Injured in the service? Suspect you have a disability? Worried about transitioning to the civilian world?
Then you may want to learn more about the Department of Veterans Affairs' Disabled Transition Assistance Program, or DTAP. The DTAP program is your first step to ensuring professional and personal success outside of the military, and you can learn about this program at pre-separation counseling.
DTAP provides service members with information about the VA's Veteran Readiness and Employment (formerly Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment) program. VR&E assists veterans with disabilities in obtaining and maintaining employment. VR&E provides one-on-one service to help veterans choose the career path that's right for them by offering four options for returning to work:
- Rapid access to employment, which helps you return to work as soon as possible
- Reemployment, providing assistance with returning to a former private-sector employer
- Employment through long-term services, which provides specialized training and/or education to update your skills in order to return to work
- Self-employment if you have limited access to traditional employment, need flexible work schedules or more accommodating work environments due to disabilities
If your disability prevents you from working, VR&E provides services that help you gain more independence in daily living.
If you are scheduled to participate in pre-separation counseling, be sure to check box 18a on DD Form 2648, "Pre-separation Counseling Checklist for Active Component Service Members" or box 16a on DD Form 2648-1, "Pre-separation Counseling Checklist for Reserve Component Service Members Released from Active Duty." This will ensure you are scheduled for a face-to-face DTAP briefing.
If you miss the face-to-face briefing, you can still learn about DTAP online. Just look for the Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP) tab. The DTAP tab also provides information about valuable educational and vocational counseling available for all service members, not just those with disabilities.
This counseling can help you with setting your career goals and includes interest and aptitude testing, career choices and training possibilities.
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