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By Ginger Blazicko, U.S. Army Installation Management Command G-1
SAN ANTONIO -- This year’s U.S. Army Unemployment Compensation Program, or UCX, payout is the lowest expenditure in the program’s 11-year history, showing positive employment success of Soldiers.
This reflects the impact the Transition Assistance Program has made to help Soldiers transition from the military and find new career plans or employment.
The current fiscal year 2022 UCX payout is $60 million, which is the lowest expenditures payout since FY 2011 reporting. This number equates to a cumulative $455 million saving for taxpayers and the U.S. Army.
The UCX program is provided by federal law through the U.S. Department of Labor and state agencies for Soldiers receiving unemployment compensation. The DOL bills the U.S. Army for reimbursement.
“While the current UCX is the lowest dollar payout for FY 2022, the real success of the UCX program is the success of our transitioning Army Soldiers who have prepared, marketed and rebranded themselves through TAP services and programs to find their employment opportunity to meet their personal goal and financial expectations,” said Derrick Hutchison, chief of the IMCOM Transition Services Branch.
The Transition Assistance Program is mandated by law in accordance with the Veteran Opportunity to Work Act of 2011 and the 2019 John McCain National Defense Authorization Act, which requires eligible separating service members to begin the TAP process no later than 365 days prior to their transition date for separating or retiring.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office, along with the DOD, DOL, the Small Business Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs and other partnering federal agencies, provide regular reviews of the program to Congress to ensure program relevancy, effectiveness, oversight and a means to improve on programs and services.
These partnering efforts also provide employment training and information to Soldiers and their eligible spouses for one year after their separation or two years after their retirement from the military.
Payout tracking began in FY 2011. As programs and services evolved to support transitioning members, payouts continued to reflect a significant decline.
This payout reduction is a major savings for taxpayers. In the eight years between the 2011 VOW Act and the NDAA 2019, payouts showed a $423 million savings.
The efforts of the TAP centers located at 57 U.S Army Installation Management Command installations provide support, resources and program oversight to help eligible Soldiers and Families through counseling, preparation, employment assistance and information on federal veterans benefits as they return to the civilian sector.
The IMCOM TAP also includes the Army Career Skills Program which offers transitioning service members the opportunity to participate in employment skills training, on-the-job-training, pre-apprenticeships and internships with high probability of employment in high-demand, high-skills jobs.
Additional efforts by TAP team members to provide responsive and reactive measures to mitigate challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and support Soldiers at remote locations included virtual employment training, preparation, and job fairs which provided new access opportunities for Soldiers and spouses. These efforts were noted in the GAO report as favorable access, relevant and compliant for TAP standards.
The national veteran unemployment rate in November was 2.7% as reported by the DOL. This number was down 3.8% from the November 2021 report, reflecting positive employment trends for veterans.
Hiring veterans makes solid financial sense. Veterans provide their merits, skillsets and return value to businesses and, most importantly, to our nation.
The U.S. Army’s support and stewardship to invest, fund and ensure the execution of TAP programs enables the critical and real success of our Soldiers.
“Supporting those who have served and sacrificed while ensuring our nation is afforded the best her future civilian employees can offer requires preparation and resources. A financially sound Soldier reflects the best use of our taxpayers’ money,” Hutchison said.
| Date Taken: | 12.13.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 12.13.2022 13:28 |
| Story ID: | 435080 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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