Officials Evaluate new Transition GPS Program Published Aug. 11, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Erica Crossen 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- What does it take to transition from a military member to a civilian life? The Scott Air Force Base Airman & Family Readiness Center Transition Assistance Program serves as a launch pad to successfully navigate the uncertainties that face many military members. The Department of Defense rolled out TAP in 1991. 20 years later, TAP has been reinvented, and it is now called Transition GPS (Goals, Plans, Success). TAP GPS is created to ensure that no service member exiting the military is left without resources as they transition into a new chapter of their lives. The Department of Defense created the Transition to Veterans Program Office to deliver policy and program oversight to encourage preparedness among service members. Transition GPS expands the length of the TAP class and provides comprehensive assistance to service members that includes marketing military experience for a successful job search and financial planning for post-military life. The TVPO recently visited Scott's Airman and Family Readiness Center to observe the implementation of the TAP GPS and take away the best practices. Scott is one of three Air Force installations selected to demonstrate roll-out of the new program. Other service branches are included in TVPO visits as well. They have visited several installations of multiple branches of the military overseeing the program in action and seeing face-to-face the veterans they're supporting. Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Lloyd Dunlap, the TVPO team lead, said, "The program is fully implemented, and they have a lot of extra materials and resources to help the service members, which is a great idea." A unique aspect of Scott's TAP program is a panel of local employers who share their expertise and knowledge of the civilian work environment with the class. Jamie Smith, a Headquarters Air Force community readiness program analyst, also with the TVPO team, said the employer panel was the first she has observed and it seemed to go very well. Rose Hill, a community readiness consultant at the Airman and Family Readiness Center, said, "Within the past 18 months, TAP expanded to include Capstone. This part of the course verifies that the service members are ready to hit the ground running when they step out into the civilian world. "Capstone, which is mandatory for separatees and retirees, is the checkpoint to verify the member has met Career Readiness Standards." Other key components include pre-separation counseling, a three-day Department of Labor workshop, and a Veteran's Affairs benefits briefing. "Class participants appreciate the opportunity to practice what they've learned," said Donna Baylor, a facilitator the Department of Labor portion of the TAP GPS. Slated to be included as well is something called Military Life Cycle, which would affect service members from the time they arrive at their first duty station. Hill said, "The objective is to align Transition GPS components and resources with appropriate key touch points throughout the MLC of each service member to ensure service members are trained, educated, and postured to become career-ready upon separation from military service." Dunlap said she things the facilitators have been excellent, and they're doing an outstanding job "I truly believe this is one of the best programs I've witnessed out of the 15 installations I've been to this year," he said.