WASHINGTON — Every year, approximately 200,000 men and women leave U.S. military service and return to life as civilians.
But it's not always easy. A new bill could help by improving upon the existing Transition Assistance Program.
The "Daniel J. Harvey, Jr. and Adam Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition to Reduce Veteran Suicide Act" is designed to ease the transition from active duty by educating outgoing troops about readjusting to the civilian world. It also provides them with specific information about mental health services available at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia, 2nd District) co-sponsored the bill.
"We want to make sure that they're armed and have all the resources they need so if they are struggling during that transition time, they know where to get help," she said in an interview with 13News Now.
The bill passed the House unanimously and heads now to the Senate.
The measure has the backing of the nation's largest military service organization, the American Legion.