This article by Richard Sisk originally appeared on Military.com, the premier resource for the military and veteran community.
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.
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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's 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
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)
26. Dependents Educational Assistance Program (or Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance)
27. Educational and Vocational Counseling
29. Reserve Educational Assistance Program
31. Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership
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
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
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