{"id":72912,"date":"2018-04-18T21:44:38","date_gmt":"2018-04-18T21:44:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/18\/could-changes-to-tap-curb-veteran-suicide\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T13:48:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:48:01","slug":"could-changes-to-tap-curb-veteran-suicide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2018\/04\/18\/could-changes-to-tap-curb-veteran-suicide\/","title":{"rendered":"Could changes to TAP curb veteran suicide?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s Note:<\/b> This story has been updated to correct information previously provided to Military Times about Ryan Loya\u2019s job.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transforming the way service members are prepared for life after the military could curb veteran unemployment, homelessness and suicide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least that\u2019s the hope behind a new bill being introduced in Congress that seeks to strengthen the Defense Department\u2019s mandatory Transition Assistance Program or TAP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Named the Loya-Sears Warrior Transition Assistance Reform Act in honor of two Marines, the bill would standardize TAP curriculum, require service members to start TAP one year before separation and establish reporting metrics that can be used to glean successes of the program for needed adjustments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStrong evidence shows that many veterans remain unprepared for transition and encounter significant challenges in living healthy and productive lives,\u201d Sally Fox, press secretary for Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said in an emailed statement to Military Times. \u201cThe Loya-Sears Act addresses Congress\u2019 concerns about the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) attendance and participation, effective allocation of transition assistance resources, and effective measurement of TAP outcomes with timely feedback to the Department of Defense and its interagency partners in the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Labor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill, being introduced by Bacon, was the work and brainchild of Ryan Loya and his wife, Katherine Kostreva, who have been outspoken about the problems associated with military transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2010, then-sergeants Loya and Jeremy Sears, both Marines, were severely injured in the same IED explosion while serving in Afghanistan. Both were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, or TBI, and post traumatic stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Struggling to find work for nearly two years after leaving the Corps, Sears decided to end his life at a gun range in California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Loya had a completely different experience upon separation. He found work with FCB Health, launched the network\u2019s first veteran hiring initiatives and attends New York University. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI joined Ryan at TAP and was blown away by its lack of resources, timeliness and connections outside the military bubble,\u201d Kostreva told Military Times. After a year\u2019s worth of research of federal data and academic studies on veteran unemployment, homelessness and suicide, the husband and wife team submitted a proposal to Congress, asking lawmakers to reform the way service members are prepared for their transition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is important to articulate the correlation between how our military transitions and the veteran suicide, homelessness and unemployment rates,\u201d she said. Better equipping service members for life after the military \u2014 and keeping the government accountable for this preparation \u2014 could keep more veterans from being unemployed after their transition. The hope is in turn, this would cut down on veteran homelessness and suicide, which, in Sears\u2019 case, came after two years of not having a job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to federal data, veteran unemployment hit a record low of 3.7 percent in 2017 \u2014 lower than the unemployment rate of nonveterans, which was 4.2 percent last year. Still, homelessness among veterans increased for the first time in seven years<\/a> in 2017, and veteran suicides account for 18 percent<\/a> of all suicides in the U.S., though veterans make up less than nine percent of the population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJeremy was my brother,\u201d Loya said in a statement. \u201cHe unfortunately didn\u2019t get the transition services he needed and it ended up costing him his life. And this could have been avoided. This legislation gives our military personnel the resources they deserve and rightfully earned through their selfless service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
New legislation proposing changes to TAP is named for two Marines, Ryan Loya, left, and Jeremy Sears, right. (Ryan Loya)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Loya-Sears legislation is the latest in a string of recent efforts to reform TAP, often jokingly referred to as \u201cdeath by PowerPoint.\u201d In February, Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., introduced a bipartisan BATTLE Act<\/a> that seeks to boost participation in the program\u2019s specialized workshops in education, career technical training and entrepreneurship by requiring service members to opt out of the elective classes, rather than opt in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And just this week, the VA announced changes to its portion of TAP to be more interactive and personalized. The briefing will also include classroom time for health care registration and focus on topics such as mental health, suicide prevention, housing, and other topics important to the transitioning population, a VA spokesperson said in an email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current policy allows retiring service members to start TAP two years before they retire and separating service members to start the program one year, but no later than 90 days, before getting out of the military. The DoD doesn\u2019t track averages of when service members go through the program, but a recent Government Accountability Office report found more than half of service members, 53.3 percent, are not completing TAP by the 90-day mark, and only 2.6 percent are completing the program nine months or more before getting out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mandating a start date, as the Loya-Sears bill seeks to do, would provide transitioning service members with more time and resources for a more successful transition, advocates say.<\/p>\n\n\n\t