WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a joint hearing before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC) and the House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC), Senator Angus King (I-Maine), spoke about the importance of ensuring a smooth transition from active duty status to civilian life for veterans with James LaCoursiere, Jr., the National Commander of The American Legion. In the exchange, Senator King referenced the bipartisan TAP Promotion Act, legislation he championed that would proactively help veterans in the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) as they begin applying for their well-deserved benefits, and Commander LaCoursiere voiced his support for the bill — calling it “very critical.” According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), approximately 200,000 servicemembers make the transition to civilian life each year. Additionally, the first few months after leaving active duty are often the most fragile for veterans, putting them at an increased risk for self-harm and suicide. According to a National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, suicide is the second leading cause of death in veterans under the age of 45.

“Now, I do want to talk about transition for a minute. Be The One is one of the most important initiatives going on in the country right now. Thank you for staffing that, for setting it up and for making it actually happen. I have a simple formula for transition. I think the Defense Department should spend as much money on transition as they do on recruitment. One of the things we are working on here is something called the TAP Promotion Act which would bring Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) into the process of transition. We have to have a warm hand off. I think you quoted a number, a very large percentage of the suicides are at the first year or two after transition. That is a place where we really need to give some effort. Commander, tell me about how important you think transition is,” said Senator King.

“Thank you very much for that question. The TAP program is very critical. It is a very important element and critical that [veterans] get 365 days to transition and educate themselves on it. As we all know, the more knowledge you have, it gives us a much better sense of direction on where to go and what you need but it serves you in the right direction for gainful future employment. As we all know, employment starts you in the right direction for stability with your family and it also drives the economy forward. Too often we sit back and they don't know where to go for assistance when they get out of the military. I am not saying the second you get out of the military that you need assistance, but down the road you may need that assistance. They need to be afforded all the tools and resources and even get a start in their next career as they take off the uniform, replied Commander LaCoursiere.

“My vision is someone meet you at the airport when you come home and says, ‘welcome home, here's what the VA can do for you — here are the programs. Give me a call if you need any help.’ That is where things like the Be The One Program can be a difference. Thank you for what you're doing. Be our eyes and ears and let us know what is happening out there so we can protect and defend the most sacred obligation this government has which is to its veterans,” said Senator King.

Representing one of the states with the highest rates of military families and veterans per capita, Senator King has been a staunch advocate for America’s servicemembers and veterans. A member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), he works to ensure American veterans receive their earned benefits and that the VA is properly implementing various programs such as the PACT Act, the State Veterans Homes Domiciliary Care Flexibility Act, and the John Scott Hannon Act. Earlier this month, in a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins, Senator King joined his colleagues in urging for immediate action to secure veterans’ personal information provided by VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), a measure that would protect millions of veterans’ medical records stored in VA’s computer systems. Previously, Senator King introduced the Lethal Means Safe Storage for Veteran Suicide Prevention Act to provide firearm storage to veterans in an effort to reduce suicides among the veteran population. In addition, he helped pass the Veterans COLA Act, which increased benefits for 30,000 Maine veterans and their families. Recently, Senator King introduced bipartisan legislation alongside SVAC Chairman Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) to improve care coordination for veterans who rely on both VA health care and Medicare. This week, Senator King was honored by the Disabled American Veterans as its 2025 Legislator of the Year. Last year, he was recognized by the Wounded Warrior Project as the 2024 Legislator of the Year for his “outstanding legislative effort and achievement to improve the lives of the wounded, ill, and injured veterans.”

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