BILL ANALYSIS �
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1509
Author: Fox (D), et al.
Amended: 8/19/14 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE : 6-0, 6/24/14
AYES: Hueso, Knight, Correa, Lieu, Nielsen, Roth
NO VOTE RECORDED: Block
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 5-0, 8/14/14
AYES: De Le�n, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
NO VOTE RECORDED: Walters, Gaines
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 64-5, 5/28/14 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Veterans: transition assistance
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs
(CalVet) to develop a transition assistance program for veterans
who have been discharged from the Armed Forces of the United
States or the National Guard of any state, as specified, by July
1, 2015.
ANALYSIS : Existing federal law, the Veterans Opportunity to
Work (VOW) to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 and implementing federal
regulations.
This bill:
CONTINUED
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1.Requires, by July 1, 2015, CalVet to develop a California
transition assistance program (Cal TAP) for veterans, who have
been discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces or National Guard
of any state.
2.States that Cal TAP's purpose shall be to:
A. Assist veterans in successfully transitioning from
military to civilian life in California; and
B. Complement the federal transition program offered by the
Department of Defense.
1.Requires that Cal TAP include, but not be limited to, the
following California-specific transition assistance
information on: higher education benefits and programs,
vocational training assistance, small business resources,
health care programs and services, mental health resources,
military sexual trauma resources, and housing resources.
2.States the Legislature's intent that the CalVet perform the
above tasks utilizing its existing personnel and other
resources, including its existing internet-based CalVet
Internet Web site to disseminate this information.
Background
Transition: Military-to-Civilian . For a significant percentage
of personnel, the transition from military service to civilian
life, even during peacetime, has always presented challenges.
According to a Pew Research Center survey (Dec. 2011) of 1,853
veterans, nearly 30 percent say that the transition was
difficult for them - a proportion that swells to 44 percent
among veterans who have served since the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks.
According to the study, various factors, such as education,
marital status, religiosity and trauma, influenced the
transition process. For example, veterans who were commissioned
officers and those with college degrees experienced easier
readjustment to post-military life than enlisted personnel and
those with only high school diplomas. Veterans who reported an
emotionally traumatic experience while serving or had suffered a
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serious service-related injury were significantly more likely to
report problems with re-entry, when other factors are held
constant.
Those who have been transitioning to civilian life since the
onset of the so-called Great Recession (late 2008-present) have
faced further complications, such as high unemployment,
associated with the global economic crisis.
Federal Transition Assistance . In 2011, Congress passed and
President Obama signed into law the "Veterans Opportunity to
Work and Hire Heroes Act of 2011" (VOW Act). The VOW Act
requires, among other things, that separating service members
must attend the Transition Assistance Program (TAP). A
partnership among the Departments of Defense (DOD), Veterans
Affairs (VA) and Labor (DOL), the TAP program provides job
assistance and separation counseling services on military
installations. The program included information and counseling
for pre-separation, employment assistance, relocation, education
and training, health and life insurance, finances, Reserve
affiliation, disabled veterans, and retirement.
In 2013 the federal government launched a revamped program known
as Transition GPS. The extended 5-7 day transition program
represents an effort to standardize and expand counseling and,
according to DOD, transform the military's approach to
education, training, and credentialing for service members.
TGPS components are:
Pre-Separation Assessment and Individual Counseling:
Separating service members receive individual counseling to
discuss their career goals and start their transition process.
Subsequently, they have a needs and goals assessment coupled
with a counseling session about benefits, resources, and
available assistance across a wide scope of military
separation topics. Each individual develops an Individual
Transition Plan that documents the deliverables that must be
attained to meet the program's Career Readiness Standards.
5-Day Core Curriculum: The five-day TGPS Core Curriculum
includes a financial planning seminar, a workshop offered by
the VA on available federal veterans' benefits and services,
and a redesigned employment workshop offered by DOL.
Transitioning service members will also undertake a Military
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Occupational Code Crosswalk to translate their military
skills, training, and experience into civilian occupations,
credentials, and employment. An Individual Transition Plan
session allows service members to seek guidance from subject
matter experts, identify career goals, and develop a detailed
transition roadmap.
2-Day Optional Career-Specific Curriculum: In addition to
completing the Core Curriculum, transitioning service members
have the option of participating in a series of two-day
tailored tracks: (1) an Education track, for those pursuing a
higher education degree; (2) a Technical and Skills Training
track, for those seeking job-ready skills and
industry-recognized credentials in shorter-term training
programs; and (3) an Entrepreneurship track, for those wanting
to start a business.
CAPSTONE Event: Before their separation from the military,
service members participate in a CAPSTONE event, which
verifies that transitioning members have completed the TGPS
curriculum and achieved Career Readiness Standards. Service
members who require additional assistance are referred to
supplemental training opportunities. In addition, through the
CAPSTONE event, all are offered a 'warm handover' to
appropriate government agencies and organizations that will be
able to provide them continued benefits, services, and support
as veterans.
Military Life Cycle Transition Model: The TGPS program is
intended to incorporate career readiness and transition
preparation into the entire span of an individual's military
career. In the past, transition and preparation for the
civilian workforce occurred late in a service member's time in
the military - near the point of separation. Under TGPS, these
concepts are integrated earlier to ensure that the counseling,
assessments, and access to resources to build skills or
credentials occur at earlier stages of a service member's
military tenure.
The original TAP program and its TGPS successor have made
significant gains in assisting separating military personnel,
but certain shortcomings appear built into the system. For
example, the service members often have difficulty getting
state-specific information. California state agencies, county
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veterans service officers, and California nonprofit
organizations have worked to directly participate in TAP/TGPS
sessions on military bases located in California - but
participation varies from base to base and the material
presented is not uniform in substance or approach. Furthermore,
only a portion of personnel at such bases intend to stay in
California after separation. Most are moving back to their
states of origin or other areas.
A greater problem resides on the flip side of that paradigm: The
majority of separating service members who intend to live in
California comes from military bases located outside of
California - in other states and countries. The California state
agencies and nonprofits are unable to directly engage them in
state-specific discussions during the military's mandated
transition process.
State Transition Assistance . The State of California long has
partnered with the federal government in generally delivering
veterans benefits, but lacked a dedicated, comprehensive,
uniform program focused on transition.
In August 2011, Governor Brown issued an executive order
establishing the California Interagency Council on Veterans
(ICV), which was directed "to identify and prioritize the needs
of California's veterans, and to coordinate the activities at
all levels of government in addressing those needs." The ICV
created four workgroups oriented around specific areas of
veterans' need: Education, Employment, Health and Housing. The
Employment Workgroup itself created "sub-workgroups" to focus on
very detailed matters, including a sub-workgroup charged with
developing a state-level, post-military transitional assistance
program to complement the federal program.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, approximately
$200,000 in one-time costs to develop the program. (General
Fund)
CalVets indicates the need for two limited term analysts for
development of the program. Actual implementation costs are
unknown at this time and will be determined after the plan is
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completed.
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/8/14)
American Legion Department of California
AMVETS Department of California
ArmedForce2Workforce
California Association of County Veteran Service Officers
California State Commanders Veterans Council
Devry Education Group
Military Officers Association of America California Council of
Chapters
True North Transitions
Veteran and Military Business Owners Association
Veterans Caucus of the California Democratic Party
Veterans of Foreign Wars - Department of California
Vietnam Veterans of America - California State Council
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author:
The curriculum for [TGPS] workshops is entirely maintained
by the federal government, leaving little-to-no
state-specific employment, education, business and other
career choices information. AB 1509 complements the
federal Transition GPS (TGPS) by ensuring that veterans
discharging in California or moving to California after
discharge have the state specific benefit information and
tools they need.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 64-5, 5/28/14
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Ammiano, Bloom, Bocanegra, Bonilla,
Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau,
Chesbro, Cooley, Dababneh, Daly, Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Fox,
Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray, Hagman,
Hall, Harkey, Roger Hern�ndez, Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Levine,
Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein, Medina, Melendez, Mullin,
Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, John A.
P�rez, V. Manuel P�rez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon,
Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting,
Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, Atkins
NOES: Ch�vez, Conway, Grove, Jones, Wilk
NO VOTE RECORDED: Allen, Bigelow, Dahle, Donnelly, Frazier, Beth
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Gaines, Linder, Mansoor, Nestande, Wagner, Vacancy
AL:nl 8/18/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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