Reimagine military transition with a digital platform and integration with state agencies

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Andrew Tangen is president of the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers (NACVSO) and superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission of Lake County, Ill. A Navy veteran who deployed eight times in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, he holds degrees from the Citadel, Rutgers Business School and the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. Dennis Wimer is the former president of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs (NASDVA) and an Air Force veteran. He has spent his career connecting veterans to the state and local resources that serve them and holds degrees from Wharton and Purdue University. Stu Barnes-Israel is a U.S. Army veteran and commissioner on Indiana’s Veterans Affairs Commission. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. The views expressed are the authors’ own.

Recently, leaders from across the veteran landscape gathered in Washington, D.C., for the unTAPped Change Forum, hosted by the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers and ZeroMils. The forum had a single purpose: speak honestly about what is and isn’t working in military transition.

The conclusion was clear. The Transition Assistance Program, in its current form, is not built for the moment we’re in.

Between us, we’ve spent decades working across every level of the veteran support system — as veterans, state and national leaders, and as dedicated professionals helping former service members navigate benefits, employment and purpose after service. We’ve seen what works on the ground and where the system falls short.

It is clear to us that two changes would dramatically improve transition outcomes: integrating intelligent digital support and fully activating the community networks that already exist. Hear us out.

The conditions for change have never been more favorable. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth have both committed to improving transition. In Congress, bipartisan legislation led by Sens. Jim Banks and Maggie Hassan focuses on veteran economic opportunity and transition. The technology and data capabilities to modernize TAP already exist. Just as important, today’s transitioning service members expect digital-first solutions as a baseline.

The question is no longer whether to modernize — it’s how boldly we are willing to act.

Since its inception in 1991, TAP has centered on a five-day classroom curriculum-based model shared across federal agencies. The instructors are dedicated and the information is critical. But the format treats transition as a single, one-size-fits-all event rather than a customized process that focuses on the transitioning service members’ needs through their initial transition and for many years to follow. This system is built to be convenient for the government, not for the service member.

Imagine instead, a system that meets service members where they are — on their tech, on their timelines. A system where we can ask questions anytime about benefits, housing or how our specific skills translate into civilian careers. A system that proactively connects us to job opportunities, local resources, and provides personalized guidance when we may need it most. This is not science fiction. The technology exists today. What is missing is integration.

But, as the forum highlighted, technology alone is not enough. Transition is not just administrative — it is deeply human. Challenges like isolation, mental health and loss of purpose cannot be solved by an app. They require connection. Fortunately, that infrastructure already exists.

Every state and territory has a department of veterans affairs coordinating services and programs. County and tribal veteran service officers provide one-on-one, community-based support. Veteran Service Organizations offer national networks built over decades. These organizations already do this work, and they do it well. The challenge is that transitioning service members don’t uniformly have access to them. Instead, they have uniform access to legions of contractors paid to deliver the same PowerPoint briefings.

The stakes are high. More than 20 years after the start of the Global War on Terror, veteran suicide rates remain roughly twice that of the general population. Yet veterans who engage with community and services after separation face lower risks of suicide.

Incremental change is not enough. Some will argue for small pilots and cautious steps. But incrementalism is exactly what has kept TAP from evolving at the pace required. What is needed now is decisive and bold action: align federal agencies around a veteran first digital transition platform and formally integrate state and local government partners into TAP delivery.

Every year, roughly 200,000 service members separate from the military. Congress, the departments of War, Veterans Affairs and Labor can act now — together — to modernize TAP for the realities of today by funding and deploying an integrated digital platform and by facilitating direct connection to accredited local community and service providers.

The time is now.