§ 88.6 - Procedures.

§ 88.6 Procedures.

(a) Military Department Requirements. The Military Services' additional requirements include:

(1) Perform these TAP operations and resource management functions:

(i) Develop requirements and budgets for the Program Objective Memorandum (POM); Future Year Defense Program (FYDP); and program budget reviews, as required to comply with TAP requirements. Coordinate with OSD TVPO for TAP resource advocacy throughout these cycles.

(ii) Establish program elements or accounting codes to separately and independently verify and review the monthly Military Department-funded execution data (i.e., program funding levels, obligations, disbursements) in Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) reports and submit to TVPO quarterly. Any decrement to Military Department TAP annual program funding of 5% or greater must be reported to TVPO.

(iii) Identify and submit TAP-related issues at the general or flag officer and SES equivalent level to the TVPO in a timely manner so that TAP-related issues can go before the SSG for discussion and decision.

(2) Coordinate with TVPO on implementation of any new IT systems or capabilities and revisions to existing systems that support the TAP. TVPO will have final approval on any new IT systems and or modifications. TVPO approval will be obtained before the Military Departments implement any IT systems modifications or develop any new systems that support TAP. See paragraph (c) of appendix I to part 88.

(3) Use TVPO-selected standardized individual assessment tools.

(4) Ensure that Service members receive an individualized assessment, pursuant to this paragraph, of the various positions of civilian employment in the private sector for which members may be qualified as a result of the skills developed through MOC qualification, successful completion of resident training courses, attainment of military ranks or rates, or other military experiences.

(5) Develop, maintain, document, and oversee the IDP process.

(6) Inform and educate unit, command, and installation leadership on their responsibility to administer the TAP to ensure that eligible Service members meet the CRS before separation, retirement, or release from active duty.

(7) Identify the eligible population for Transition GPS services.

(8) Identify and provide qualified counselors and trained instructors to facilitate the Transition GPS core curricula and Accessing Higher Education track.

(9) Coordinate with DSPO SPPMs at the local installation level to provide information in support of the Transition GPS Core Curricula module on resilient transitions and to distribute suicide prevention information and resources pursuant to 10 U.S.C. Chapter 58 .

(10) Release eligible Service members during duty hours to complete the Transition GPS and exempt them from normal duty for the full 24-hour period of each workshop or briefing day and the 12 hours immediately preceding and following each workshop or briefing.

(11) Provide eligible Service members with the link to the TVPO web-based Transition GPS Participant Assessment and encourage them to complete it at the end of each Transition GPS brick-and-mortar and virtual curricula module or group of modules. Responses will not identify individual Service members.

(12) Establish a process within the military personnel organizations of the Military Departments to receive a legible copy of the completed and authenticated DD Forms 2648 or 2648-1 from the TAP staff. The process will include a mechanism to verify transmission of the form to the eligible Service member's permanent official military personnel file.

(13) Maintain or establish permanent employment assistance centers at appropriate military installations pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 1143.

(14) Use appropriate assets at military installations and in the local community to enhance Transition GPS in accordance with DoD 5500.07-R and DoD Instruction 1344.07.

(15) Coordinate with the appropriate TAP interagency parties for scheduling and conducting the VA Benefits Briefings I and II and Career Technical Training track; DOLEW and SBA Entrepreneurship track in accordance with MOU among DoD, VA, DOL, ED, DHS, SBA, and OPM, “Transition Assistance Program for Separating Service Members.”

(16) Coordinate warm handovers and Capstone support with interagency parties.

(17) Provide classroom space. Classes cannot exceed 50 participants (facilitator-to-student ratio should be 1:50 per separate classroom). A minimum of 10 participants is required to conduct a class. Military Departments will provide classrooms, appropriate facilities, IT infrastructure, fully-functioning web access, equipment, including classroom computers or accommodation for personal computers to enable effective Transition GPS instruction and counseling in accordance with MOU among DoD, VA, DOL, ED, DHS, SBA, and OPM, “Transition Assistance Program for Separating Service Members;” provide adequate facilities and workspace for instruction and counseling as agreed to by interagency parties also in accordance with MOU among DoD, VA, DOL, ED, DHS, SBA, and OPM, “Transition Assistance Program for Separating Service Members.” Military Departments may request exceptions for classrooms of more than 50 or less than 10 participants on a case-by-case basis. Such requests will be handled by the local installation level staff with partner agencies.

(18) Provide reasonable accommodations that enable wounded, ill or injured recovering Service members to successfully complete TAP.

(b) TAP Implementation.

(1) Development of brick-and-mortar and virtual curricula, staff training, and delivery of certain elements of the Transition GPS Core Curricula and Transition GPS tracks will be conducted in coordination and conjunction with the TVPO and appropriate TAP interagency parties in accordance with MOU among DoD, VA, DOL, ED, DHS, SBA, and OPM, “Transition Assistance Program for Separating Service Members.”

(2) Interagency parties, and their respective curriculas consist of:

(i) VA: Provides the VA Benefits Briefings I and II and Career Technical Training track.

(A) The VA hosts a web portal for connectivity between employers and transitioning Service members, Veterans and military spouses.

(B) The VA web portal supports providing private and public sector employers with a direct link to profiles of separating Service members.

(ii) DOL: Provides the DOLEW.

(iii) SBA: Provides the Entrepreneurship track.

(iv) OPM: In conjunction with DOL, reviews and provides federal job search curriculum content for use in the DOLEW.

(v) ED: Consultative reviews of curricula to ensure accuracy of content, employment of adult learning principles, and to enhance adult learning experiences.

(vi) DHS: Coordinates and plans for USCG participation in the TAP, in accordance with this paragraph. MOU among DoD, VA, DOL, ED, DHS, SBA, and OPM, “Transition Assistance Program for Separating Service Members,” and pursuant to 14 U.S.C. 13

(vii) DoD provides transition overview, resilient transitions, MOC Crosswalk, Financial Planning for Transition, ITP review, and Accessing Higher Education.

(c) TAP Eligibility -

(1) Service Members.

(i) Eligible Service members who have completed their first 180 days or more of continuous active duty in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 1142 are eligible for the following components of Transition GPS:

(A) Pre-separation or Transition Counseling.

(B) Transition GPS Core Curricula.

(C) Transition GPS Tracks.

(D) Capstone.

(ii) RC members may choose to decline pre-separation or transition counseling, using the DD Form 2648 or DD Form 2648-1, for each successive period of active duty under 10 U.S.C. 1142 consisting of 180 days or more of continuous active duty.

(iii) Eligible Service members may choose to participate in one or more of the individual Transition GPS tracks, if resources, capacity, and operational requirements allow, based on the Service member's interests and ability to meet the CRS and complete the track.

(iv) A minimum day requirement for Pre-separation or Transition Counseling does not apply to eligible Service members who are retiring or separating due to a disability.

(v) Administrative and punitive separations change the eligibility of Service member's participation as follows:

(A) Pre-separation or transition counseling will not be provided to a Service member who is being discharged or released before the completion of that member's first 180 continuous days or more on active duty pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 1142.

(B) All Service members shall participate in all mandatory components of Transition GPS. In cases where Service members receive a punitive or “Under Other Than Honorable Conditions” discharge, Commanders have the discretion to determine participation in the remaining Transition GPS curricula in consultation with interagency partners, as appropriate.

(2) Spouses and dependents.

(i) Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 1144, spouses of eligible Service members are entitled to the DOLEW.

(ii) Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 1142 spouses of eligible Service members are entitled to:

(A) Job placement counseling for spouses and career change counseling to dependents of eligible members in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 1142. See paragraph (d)(3) of § 88.5 for the spouse job placement counseling responsibilities of the DASD(MC&FP).

(B) DoD and VA administered survivor benefits information.

(C) DoD financial planning assistance, including information on budgeting, saving, credit, loans, and taxes.

(E) VA-benefits orientation, such as education, employment, home loan services, housing assistance benefits information, and responsible borrowing practices counseling.

(iii) Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 1142, eligible Service members and their dependents are entitled to:

(A) Career change counseling.

(B) Information on suicide prevention resource availability following military separation, retirement, or release from active duty.

(iv) Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 1145, eligible Service members and their dependents are entitled to transitional medical and health care that will be available for 180 days, beginning on the first day after the date of separation, retirement, or release from active duty.

(v) Unless prohibited by statute, spouses of eligible Service members are encouraged to participate in Transition GPS as resources and capacity allow. Participating spouses may have their attendance recorded in accordance with the privacy and information collection mandates and requirements of appendix I to part 88 and 32 CFR part 310.

(vi) Spouses or designated caregivers completing Pre-separation or Transition Counseling (using DD Forms 2648 or 2648-1) on behalf of an eligible recovering Service member will provide their Social Security Number for data collection purposes in accordance with this paragraph,10 U.S.C. 1142, DoD Instruction 1342.28 32 CFR part 310 and 14 U.S.C. 5033.

(d) Transition GPS Priority of Service. The following is the descending order of priority for participation in Transition GPS:

(1) Eligible Service members identified as part of the targeted population, as defined in § 88.3 of this part.

(2) Eligible Service members closest to their dates of separation, retirement, or release from active duty.

(3) Eligible Service members returning from overseas or assigned to remote or isolated and geographically dispersed locations.

(4) All other eligible Service members that do not fall into the categories addressed in paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section.

(5) Eligible Service members who have attended any previous Transition GPS component and who want to repeat a component, as resources and capacity allow.

(6) Spouses of eligible Service members, based on statute and policy, as resources and capacity allow.

(e) Transition GPS participation. All eligible Service members must participate in Transition GPS and must meet the Common CRS and the specific CRS commensurate with their personal higher education or career technical training objectives before separation, retirement, or release from active duty. This will be reflected by the discharge date recorded on the DD Form 214.