TAP Promotion Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The TAP Promotion Act adds a veterans benefits presentation to the military Transition Assistance Program's preseparation counseling. The presentation must promote benefits available under laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, be standardized, be reviewed and approved by VA in collaboration with veterans service organizations that provide Benefits Delivery at Discharge claims assistance, and be sent to House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees at least 90 days before implementation. Where available, a recognized VSO representative or accredited individual may participate. The presentation must explain how a VSO can help a servicemember file a claim, may not encourage membership in a particular VSO, and may not exceed one hour. VA must report annually to Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs Committees on which VSOs participated, how many servicemembers attended, and any recommended changes.
Who Benefits and How
Transitioning servicemembers benefit because VA benefits information and claims-assistance options become a standardized part of preseparation counseling. Veterans service organizations benefit from an approved role in presenting claims-assistance information where available. Servicemembers filing VA claims benefit from learning how accredited VSOs can assist with the claims process before separation. Congressional veterans committees benefit from 90-day pre-implementation review and annual participation reports.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of Veterans Affairs must design, approve, submit, and annually report on the presentation. Military transition offices must fit the standardized benefits presentation into preseparation counseling. Veterans service organizations must coordinate participation without using the session to recruit members. VA and Defense staff must track attendance counts and participating organizations for annual reports.
Key Provisions
- Requires a standardized VA benefits presentation in Transition Assistance Program preseparation counseling.
- Requires VA collaboration with veterans service organizations and congressional review before implementation.
- Allows recognized VSO representatives or accredited individuals to participate where available.
- Limits the presentation to one hour, bars VSO membership steering, and requires annual reports.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Adds a standardized VA benefits presentation to Transition Assistance Program preseparation counseling, requires VA and veterans service organization review before implementation, requires congressional review 90 days before implementation, permits VSO participation, limits the presentation to one hour, bars steering servicemembers to a particular VSO, and requires annual reports.
Key Policy Areas
Veterans, Transition Assistance, Military Benefits
Primary Purpose
Adds a standardized VA benefits presentation to Transition Assistance Program preseparation counseling, requires VA and veterans service organization review before implementation, requires congressional review 90 days before implementation, permits VSO participation, limits the presentation to one hour, bars steering servicemembers to a particular VSO, and requires annual reports.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Transitioning servicemembers
- Veterans service organizations
- Servicemembers filing VA claims
- Congressional veterans committees
Identified Costs
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Military transition offices
- Veterans service organizations
- VA and Defense staff
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
Mr. Van Orden introduced the following bill; which was referred …
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition …
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Military transition offices, Transitioning servicemembers
Positive-direction: Transitioning servicemembers
Negative-direction: Military transition offices
Servicemembers filing VA claims, Veterans service organizations
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology