As we speak, the House and Senate Committees on Armed Services are negotiating their versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025. An important VFW legislative priority, S.2888 / H.R.3933, TAP Promotion Act, is currently in the House version (Section 563) only. This provision would require that accredited claims representatives such as service officers from VSOs such as the VFW and others, along with state and county service officers, are present in Transition Assistance Program (TAP) classes to support transitioning service members with filing pre-discharge claims. This would facilitate a warm hand-off from the Department of Defense to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the benefits that veterans have earned and deserve. Ensuring veterans receive their VA benefits and health care as soon as they leave the military facilitates a smooth transition, and can also reduce the risk of homelessness, food insecurity, and suicide. 

Due to the VFW’s advocacy efforts, VA started incorporating accredited service officers into its TAP classes in early 2024. This is a great first step, but passing the TAP Promotion Act would establish this as a permanent program. Fortunately, since this is a current VA practice, codifying it into law would require no additional funding from taxpayers.