HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 has mandated changes to the Transition Assistance Program to better prepare service members for careers beyond their military service.
TAP is a mandatory seminar for separating and retiring service members that includes in-depth career counseling, job fairs and professional career workshops to prepare attendees for civilian life. The John S. McCain Act, which became effective in October, will tailor the program to the specific needs of the members attending.
“This act has resulted in major changes to the program’s philosophy, timeline, the actual workshop and an increase in the by-law unit requirements,” said Dan Mazzucca, Hanscom’s Airman & Family Readiness Center Transition Assistance Program manager.
When TAP was named a requirement by the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act of 2011, it mandated that all separating service members undergo the same five-day workshop. While the initiative was revolutionary, Mazzucca explained the one-size-fits-all approach was not always beneficial to the members.
“Regardless of where someone was in their life or career, everyone got the same level of assistance,” he said. “The John S. McCain Act is making the program much more individualized.”
The TAP process now begins with a one-on-one counseling session and self-assessment survey that will help determine the level of assistance the member needs.
Service members must coordinate their initial counseling appointment 18 months prior to their anticipated date of separation and 24 months prior to anticipated retirement regardless of intent to re-enlist.
The initial counseling and assessment must be completed no later than 365 days prior to the member’s date of separation or retirement, said Mazzucca.
Those preparing to separate or retire should contact the Airman & Family Readiness Center to schedule an initial counseling appointment at 781-225-2765.
“This new timeline is perhaps the biggest change,” he said. “We are looking at commanders, first sergeants and supervisors to ensure their units are compliant while we update our program’s framework.”
The TAP workshop has decreased from five to three days while the number of voluntary tracks has increased, offering more choices and flexibility to the members attending.
“I like whenever we can offer tailored options to the members,” said Mazzucca. “It’s another way we can ensure they have what they need to successfully transition to the next phase of their lives.”
While the A&FRC TAP counselors work to update the Hanscom program’s framework, Mazzucca said they are ready to help prepare separating members for their futures.
“Even if the member decides to re-enlist, they’ll still have this new transition knowledge,” he said. “So when the time does finally come for them to transition out, they’ll be more prepared. That can’t be a bad thing.”