“You’ve got transitioning vets and spouses that are in Stuttgart, Germany, or Okinawa, Japan, or any other place where the government puts them for their military time, and they’ll transition from overseas and come back home to what?” said Tom Downs, director of diversity talent acquisition and talent pipeline programs at Booz Allen Hamilton.

“So, post pandemic, we still have a robust virtual program, so we can talk to every veteran, every spouse across the U.S. or the globe for that matter. … We can’t hire every one of them, but we can make sure to at least have a conversation with them.”

That focus on attracting military talent is no small matter for the technology firm: About one-third of its annual hires are veterans, reservists or military dependents. Downs said the company has five recruiters dedicated solely to military recruitment, a reflection of the importance the population carries for the company.

The aggressive hiring strategy — and a host of other military-centric employee programs — earned Booz Allen Hamilton the top spot on the 2024 Military Times Best for Vets Employers rankings.

The company has been a regular among the top names in the annual Best for Vets list in past years, in large part because of its commitment to including veterans as core workers.

The survey weighs how organizations recruit, mentor and retain veterans and their family members. Hilary Niles, survey coordinator for the Best for Vets list, said the rankings don’t just echo companies’ raw staffing numbers, but also include factors such as “support programs, accommodations for military connected employees with disabilities, and opportunities for spouses and caregivers.”

This year’s list includes 238 employers spread across 44 states, with 62 firms making their debut in the rankings.

It includes 33 defense contracting firms — traditionally seen as military-friendly and military-heavy companies — but also companies in fields less associated with hiring veterans, like health care, hospitality, energy and banking.

The top 10 includes representatives from nine different industries, with only pharmaceutical employers appearing twice (Johnson & Johnson at #2, and Bristol Myers Squibb at #6).

Employee feedback

Comcast NBCUniversal, the #3 company on the Best For Vets list, earned its spot not just because of its veterans hiring patterns but also because of consistent communication with those employees throughout their careers.

Several years ago, when veterans working there pitched the idea of a discount for military families on their cable services, officials at the company fast-tracked the proposal and sent notices to military bases.

When another veteran at the media firm replaced a tattered American flag visible in his neighborhood with his own money, officials set aside thousands more to replace any aging flags that employees see in the community.

“We want to serve military customers, but we can’t do that authentically if we don’t have military-connected employees in our own workforce who can advise and guide us,” said Mona Dexter, vice president of military and veteran affairs at the company. “And seeing that response encourages our employees.”

The flag program — dubbed Operation Old Glory — is less about directly helping veterans at the company and more about finding ways to link their patriotism and service to their post-military lives.

“It’s that continued sense of service and connection to the symbol that represents the country,” she said. “And it’s a bit of education — not just for our employees, but for community members, too.”

Most companies near the top of the rankings boast relationships with local veterans groups and military advocacy organizations to emphasize that community connection.

One of Booz Allen Hamilton’s most successful partnerships is with the Defense Department, through their Skillbridge Program for transitioning troops.

The initiative allows service members — and now, some military spouses — an opportunity for professional internships and apprenticeships at private-sector firms during their final six months in service. The goal is to give transitioning service members a chance to better understand the private sector and showcase their skills, with an eye towards a post-military career.

Downs said Booz Allen Hamilton’s involvement in the program has grown from around 20 participants five years ago to more than 150 this year. More than 90% of individuals enrolled in Skillbridge partnerships have gone on to land jobs at the company after completion.

“That’s really the crown jewel right now,” he said. “If other companies aren’t engaging with that, I don’t know why not.”

Community connections

Downs noted that veterans also contribute to the overall diversity of Booz Allen Hamilton’s workforce by bringing their own unique experiences to the company. The firm boasts 11 different “employee communities” to highlight the backgrounds of various groups, including one for military-connected individuals.

“They each have their own networking events, their own development programs,” he said. “And you can be a member in as many of the groups as you want. They do happy hours, they do fun runs. That’s the kind of stuff that keeps people here, feeling connected to the community.”

It’s also another tool for recruiting. Downs said when military-related recruits start with the company, they’ve typically already communicated with other veterans at the firm, learning about available support networks and mentoring opportunities.

Nearly two-thirds of the companies on this year’s Best For Vets list said they have an active employee group focused on veterans or related community members, helping to sustain a military-friendly atmosphere at work.

About the same percentage said they have military-specific mentorship programs available to eligible employees.

Dexter said officials at Comcast NBCUniversal have noticed their employee support groups increasingly working together on charity and networking projects, bringing their specific communities together in ways that build more camaraderie.

“Nobody in the veteran employee resource group identifies only as a veteran,” she said. “Everybody can identify with multiple other communities, too. … So, by bringing the various groups together, it just shows how there really is just a place for everyone, and everybody belongs.”

But in recent years, more and more non-veterans can be found in the building, too.

“We really try to engage our military dependent student population along with the veterans,” said Candace Terry, executive director of veterans and military affairs at the university. “We invite them into the lounges, we bring them in because they also earned that by their service as a family member.

“And that’s important, because they offer a unique bridge between the general student population and the veterans. They have an idea of what both lifestyles and identities are like. And they can help share that.”

University of South Carolina was ranked as the #7 school in the 2024 Military Times Best for Vets Colleges rankings in large part because of those types of efforts to both cater to veterans needs and find ways to better integrate transitioning veterans into campus life, through evolving outreach and introduction efforts.

“Right now we have about 900 dependents on campus and about 200 veterans,” Terry said. “It’s really important to us that we make sure all of our military connected students feel included.”

That focus on community building, along with attention to veterans’ and guardsmen’s individual needs, is a common theme among the top schools on the list, compiled annually to highlight the top performing education institutions and their best practices in outreach to the military community.

“We don’t grade schools on the number of veteran students they do or don’t have. It’s more a focus on what their policies are,” said Hilary Niles, survey coordinator for the Best for Vets list.

“Some of that is certainly financial support for military students and to what degree schools go above and beyond the educational benefits already offered. But do they have strategies for working with military-connected students in a way that makes higher education accessible, and that helps those students succeed?”

Extra veteran resources

The University of the Incarnate Word, for example, which was ranked the top school on the list for the last two years, provides annual training and guidance to staff, faculty and students with a “Military 101″ course.

The university also features a unique Space Force ROTC program, and university leadership sends out frequent email reminders on best practices for working with military-connected students.

California State University-San Bernardino, this year’s #12 school, offers employee training focused on military-related disabilities. Texas Tech University, ranked 9 on the list, was just named the new home of the Armed Forces & Society Journal.

At University of Nebraska at Omaha, the second-ranked school on the 2024 Best For Vets list, officials have spent the last two years conducting small group meetings with veterans and military-connected students to talk about their biggest needs and challenges.

“Right now, that focus seems to be on career readiness, things like employer networking and ensuring that when we get those students through our programs, there are opportunities waiting for them,” said Sara Karnowski, director of military and veterans services at UNO.

“So, we’re working on ways to leverage both what veterans bring from their time in the service and what they’ve gained through higher education, and then showing them how to market themselves better to employers. And the response so far has been very positive.”

Almost 11% of University of Nebraska at Omaha’s student population is military connected. The college campus sits about 12 miles from Offutt Air Force Base, home to around 15,000 service members and military dependents.

“So, we have military representation in the area and throughout campus,” Karnowski said. “One of our college deans is a veteran, one of our senior vice chancellors is a veteran. We’ve got veterans in campus security and all the way up through our high-level academic administrators.”

That makes conversations about the needs of veterans and their family members easier to broach at the college, but doesn’t diminish the importance of having those discussions, she said.

Future goals

Terry said one of the ways administrators help foster those conversations at her South Carolina campus is through service projects, such as the school’s annual Sept. 11 memorial ceremonies.

Each year, student veterans plant hundreds of flags to mark the lives lost in the terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. And Terry said every year, the number of volunteers grows as the day progresses.

“While our veterans are out there placing those flags, the general student population will stop and engage in conversations about what this event meant to us,” said Terry, a Navy veteran. “And we talk about what it meant to our service, and how it shaped us during that time.

“It’s engaging, because a lot of the students we’re talking to now weren’t alive when that happened.”

Terry said one of the goals of staff at the veterans center in coming years is for more emphasis on faculty involvement on veterans issues and engagement, to build more transitional knowledge for the campus as classes of students cycle through their studies.

Karnowski said officials at University of Nebraska at Omaha are focused on expanding their listening sessions in coming years, with a broader focus on the specific needs of military dependents.

The school in recent years changed the name of its veterans center to the “Military-Connected Resource Center” in an effort to welcome in more military family members, similar to South Carolina’s push.

“I think most of our efforts are going to be spent making sure that we’re intentionally connecting with our students,” she said, “so that they know not only are we trying to recruit them to this institution, but we also want to be there with them as you go through this journey, and then get them into a really good opportunity once they finish.”

Niles said a trend she has seen in compiling the Best For Vets college list in recent years has been universities using the rankings to see how other schools are succeeding, then copying those ideas at their own campuses.

“We get a lot of thank yous every year after this, because it essentially gives everyone a roadmap of what policies to consider,” she said. “It serves as a map for ways to support military connected students.”

There were only a few wrinkles in his plan.

“When he retired, he had never interviewed for a job,” said Elswick, the vice president of transition programs for the USO. “He didn’t have a resume. He never wore a suit. It’s things that those of us that have lived in the civilian world all of our lives take for granted. It’s just part of the process.”

“What’s next?” and “How should I proceed?” are common feelings shared by many veterans, regardless of their age and experience while in the military. Service members spend their time in the military following orders, having many decisions made for them. When that comes to an end, veterans must make an important decision: what they want in a civilian career, if they don’t intend to go to school.

Many veterans will pursue a career that highlights their military experience, like medics pursuing an occupation in healthcare, or pilots working for an airline.

“But if you’re an infantryman, what are you going to do?” Elswick said.

Veterans should consider the answer before separating from the military, and develop a plan to pursue that goal. Organizations like the USO and Hire Heroes are ready to help service members with that transition. Another group, Veterans Transition Support, offers free career-training programs that help veterans with coaching to search for jobs, writing resumes and cover letters and how to prepare for interviews.

VTS volunteers like veteran Merlyn Cruz-Feliciano, who have gone through the same change, can relate to the struggles others can experience when in the job market.

“I loved my job as a logistician when I was in the military,” she said. “I was very good at it, but I just knew in my heart that was not what I wanted to do. Unfortunately, a lot of veterans kind of stick with what they know.”

Cruz-Feliciano eventually decided to pursue a masters degree in mental health therapy.

For veterans who want to enter the workforce, getting the guidance needed to help find the right career is critical. The next — and maybe most important — step is showing a veteran how to market their skills by building an impressive resume tailored to the job they want.

“Translating military skills to a civilian resume is a major, major struggle,” Elswick said. The USO also offers interview preparation, including a website that uses artificial intelligence to give real-time feedback.

For veterans unsure of what career they want, Elswick said trending jobs include government contracting, cybersecurity, health care and law enforcement.

“Federal resumes are very different from civilian resumes, and you need a very specialized skill set to get it through their applicant tracking system,” Elswick said.

In addition to constructing a solid resume, veterans should set up a LinkedIn account to connect with peers and companies that are looking to hire. Indeed is another popular site for seeking out available jobs. Another resource for veterans is Military Friendly Employers, which lists more than 1,500 organizations that are designated as military-friendly businesses.

Veterans may consider pursuing certifications that could help their military skills transfer to the civilian world as well. Participating in a Skillbridge program, a fellowship that can act as an off-ramp between military and civilian employment, is another option as well. And seeking out mentors who can offer advice for navigating the job hunt and interview processes, plus daily life in the civilian workforce, can be invaluable.

“There are actually jobs everywhere,” Elswick said. “But how do we prepare our veterans to enter the civilian workforce?”

Born in Mexico and raised in California, Cruz-Feliciano served in the Army as a logistician supply sergeant from 2002 to 2016. But much like in civilian life, when an organization decides it has too many resources, it lets people go. The Army no longer needed her services, so her transition out of the military happened sooner than expected.

“For 14 years, this was all I knew, right? And I was very into the military life, very structured, very by the book, according to regulations, so (separating) was very daunting for me,” she said. “I didn’t even know where to start. It was very panic driven.”

Eight years later and things are looking up for Cruz-Feliciano. She just turned 40, settled down as a homeowner with her daughter and family in California, and she’s working toward her masters degree in mental health therapy. She also volunteers with the nonprofit organization Veterans Transitions Support to help veterans with many aspects of separating from the military.

If the decision to separate was hers, Cruz-Feliciano would have started the process at least a year before leaving to lay out her plan.

“The military really does not prepare you to get out,” she said. “Their sole purpose is to prepare you to be in the military, which is understandable. But we’re going to be in the civilian life a whole lot longer than we are in the military.”

There are organizations that can help. For example, the USO serves as a resource for active and veteran military members and their families through all the stages of the process.

“We have such unique access to the service members because we have on-base access and we can get to them earlier in their career and get them focused on whether (the military) is going to be a lifelong career,” said Lisa Elswick, USO’s vice president of transition programs. “At some point everyone is going to separate. How can we actually start preparing for that situation?”

Organizations like the USO will sit down with the military members to help them sort out what their vision of civilian life looks like.

“You might want to get in the military for 20 years, but when you get out, do you want to do something completely different?” Elswick said. “Do you have the education that will help you in that career? Do you have the time, or the resources if you’re going to go back to school?”

Elswick said younger veterans who leave the military at an early age after enlisting after high school often have the toughest time dealing with the transition to civilian life.

“We work very closely with them, because they are at the highest risk when they separate,” she said. “They are usually the most at-risk for unemployment, and end up sleeping on somebody’s couch for three years and then they come ask for help.”

When the time came for her separation, Cruz-Feliciano focused on making sure her financial situation was stable, as expenses such as housing allowances are suddenly gone, not to mention the salary from the military.

“In the outside world, you have that transition period where you might not be getting any money,” she said. “I definitely was looking at my finances, and being able to save enough money to keep me afloat.”

Elswick said the best two steps separating veterans can take when returning to civilian life are to, “find a mentor and find a nonprofit connection because all of those resources are going to be for free,” she said. “They’re free for all veterans, and they will connect you for what your needs are, because everyone’s needs are all very, very unique.”

This story was updated April 29 at 3:24 p.m. to correct Lisa Elswick’s job title. She is the USO’s vice president of transition programs.

The document, providing direction to the active duty force, announced Marines would be limited to three or four months in SkillBridge ― the Defense Department program that allows service members to spend up to six months in civilian internships before leaving active duty. The document was posted on the Corps’ online “library” of publicly releasable publications, orders and directives.

But it turns out the document the Marine Corps released was “premature,” and the service hasn’t yet made any changes to its policy on SkillBridge, according to Marine spokeswoman Maj. Danielle Phillips.

SkillBridge allows soon-to-be veterans to work or train full-time at civilian workplaces, in a wide variety of fields, during their final months in the military. Meanwhile, they still get compensation and benefits from the military.

On Nov. 1, more than two weeks after the policy document was posted, Marines who handle the SkillBridge programs at each installation received an email letting them know that policy had been rescinded. A Marine official in the Corps’ Personal and Professional Development office sent that email, a confirmed source who asked to remain anonymous told Marine Corps Times.

“The policy update was pulled back for corrections,” reads the email obtained by Marine Corps Times. Each Marine installation has a point of contact for SkillBridge in the education or transition center, according to a Marine Corps fact sheet on the program.

The limits on time in SkillBridge “will be in effect upon completion of the revised guidance, keeping with the Commandant’s intent to focus on mission readiness,” according to the email.

“To clarify, the policy established by NAVMC 1700.2, dated December 2022, is still in effect,” Phillips said via email to Marine Corps Times on Nov. 8, referring to the policy that allows Marines a maximum of six months in the program. “Should any policy changes be approved, they will be announced via” Marine administrative message.

Phillips didn’t respond to a follow-up query from Marine Corps Times asking how the document, entitled NAVMC 1700.2A and dated Oct. 14, had been published prematurely. She didn’t respond by time of publication to a query about when any policy changes would go into effect or who was tasked with deciding on them.

The Corps hasn’t published a Marine administrative message alerting Marines to the error and clarifying the SkillBridge policy. Phillips didn’t respond by time of publication to a Marine Corps Times query about whether the service has informed Marines of the change via other channels.

In October, meanwhile, news of apparent limits on SkillBridge caused whiplash for some Marines who were on their way out of the Corps.

The now-rescinded policy would have limited the maximum time before separation or retirement that Marines can begin a SkillBridge program to four months for those of the rank sergeant and below and three months for staff noncommissioned officers, commissioned officers and warrant officers. That would have been a significant drop from the Marine Corps’ current maximum of six months.

The email that Marine points of contact for SkillBridge received on Nov. 1 says Marine commanders may either approve SkillBridge applications under the existing policy from December 2022 or require Marines to submit applications under the rescinded policy’s “tier” system, which puts limits on time in SkillBridge based on rank.

The Corps’ rules would have set the strictest time limits in the military.

The Army and Air Force allow the Defense Department’s maximum of six months, according to each branch’s respective website. The Navy in March made the maximum three or four months for more senior sailors but has kept the maximum to six months for junior enlisted sailors.

How SkillBridge works

SkillBridge began as a pilot program in 2011 to make it easier for service members to find work as the country emerged from the Great Recession. The DoD formally established the program in January 2014.

In fiscal year 2022, 22,548 separating service members participated in the program, a Labor Department leader told Congress in May. That year, there were a total of 174,813 service members who separated from the military, according to Pentagon data.

SkillBridge opportunities are available in fields as far-ranging as electrical construction, management consulting and book publishing, according to the list of authorized partners.

The program is designed to be a win-win for service members and employers, according to the SkillBridge website. Civilian partners get access to highly trained and motivated workers at no cost, while service members get training and work experience, which sometimes translates into offers of full-time employment.

But during their time in SkillBridge, service members aren’t working at their military jobs.

The Corps’ now-rescinded limits on the program would have meant Marines weren’t eligible for the longer opportunities, and some Marines transitioning out of the Corps would have had to scramble to make new plans.

On Reddit, LinkedIn and Instagram, active-duty Marines and Marine veterans expressed confusion, consternation and nonchalance about the apparent policy change. At least one installation, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, published a guide to SkillBridge eligibility that relied on the now-rescinded policy.

Marine Maj. Antonio Contreras was thrilled when, early in October, he received an opportunity to spend six months working at the State Department. Contreras, a judge advocate and foreign area officer, must retire from the Marine Corps in July 2024 after 20 years, he told Marine Corps Times Oct. 23.

When the Marine Corps seemingly announced it was halving the time Contreras and Marines of similar rank could spend in the SkillBridge program, Contreras was left in limbo, hoping the State Department would still accommodate him.

He said he first found out about the apparent limits on SkillBridge from a coworker who had heard from an installation’s SkillBridge coordinator ― who later confirmed it to him directly. Meanwhile, Contreras saw news of the document spreading across social media.

“It was disheartening,” Contreras said Oct. 23. “There are opportunities to help you transition out of the Marine Corps, and all of the sudden all of that is swept from under your feet.”

Contreras ultimately worked out a three-month internship with the State Department, though he said Oct. 26 not every organization might have made a similar accommodation for Marines. For now, his request to the Marine Corps stands at three months.

The premature policy document also dictates that senior Marine leaders — of the paygrades E8-E9, W4-W5, O5 and above — must get the endorsement of a general officer in their chain of command before embarking on SkillBridge. Under that policy, those high-ranking Marines wouldn’t have been allowed to do SkillBridge if it would create a staffing gap.

That would have been a step up from the DoD’s requirement that service members get approval for SkillBridge from a field-grade commander with nonjudicial punishment authority.

The now-unpublished policy document encourages commands to establish a formal process for determining the effect of Marines’ participation in SkillBridge before disapproving requests. Commands should have the same criteria for evaluating requests from officers and enlisted Marines, the policy says.

The unpublished document also notes that participation in SkillBridge can affect special or incentive pay, typically offered to keep Marines in hard-to-fill or less desirable roles.

Reevaluating SkillBridge policy

The “premature” policy document was labeled as being from Commandant Gen. Eric Smith, directed to all Marines on active duty. At the bottom of the first page are the words “Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.”

The Marine Corps webpage where the document had been linked as late as Nov. 8 now reads, “CONTENT NOT FOUND.” The webpage where the current SkillBridge policy, from December 2022, had been linked reads the same.

Phillips, the Marine spokeswoman, acknowledged that the Marine Corps is evaluating its SkillBridge policy.

“It is imperative that the service evaluate and assess the efficacy and impact of these programs and initiatives over time,” she said in the email to Marine Corps Times. “SkillBridge is one of the many programs currently being assessed by the service to ensure we balance the needs of the individual Marine with Congressional intent and a mission-capable Marine Corps.”

The Marine Corps’ now-unpublished policy document came seven months after the Navy tightened its own rules regarding SkillBridge.

In March, the Navy restricted the maximum time in the program to four months or less for senior enlisted sailors and lower-ranking officers, and three months or less for officers of the rank of commander ― the same paygrade as a Marine lieutenant colonel ― and up. Previously, the Navy had stated sailors “normally” shouldn’t spend more than four months in the program, but the maximum still had been six months.

But the Navy’s policy from March is looser than the one in the “premature” Marine Corps policy: Sailors up to the rank of petty officer second class (the same paygrade as a Marine sergeant) can still do SkillBridge for up to six months, the DoD’s maximum.

In 2023, the highest-ranking companies and agencies dedicated employees to veteran recruitment efforts and provided ongoing advocacy and assistance to veterans and their spouses, qualities that stood out among their peers.

At financial services firm Fiserv, which jumped from No. 9 last year to earn the top ranking this year, a commitment to veterans starts across the C-suite and includes not just recruiting and hiring but support systems all through a veteran’s employment, including for those employees called to active duty, said Vice President Meg Hendricks, head of military and veteran affairs.

“Our goals are of providing the military community with career opportunities, educational resources and business solutions,” said Hendricks, an Army veteran.

The 2023 survey included 230 employer participants and aimed to provide a snapshot of where firms stand on employment policies, recruiting and hiring veterans with disabilities, overall hiring practices, and support services that bolster America’s veterans.

Participation in the company rankings is voluntary, and the final list is not meant to be a comprehensive accounting of the policies of all defense contractors and U.S. businesses.

MILITARY TIMES’ 2023 BEST FOR VETS: EMPLOYERS RANKINGS

The rankings focus on areas of importance to veterans in the workplace, including mentorship programs, military-specific training opportunities, and connections with the veterans community. The 2023 rankings included three new companies — Fiserv, U.S. Bank and L’Oreal USA — in the top five.

Many of Fiserv’s veterans programs fall under its “Fiserv Salutes” initiative, which aims to provide the military-connected community with job opportunities, education resources, and business solutions for companies owned by veterans.

The Ontario, California-based Fiserv is also a co-leader and founding member of the Coalition for Veteran Owned Businesses and participates in a $14 million partnership with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University in New York.

The goal is keeping a focus on veterans at every stage of their interactions, Hendricks said. “How are they going to be connected when they get here? How are we going to support them if they’re going out on military leave?” she said.

Adding value

Comcast NBCUniversal, moving up to No. 2 this year from No. 3 in 2022, believes the skills and experiences possessed by military-connected employees make the business a better company, said Mona Dexter, vice president of military and veteran affairs.

“Not only is it important to hire because it is good for the business to have a strong and diverse workforce from the military community, we definitely want them to continue to thrive and grow and give them that space to do so with our support,” she said.

Dexter noted that the firm was founded by World War II veteran Ralph Roberts, meaning support for military employees is intrinsically rooted in the company.

One of Comcast’s premier programs is its Military Concierge Service initiative, which involves a team of human resources professionals who help service members seamlessly transition to and from active military duty.

Comcast NBCUniversal also prides itself on making up the financial difference if an employee is called to active duty and their military pay is less than their Comcast salary.

The company was also named a 2023 Leading Disability Employer by the National Organization on Disability, based on data that tracks several focus areas, including veterans’ inclusion.

At the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services — which jumped to No. 9 from 16th in 2022 — the agency developed a Military Veteran Peer Support system under retired Army Maj. Monique Ruiz, the organization’s military liaison and human relations specialist.

That system links up members of the military-connected community, including veterans, spouses and military orphans with fellow military personnel in the agency, dubbed “Battle Buddies.”

The agency, with about 700 employees with military backgrounds, also offers access to a Military Affinity Group with subgroups in such categories as women veterans, disabled veterans, military spouses and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The agency also offers an additional eight hours of leave each year to military-connected employees as a thank-you. Ruiz likens this outreach to the support a company might offer employees with different cultural, religious or linguistic backgrounds.

Finding a home

Veterans, especially those who might be coming from less military-friendly working environments, appreciate the philosophy, Ruiz said.

“They feel that, okay, now I have someone that understands what I’m going through and then can educate my management and staff on it,” she said.

At Hilton, which rose to No. 10 this year (from 14th in 2022), the company — founded by World War I veteran Conrad Hilton — has always believed veterans are the perfect fit for the hotel and hospitality industry, said J.D. Barnes, vice president for workforce innovation and optimization.

“We inherently believe that veterans play an important part in our continued growth and, in return, we offer a shared set of values, great workplace flexibility and diverse range of on-property and corporate roles across guest services, finance, engineering and technology, among other teams, that provide them the opportunity to use their unique skills,” Barnes said.

Since 2014, the company has partnered with Hiring Our Heroes, which connects members of the military community with business opportunities, to support its veteran recruiting efforts.

In addition, through Hilton’s ”Operation: Opportunity” initiative, the company has hired more than 35,000 veterans to date, an employee population the company says is recognized as the largest in the hospitality industry and among the biggest in the U.S. private sector.

Among other programs, Hilton also offers a Military Team Member Resource Group for employees who have served in the military, as well as their spouses and children, and other members of the military-connected community.

“We recognize and value the important and transferable skills of our nation’s veterans and prioritize the offering of robust learning and development opportunities,” Barnes said.

But when the five-year veteran entered civilian life and turned her sights towards higher education, she felt lost.

“Most veterans spend years giving their all to the military careers, but when it’s time to separate they get a week of separation counseling and then are left to figure everything out on their own,” said Coppick, who found much-needed support at the private ECPI University in Virginia Beach, where she’s earning a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity.

At ECPI, Coppick discovered camaraderie at the Student Veterans of America Club, relished in the year-round class schedule that allowed her to maintain a military-like routine, and got priceless assistance from specially trained university staff who helped her navigate complex GI Bill benefits.

“Being surrounded by veterans who understand each other and are willing to help each other academically as well as personally has been an absolute blessing,” she said.

ECPI is just one of the colleges and universities that offers resources tailored to fit the needs of veterans, reflected in the 2023 Military Times Best for Vets Colleges rankings, where ECPI finished in 21st place. The rankings evaluate higher education institutions on their programs, training and support infrastructure for veterans, who often face challenges that are significantly different from civilian students.

In San Antonio, No. 1 ranked University of the Incarnate Word’s Military and Veteran Center provides annual training and guidance to staff, faculty and students with a “Military 101″ course. Similar training is offered at No. 2 University of Texas at Arlington, where the Department of Military and Veteran Services hosts cultural competency training called “Serving Those Who Served.” Tenth-ranked California State University-San Bernardino offers employee training focused on military-related disabilities.

UTA’s Molly Albart said the “Serving Those Who Served” course helped her do better as assistant vice president for student transition and success.

MILITARY TIMES’ 2023 BEST FOR VETS: COLLEGES RANKINGS

“Not having been in the military myself, it was helpful to know some of the challenges related to mental health, family, stressors and acclimating to civilian life,” Albart said. “I feel better prepared to support the veterans I encounter in my work.”

A focus on training

At No. 1 Incarnate Word, staff training and efforts like the Military Strategic Priority Committee are especially important as the number of military-connected students grows — currently 21 percent of all students, said Jonathan Lovejoy, senior director for military and veteran affairs.

“We make a concerted effort every day to make sure our veterans and their families feel welcome and supported,” he said.

Belinda Guerra, a petty officer in the Navy Reserve who served five years on active duty, is pursuing a nursing degree at Incarnate Word. She says the support veterans get from understanding university staff allow her to stay dedicated to both her service and her studies.

“Being here at UIW is a literal dream come true for me,” said Guerra, a first-generation college student. “The Military and Veteran Center here at UIW has made the transition from service member to student incredibly easy with their resources and knowledge. They provide a warm environment to all the veterans attending which creates an amazing support system and friends, just like the military did.”

Incarnate Word’s “Military 101″ course material is provided to all faculty and staff, giving them a basic overview of military branches, culture and transition to civilian life. Those who complete the course receive a sticker for their door or bulletin board and an “Honoring All Who Served” plaque for display. Even part-time instructors receive training, including how to help veteran students handle unexpected circumstances.

Incarnate Word’s rankings were boosted by adding a Space Force ROTC program as well as maintaining robust veteran services and mental health services for military students.

The university makes it a priority to make sure all staff understand military policies, which are listed on the school’s websites, in the catalog and syllabi. Reminders about best practices when working with military-connected students are sent regularly.

UTA grad Sawyer Howard is an Air Force veteran hired this spring as a coordinator by the university’s Office of Military and Veteran Services. He said his experience — first as a veteran student and then as an employee going through the specialized training to help fellow vets attending college — has given him a unique perspective.

“The most gratifying part of the job is hearing someone sigh in relief knowing they’ll have what they need to make it through the semester,” Howard said, adding that veteran students often send thank you notes for help navigating stressful or unique situations.

“It’s not something you do to be thanked, but the thanks are a very welcome reminder that we’re truly helping people,” Howard said.

Agustin Ramirez, director of the Veterans Success Center at California State University-San Bernardino, said the staff training programs there, particularly for nonmilitary folks, have made a world of difference.

Ramirez pointed to a “very generous” leave of absence policy crafted by the dean of social and behavioral sciences after attending a training as just one example.

“I enjoy having staff approach me after training and explain that they feel less overwhelmed by, more welcoming of and more comfortable with the military-affiliated student population and benefits. I especially love when they say something like, ‘I just didn’t know, and now I do.’ Those moments make me appreciate the work we do,” he said.

Besides “Military 101,” the California university offers training focused specifically on financial aid for military families. The Veterans Success Center also presents at the annual Student DisABILITY Awareness Fair, where staff talk about the most common disabilities associated with military service: tinnitus, sciatica, migraines, mental health, back pain and prosthetic limbs to name a few.

“It uncovers, demystifies. It urges cultural awareness, creates empathy and encourages dialogue,” Ramirez said. “Most importantly, it humanizes our service members and their families, and promotes an understanding of their sacrifices and contributions to our nation and our society.”

Meeting veterans’ needs

Coppick, the cybersecurity student at ECPI, said the staff training has paid off in unexpected ways for her. She never expected to be able to use GI benefits for an advanced degree, but plans to pursue a master’s in business administration.

“I would not have been aware of the extra resources available to me had it not been for the amazing support and expertise of the ECPI staff,” she said.

The schools that dominate the list had the staff training programs in common.

But they also support veterans as they transition from the military to college life, offering veteran-specific orientations, providing veteran-specific mentoring, veteran-specific financial aid offices, advocacy programs and help navigating into full-time careers.

Coppick finds these things invaluable.

“This is essential to the veteran community. When we separate from the military, many of us struggle to adjust to civilian culture.

A community of like-minded veterans who can empathize with both the highs and the lows of the transition experience really makes the adjustment easier,” she said.

‘The best job’

Bill Brown, executive director of military education at ECPI, said he has “the best job in the world, working with and helping our military and veteran students.”

He still stays in touch with a graduate who struggled as a student with the effects of a service-related head injury, which caused him to miss classes and assignments.

“There were times he ended up in the hospital or just could not focus,” said Brown.

He recalled how he personally talked the student through the situation and how the university made accommodations. The vet eventually graduated at the top of his class and is working at a cybersecurity job he loves.

“Knowing that just spending some time talking and helping a student makes such a difference, it means a lot,” Brown said. “Sometimes our military and veteran students just need to know that there is someone there for them that understands what they have been through.”

— Hilary Niles compiled all survey results and charts. She also contributed to the story.

Now, she is encouraging other spouses to give it a try and “see what they can do for you.”

Through the fellowship program, Challenger was matched with a company in Tacoma, Washington, that needed her software development skills. At the end of the fellowship, the company hired her full-time. And Challenger, whose job is fully remote, has already been able to take her new job with her this year on a permanent change of station move in July from Washington state to the Washington, D.C., area.

“It’s just been a completely different move, knowing I was already employed with a company that has first-hand knowledge of PCS stressors and military chaos,” Challenger said.

“Financially we are leaps and bounds ahead of where we have been in the past. Without the help of Hiring Our Heroes [which administers the DoD program], I wouldn’t have received the highest salary I’ve ever been offered. No one tried to undercut me because I was a spouse. In fact, I think it contributed to the salary ranges I was encountering. The employers seemed committed to hiring career-ready candidates and paying them fair wages.”

Challenger is one of 153 spouses who have completed fellowships under the pilot program, which began taking applications Dec. 23. Of those, 113 spouses — nearly three-fourths — had been hired by their employer host as of Aug. 7, said DoD spokeswoman Jade Fulce. The average salary of those new employees is more than $60,000, Fulce said.

“The department is very pleased with the initial results,” she said.

“We know that military spouses are highly educated and have amazing experience,” Fulce said. “MSCAP has proven that even spouses with a strong educational background are finding meaningful employment difficult; 88% of placed fellows have at least a four-year degree, with 31% having an advanced degree.”

DoD pays the salary of spouses through a third party while they are in the fellowship program; as of June, that outlay amounted to about $800,000, Fulce said.

The three-year pilot program is open to spouses of currently serving members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, to include active, reserve and National Guard components.

The fellowship pilot program is just one initiative DoD officials have undertaken to address the persistent problems military spouses face in establishing and maintaining meaningful careers, especially given the frequent uprooting due to permanent change of station moves.

For years, the unemployment rate of military spouses has hovered around 22%, although numbers vary widely. The rate isn’t officially tracked by the government like other sectors of the population, such as veterans.

“Career ready” military spouses accepted into the program are placed with host companies across various industries that match their location, work experience and other factors. Spouses receive professional training and mentoring.

The top fields of spouses currently in the program are information technology, business operations and administration, human resources and program/project management.

DoD officials contracted with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes to run the fellowship program. The foundation has long been involved in helping military spouses connect to job opportunities.

There are many highly qualified military spouses in the candidate pool, Fulce said. Since the application process began in December, more than 3,500 spouses have started an application for the MSCAP fellowship; and more than 1,000 spouses have completed the application process. To date, 765 spouses have been placed in the fellowship candidate pool, Fulce said.

Of those, 224 have been placed in fellowships and 153 have completed their fellowships.

Wanted: More employers

More employers are needed to consider hosting a military spouse fellow, Fulce said. Its key attraction is that DoD pays a salary to the military spouse while he or she is working for the host employer.

“With a greater than 70% hire rate post-fellowship, the proof is there regarding the value that military spouses bring to the workplace,” she said.

The program has received applications from 162 employers; 129 are currently hosting fellows. The employers consist of a mix of small businesses, corporations and nonprofits. Those 162 employers are in addition to the employers Hiring our Heroes was already working with, Fulce said.

Fellowships are available across all 50 states, based on employer interest; military spouse fellows are being hosted in 19 states, but more than 70% of those fellowships are remote, Fulce said.

This was not Challenger’s first rodeo.

She took part in another DoD spouse employment pilot program, administered by a different contractor, but the result was far different. That contractor was supposed to place military spouses in jobs after providing training, she said, but failed in that effort and then cut off all communication with spouses.

“They didn’t have anything lined up for us,” Challenger said.

Even so, the software development training she received, also funded by DoD, did provide what she needed to get the fellowship in this separate program, she said.

She believes this pilot program has been successful largely due to the efforts of Hiring Our Heroes.

The foundation is in frequent contact with the spouses, Challenger said, including weekly check-ins. The program also helps them build networks and make connections with employers. Networking is an area where spouses often struggle because of the frequent moves.

Hiring Our Heroes also sends out resumes of spouses on a regular basis to partner companies who may be looking for fellowship candidates or who may want to interview spouses to hire them directly. Challenger had a number of interviews when these employers contacted her.

The application process was easy, she added.

No one is guaranteed an offer of a job after the fellowship, but 74% have been hired by their employer host, Fulce said, adding that “more than 30 spouses have been offered employment prior to the end of their fellowship, further proving their value and skill sets they bring to employers.”

She notes that the MSCAP is a “very competitive program,” so officials advise military spouses to take advantage of all the resources they have to ensure they are being promoted to prospective host employers. That includes the no-cost career coaching offered by DoD’s Military Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program.

For some spouses, now may not be the right time to explore this opportunity, Fulce acknowledges.

“But MSCAP is a three-year pilot, so when you are ready, we are here to support.”

VA officials have seen a dramatic growth in virtual reality pilot programs in the last year, adding 17 new pilot programs across 120 VA medical centers. Among them are programs where veterans don a headset to walk through a surgery ahead of the actual operation, or to travel to cyber campfires to chat with fellow veterans to de-stress, or even to go on virtual fishing trips with their peers to exercise their aging muscles.

Officials say the programs cover a wide range of clinical issues, including pain management, mental health care, physical therapy and social outreach. And they expect the offerings to grow even faster in coming years.

“We’re already talking to offices about how to hand these pilots over, making them a regular part of care,” said Dr. Anne Lord Bailey, lead of VA’s Immersive Programs at the department’s Office of Health Care Innovation. “The technology is already native to a lot of our younger veterans. And our older veterans have been open to it and fascinated by the possibilities. So, we’re ready to push this further.”

About 200 VA administrators and outside medical experts are gathered in Washington, D.C., this week, with another 200 joining online, for the annual VA Immersive Summit, showcasing how virtual reality can augment in-person care.

VA has only spent about $12 million on virtual tech in the last two years, against more than $200 billion in total Veterans Health Administration spending — but proponents say that could rise significantly in coming years.

“In five to 10 years, we will see immersive technology being as common in medical care as cell phones, tablets, and other personal devices,” Dr. Steve Lieberman, Deputy Under Secretary for Health at VA, told attendees at the conference. “It’s the new reality in healthcare.”

About 2,000 staffers and roughly as many veterans are currently using virtual reality headsets as part of their medical care regimen. For some, that means home-bound veterans connecting with friends thanks to virtual chat rooms. For patients with post-traumatic stress, it can mean using virtual headsets to re-live past horrors in a safe space, with guidance from medical professionals to work through their emotions.

One physician, featured in a video at the event, said a patient with multiple sclerosis was able to quadruple her grip strength over a year by playing virtual reality games online with other veterans.

“There is mental health therapy and physical therapy and occupational therapy you get through this technology,” said Grace Esposito, a Navy veteran who had been dealing with the after-effects of a military spinal injury for more than 30 years. “I just completed some neuro-balance therapy from home. This is an advanced future, and I hope more people get on board.”

In addition to running patient-focused pilot virtual reality programs, VA officials are developing staff training protocols as well. Those include teaching staff how to teach veterans to use gun locks for personal firearms. Instead of just reading instruction sheets, VA staffers can manipulate the locks in the virtual world, and then walk vets through the same process in person to ensure they understand the tools.

Bailey hopes demand will grow as more patients and staff understand how much they can accomplish in the virtual world.

“We’re already running multi-state pilots with a very small investment,” she said. “There is a huge opportunity for even more.”

After military service, I used the GI Bill to get a degree in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. I struggled to make friends outside of my study groups at the university – burying myself in my studies so that I could graduate sooner. I knew I was older than my peers, so I had to move fast. I had a new mission – to be a software engineer. Because according to the Soldier’s Creed: I will always put the mission first. I never went to parties. I studied even on the weekends. I overloaded my credits every semester.

And then it happened. I got an internship. And then another role, and then another. Until I found myself a home at Airbnb. My purpose was to strengthen and secure Airbnb’s platform. I spent half of my civilian career there, almost 5 years. It’s where I met one of my closest friends, Lizzy Nammour, the co-founder of our technology start-up company.

It has not been an easy journey. I had been trained in the military to either give orders or take orders. No questions asked. I didn’t know I had a voice. Until my manager at Airbnb, Chris Ballard, said to me: “One of your peers gave you a performance review comment that said you should speak up because you have great ideas.” Chris also encouraged me to speak publicly about the things I was building at Airbnb. That is when I broke the barrier between my military life and my new world — 6 years after leaving my last duty station. That’s a long time. I finally felt like I belonged. I developed camaraderie among my peers and mentors and to this day, we are very, very close and I consider them my family.

We had training in the military to help with transition into the civilian world. It was hosted at the military base where I was last stationed, and representatives in military contracting companies came in to give us advice on how to prepare our resume. I thought that was not enough to ensure our success. The civilian world is a very different place and I see now how veterans struggle to succeed, let alone survive in it.

In my days at Airbnb, I became part of the Veterans group. By 2020, we were 11 strong out of over 9,000 employees. All of my peers had jumped straight into a civilian job. I had taken a different path – going from the military, then to college, and from there into civilian work.

As a group, we often hosted large groups of military service members who are transitioning into the civilian world. Most of the transitioning service members we hosted at Airbnb had been in service for at least 20 years. Less than 1% were interested in becoming a software engineer; even fewer were interested in going back to school to get a degree. I remember that when I joined the Army, my recruiter had promised me that whatever MOS I chose would be completely translatable in the civilian sector. They weren’t really, because our military jobs were specialized for warzones.

While part of the Veterans group at Airbnb, we took transitioning service members on a tour of our offices and hosted a panel where they could ask us about our experiences and get advice about how we transitioned into the civilian world ourselves. I found this to be the most helpful way to assist my fellow service members. Looking back, I wish I had the opportunity to do those same tours in tech companies and ask the same questions they had asked me.

I felt fortunate to be with my 10 peers — among the very few who transitioned from military life to the business world.

Now, I’m on a new mission built on my experience at Airbnb in a startup venture where we’re creating software that automates the drudgery of protecting data privacy and security. I’ve still got a lot to learn and I’m asking lots of questions, but my military training has served me well in the discipline it takes to set goals and stay focused on the mission.

There is life after the military, if you choose. It won’t always be easy, but you’ve got a huge network of other veterans who are your comrades and will always be there to help. Just be sure to help them, too, when it’s time.

Army veteran Julie Trias is a cofounder and chief technology officer of Teleskope.