Here Are All the Government Programs that Help Vets with Jobs and Benefits

The government lacked a list, or "inventory," of the various programs and initiatives it has to aid veterans and transitioning service members in finding jobs, benefits and small business opportunities, so a watchdog agency has come up with one.

"We found 11 agencies offering 45 programs," according to a January report of the Government Accountability Office, an independent arm of Congress.

In its research, the GAO said, "We found no existing inventory that could easily give Congress or potential participants a complete picture of available benefits. The lack of such an inventory limits efforts to make government more effective and efficient."

The GAO's report, which was conducted from February 2018 to January 2019, was sent to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. The report essentially was informative and made no recommendations for follow-up.

For more veteran job news, job listings and resources, visit the Military.com Veteran Jobs Center.

The report found that the 11 federal agencies administering the programs usually operate independently of each other, but there is some overlap.

"A few programs are administered primarily by a single agency with assistance from another federal agency," the report states.

"For example, the Department of Veterans Affairs administers the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program, but the Department of Labor plays an integral role in delivering services and the two agencies coordinate training and outreach efforts," according to the report.

In addition, four of the 45 programs are jointly administered by multiple agencies, including the DoD and Coast Guard Transition Assistance Programs and the All-Volunteer Force Educational Assistance Selected Reserve program, the report states.

Here is the GAO' list of 45 programs. Eligibility information is available on the programs' websites or at the parent agency:

Department of Agriculture

1. Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans Competitive Grants Program.

Department of Defense

2. Discretionary Certification & Licensure (or the military services' COOL programs)

3. DoD Education and Employment Initiative

4. DoD Operation Warfighter Program

5. DoD Tuition Assistance

6. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

7. Job Training, Employment Skills Training, Apprenticeships, and Internships (or SkillBridge)

8. Military OneSource Spouse Career Center

9. Spouse Education and Career Opportunities

10. Transition Assistance Advisors

11. Troops to Teachers Grant Program

12. United Services Military Apprenticeship Program Programs

Department of Education

13. Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success

14. Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant Page

15. Veterans Upward Bound Programs

Department of Energy

16. Scholars Program for Veterans

Department of Health and Human Services

17. Veterans' Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing Program Programs

Department of Homeland Security

18. Coast Guard Retiree Services Program

19. Coast Guard Spouse Employment Assistance Program

20. Coast Guard Tuition Assistance/Voluntary Education Programs

Department of Labor

21. Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program

22. Jobs for Veterans State Grants Program

Department of State

23. Veterans Innovation Partnership Programs

Department of Veterans Affairs

24. All-Volunteer Force Educational Assistance (or Montgomery GI Bill)

25. Compensated Work Therapy

26. Dependents Educational Assistance Program (or Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance)

27. Educational and Vocational Counseling

28. Post-9/11 GI Bill

29. Reserve Educational Assistance Program

30. VA Work-Study Program

31. Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership

32. VetSuccess on Campus

33. Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment

34. Warrior Training Advancement Course

35. Warriors to Workforce Program Programs

Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

36. Vets to Feds Career Development Program

Small Business Administration

37. Boots to Business Reboot

38. Service-Disabled Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program

39. Veteran Federal Procurement Entrepreneurship Training Program

40. Veterans Business Outreach Center

41. Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program

Jointly Administered Programs

42. All-Volunteer Force Educational Assistance (or Montgomery GI Bill)

43. Coast Guard Transition Assistance Program (Coast Guard TAP)

44. DoD Transition Assistance Program (DoD TAP)

45. Tuition Assistance Top Up Tax Expenditure

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

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