The Issue

After dedicating seven years of my life to the Marine Corps, my transition back to civilian life was jarring, to say the least. The Marine Corps invested nearly a year in preparing me to reach the fleet and perform my duties. Yet after seven years of service, my preparation for becoming a civilian again consisted primarily of a five-day course filled with PowerPoint presentations.

The military spent nearly a year teaching me how to become a Marine and only five days telling me how to stop being one.

Transitioning from military service involves much more than finding another job. Service members may suddenly lose the structure, steady income, housing, health care, camaraderie, support system, and clearly defined mission that military life provided. At the same time, they are expected to find civilian employment, understand their veterans’ benefits, arrange health care, establish housing, manage their finances, and adjust to an entirely different culture.

Approximately 200,000 service members transition out of the military each year. Although programs such as the Transition Assistance Program and SkillBridge provide valuable resources, the current system does not consistently provide the individualized, practical, and continuous support that service members need. Too many receive information without having one specific person responsible for ensuring that they successfully connect with employment, health care, benefits, housing, and community support.

The Solution

We are asking Congress, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a comprehensive Civilian Transition Program that begins approximately 12 months before a service member’s separation date.

The program should include:

An individualized assessment covering employment, education, housing, finances, family needs, physical health, and mental health.
A qualified transition coordinator, such as a social worker or case manager, assigned to each separating service member.
Confidential meetings with a licensed mental-health professional to prepare for the emotional and psychological challenges of leaving military life and establish continuity of care when needed.
Personalized career counseling, résumé assistance, interview preparation, financial planning, and help obtaining civilian licenses or certifications.
Supervised civilian employment experience during the final six months of active service, allowing service members to begin working with an approved civilian employer while gradually transferring their military responsibilities.
Continued assistance from the same transition coordinator during the first six months after separation to ensure the veteran remains connected with employment, housing, health care, benefits, and community support.
This proposal does not require the government to start from nothing. The Department of Defense already operates SkillBridge, which allows eligible service members to participate in civilian employment and training opportunities during their final 180 days of service. Organizations such as Onward Ops and Hire Heroes USA have also demonstrated that personalized transition planning, community sponsorship, and career coaching are possible.

The strongest parts of these programs should be combined into one continuous transition process available to every separating service member based on individual need.

The Call to Action

We call upon Congress, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to treat military transition as a yearlong mission rather than a brief administrative requirement.

It took almost a year to prepare me to reach the fleet. After seven years of service, I received only five days of instruction about becoming a civilian. I did not need another PowerPoint presentation. I needed a plan, a purpose, and a person responsible for helping me complete the transition.

Please sign this petition in support of a yearlong Civilian Transition Program for America’s service members.

We spend months—and sometimes years—training people to serve this country. We should be willing to spend one year helping them come home.