addition to taking advantage of resources like Tuition Assistance and the GI Bill program, military members/veterans can enhance their marketability and career prospects by participating in a SkillBridge opportunity.
This article cannot cover everything available at the VA’s “Careers and Employment” webpage under “Manage Your Career” at https://bit.ly/43YEa5K, but this informative site will also tell veterans how to: (1.) Print your Civil Service Preference Letter, (2.) Get free classes for a year through LinkedIn, (3.) Request a decision review or manage a legacy appeal, and (4.) check your claim, decision review, or appeal status.
Next week’s article will conclude this three-part series on veterans’ careers and employment benefits and resources.
Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, ex-Warrant Officer Pilot, and retired Lt. Colonel. He is a past Veterans Service Officer, a Patient Adviser at the RHJ VA Hospital, the Fisher House Charleston Good Will Ambassador, and the VP for Veteran Affairs for the local Army Association Chapter. Larry is the author of the award-winning book Blades of Thunder and a contributing free-lance writer with the Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164.
