Veterans: purpose & work after service

Loyalty, courage, discipline, looking out for others: these are still yours. The setting has changed, not the person. Many veterans find it helps to name the values they want to keep living by, then look for new places to use them.

Many veterans say what they miss most is the mission and the team. Naming what you miss shows you what to rebuild.

Ask yourself

• What did I love about a normal day in service?
• Who did I feel most connected to, and why?
• When did I feel most useful?
• What am I glad to leave behind?

Identity grows from what you do and who you do it with. Each new role, like student, volunteer, coach, parent or business owner, adds a piece. You don’t have to choose your “forever” role right away.

Small experiments

• Try a class in something you’ve always wondered about
• Volunteer once for a cause you care about
• Join a group with a shared interest, like fishing, music or fitness
• Talk with a veteran who made a transition you admire

Civilians may ask awkward questions. Have a short, comfortable answer ready, like “I served eight years in the Navy as a medic. Now I’m studying nursing.” You never owe anyone details.

Volunteering gives structure, a reason to get out of the house and a chance to meet people. It can be as small as a few hours a month. Pleasant, useful activities can also lift mood.

Ideas

• Animal shelters
• Building or repairing homes
• Coaching a youth sports team
• Food banks or community kitchens
• Helping at a local veterans’ organization

Some veteran-led groups put military skills to work helping people after disasters. Team Rubicon, for example, is a veteran-led humanitarian organization whose volunteers help communities before, during and after disasters.

Why it can help

• A clear mission and a team again
• Seeing the difference you make, right away
• Using skills like logistics, leadership and staying calm under pressure

The Mission Continues runs local “service platoons” led by veteran volunteers. Platoons partner with community groups on projects like improving schools and green spaces and tackling food insecurity. Veterans and non-veterans can join.

VA Voluntary Service has many ways to help, such as the Volunteer Transportation Network that drives veterans to appointments, the Compassionate Contact Corps, and work at national cemeteries. You fill out an interest form online and a local representative contacts you.

Peer support groups help people feel connected and less alone. You can share as much as you like, or just listen. Many VA facilities also employ Peer Specialists: veterans with their own recovery experience who can walk alongside you.

Ways to get involved

• Ask a Vet Center about local groups
• Ask your local VA about Peer Support Services
• Try a free virtual peer group, such as those run by Give an Hour
• When you are ready, mentor a newer veteran

Team Red, White & Blue brings veterans and supporters together through local events, fitness challenges and outdoor adventures. Wounded Warrior Project’s Project Odyssey uses adventure-based learning in a 12-week mental health workshop.

Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network offers creative arts therapies and community arts for military-connected people.

Ideas

• A community choir or band
• A photography or writing club
• A woodworking or maker space

• A faith community, if that’s part of your life
• A local sports club or league
• A neighborhood or school group
• A veterans’ organization post near you

You may qualify if you

• Served at least 90 days on active duty on or after September 11, 2001
• Received a Purple Heart on or after that date, with an honorable discharge
• Served at least 30 days in a row and were discharged for a service-connected disability

It can cover

• Full public, in-state tuition and fees, at the maximum benefit level
• A monthly housing allowance if you study more than half time
• A yearly stipend for books and supplies
• Licensing and certification tests, tutoring and work-study

Most people get up to 36 months of benefits. If your service ended on or after January 1, 2013, your benefits don’t expire (the “Forever GI Bill”). If it ended earlier, they expire 15 years after you left.

• Yellow Ribbon Program: can help cover higher out-of-state, private or graduate school costs
• VET TEC 2.0: helps eligible veterans build skills for high-tech careers
• Apprenticeships: earn while you learn a trade
• Licensing and certification tests can be covered too

VA’s Personalized Career Planning and Guidance (Chapter 36) offers free career and education counseling, help choosing a path, and resume support. You may qualify if you left active duty within the last year, will leave within 6 months, or are eligible for VA education benefits.

Qualified service members can transfer some or all of their Post-9/11 GI Bill months to a spouse or child. The Department of Defense must approve the transfer, so plan before you leave.

My Next Move for Veterans is a free tool sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. You pick your branch, enter your military job title or code (like your MOS, rating or AFSC), and it suggests civilian careers with similar work.

Turn military words into civilian ones

• “Squad leader” → supervised and trained a team of 9
• “Responsible for $2M of equipment” → managed inventory and assets worth $2 million
• “Convoy operations” → planned logistics and safe transport under pressure
• “NCO” or “petty officer” → team lead or supervisor

TAP is a joint federal program. The Department of Labor’s part gives transitioning service members and their spouses information, tools and training to find work. Its Employment Navigator and Partnership Program offers one-on-one career help as a personal guide.

VR&E (sometimes called Chapter 31) helps eligible veterans explore jobs, get training or education, find and keep a job, or start a business. It also offers independent living support for those who need it.

Who can get it

• Veterans who did not receive a dishonorable discharge, and
• Have a VA service-connected disability rating of at least 10%
• If you were discharged on or after January 1, 2013, there is no time limit to apply

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) points veterans to nearly 2,400 American Job Centers nationwide that help people search for jobs and find training. You can find your nearest one through CareerOneStop.

VETS also lists programs such as apprenticeships, help for veterans experiencing homelessness, and job rights for Guard and Reserve members (USERRA).

• Celebrate small wins, like an interview or a good conversation
• If crowds or noise are triggers, ask about the work setting before you accept
• Keep a daily routine: up at the same time, set search hours, then stop
• Practice talking about your service in a way you’re comfortable with. You decide how much to share.
• Set goals you control, like applications sent, not offers received

• Boots to Business: part of TAP, held at military installations worldwide
• Boots to Business Reboot: for veterans of all eras, plus Guard and Reserve, in their communities
• Revenue Readiness: a six-week online course to turn an idea into a working model, after the first course

Veterans Business Outreach Centers are available nationwide. They offer business plan workshops, help checking whether your idea works, mentoring and training for service members, veterans, and Guard and Reserve members.

Special training

• Service-Disabled Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program
• Veteran Federal Procurement Entrepreneurship Training Program
• Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program

VR&E includes a Self-Employment track that can help eligible veterans with a service-connected disability start their own business.

• Keep your own spending money separate from the business
• Start small and test your idea before big spending
• Talk with a mentor before signing loans or leases
• Watch for burnout: set work hours and keep time for family and rest

1. List everything coming in, including any VA benefits.
2. List fixed costs: rent, car, insurance, phone.
3. Plan for gaps, like the time between your last paycheck and first civilian one.
4. Pay off high-interest debt first when you can.
5. Set one small savings goal.

• Military OneSource offers free financial counseling for 365 days after you leave service: 800-342-9647
• VA benefits hotline, to check what you may be owed: 800-827-1000 (weekdays, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET)
• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has free tools for budgeting and money goals

The CFPB warns veterans about pension advance offers, which can be costly. It also explains that debt collectors generally can’t take Social Security or VA benefits straight from your bank account.

If you are homeless or at risk of losing your housing, call VA’s National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838, 24/7.