Transition
There is a lot that goes into the transition process when one decides to leave the military. Increasing your knowledge and understanding of resources available to you will help provide you with additional readiness to face any challenges that may arise head on...
Who knows, you might even know more than your service member/Veteran!
Please find some resources below to get you started on your journey.
While the VA Benefits and Services Participant Guide from TAPS (Transition Assistance Program) is very long, the guide has some helpful tips you may be able to use throughout your journey. Page 2 has "tabs" you can click on to help you move to different areas of the guide based on what information you are looking for or want to learn more information about. ​
Another resource TAPS has is a outline of the transition called MYTT (Managing Your Transition Timeline) of what steps to take, and what may be happening during each of those steps, prior to and after one's separation from service.
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TAPS resources, information, trainings, tools and classes (near you or online) are available to anyone to ensure service members, their spouses and/or caregivers are prepared for the next step to civilian life. Each branch has a Transition Assistance Program (Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard). ​
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers a significant amount of educational and informational resources for use during the time of transition. One is a program called Military 2 VA (M2VA Post 9/11 Transition and Case Management) Program. The program assists service members, Veterans, their families and caregivers in navigating the VA health care system and support individuals in achieving their health and wellness goals, particularly during the time of transition from the military into civilian society. To learn more, find a M2VA Team near you! ​
Your Next Mission is a program initiative of the American Freedom Foundation that provides digital and online content, resources and support to Veterans, military servicemembers and their families. It offers guidance and insight by creating opportunities to receive assistance transitioning from military to civilian life and offers personalized, one on one assistance to address unique needs within the Veteran community.
You and your service member can organize all of the transition information and resources into an Individual Transition Plan that is useful for you/your family as you prepare to transition out of the military.
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You can also get help with your/your family's transition plans and goals on your installation.
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Transition assistance for military spouses - programs that specifically focus on spouses whose service members are preparing to transition from the military.
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Spouses/partners also have access to military sponsored transition resources and training to successfully plan for and reach your family's goals for life after transitioning from the military. The Department of Defense's Transition Assistance Program can be one of your most valuable resources.​​
Military to Civilian Life - When parents transition from the military to civilian life, so do children. Your children are suddenly experiencing a lot of changes that are similar to military moves but definitely not the same. You know joining civilian life is not just another move, but what you're learning during your military years will help your family adapt to this new phase. After all, change can be an adventure... and adventures can be exciting! Sesame Street has a multitude of resources, games, information on mobile apps and more!
All of this is not possible without you and we your help!
Please help evaluate this MySTART Toolkit by taking both a pre-survey (before perusing this website) as well as
a post-survey (after you have had a chance to look around). Your participation and feedback are vital, and greatly contribute to what can be done for spouses and partner of military and Veteran families in the future. You can return to the MySTART Toolkit by exiting out of the survey's. Thank you tremendously for us the privilege of hearing your voice.​