WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, reaffirmed his commitment to improving the experience of veterans transitioning out of the military.

 “As one who has a state full of veterans and is grateful for what they do for our country, I am committed to making sure that we are a catalyst for a successful transition for all the veterans from active duty to veteran status,” Isakson said at a committee hearing held yesterday to assess the various resources available to aid in the service members’ transition to veteran status.

At the hearing, Isakson highlighted the importance of making sure that service members are not “falling through the cracks” after they leave the military.

“Whenever a veteran is able to leave active duty with a plan or a roadmap and a mentor or a support system, the better off that veteran is,” said Isakson. “Every time someone leaves active duty status at the Department of Defense and becomes a veteran without the helping hand of a mentor and doesn’t have the right platform of information… that’s when people [who] made a great contribution to our country are not able to make the contribution that they would like to in their own private life.”

Currently, active duty service members are required to go through the Transition Assistance Program, a five-day program facilitated by the Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA), Defense and Labor to help service members navigate the transition from the military to veteran status.

Isakson questioned VA and Labor agency representatives on what they are doing to ensure that service members participating in the Transition Assistance Program are connected to resources and jobs at private sector companies, noting the importance of the “many corporations in America that are going out of their way to provide access to quality jobs for our veterans.”

In addition, Isakson thanked representatives from Coca-Cola, a Georgia company, and Starbucks Coffee Company for the work they are doing to bridge the cultural divide between military and civilian life for veterans.

“Part of that bridging of that cultural divide is for us to promote within our own country as members of the Congress… the value of those veterans and the support they need from the community,” said Isakson.

Earlier this year, Isakson listed helping service members transition from the military as one of his top priorities as chairman. 

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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 114th Congress.

Isakson is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate VA Committee since he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations representing each branch of the military as well as more than 750,000 veterans.