Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Silva, E. (2011). Participation in the transition assistance program and job placement outcomes of U.S. veterans. (Publication No. AAI1491543) [Master’s dissertation, University of Rhode Island]. ProQuest.
Highlights
- The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) on employment success—an outcome that reflects both employment and the desired number of work hours.
- The study involved a nonexperimental comparison group analysis that compared veterans who participated in TAP to those who did not, using data from the Current Population Survey and Veterans Supplement.
- The study showed no statistically significant relationship between TAP and veterans’ employment success.
- The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the authors did not ensure that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. This means we could not be confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to TAP and not to other factors. However, the study did not show any statistically significant effects.
Intervention Examined
The Transition Assistance Program
Features of the Intervention
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991 created TAP. Administered by the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Labor, and Department of Veterans Affairs, TAP is a voluntary program offered to people in the military and their spouses to ease the transition to civilian life by providing employment supports. TAP participants attend workshops, receive help finding jobs, write resumes, and participate in mock interviews.
Features of the Study
The study involved a nonexperimental comparison group analysis to compare employment success for veterans who participated in TAP to those who did not. The sample consisted of 1,477 veterans, drawn from 10,766 respondents to the Veterans Supplement, who separated from the military between 1991 and August 2007 and self-identified as either participating or not participating in TAP. The study team defined employment as positive if a person had a job and worked at least the number of hours desired, somewhat positive if the person had a job but worked fewer hours than desired, and negative if the person was unemployed.
The sample was about 83 percent White, 11 percent African American, and 85 percent male. Roughly one-quarter had a high school diploma or less, and about 30 percent had some college education. Over one-fifth of the sample reported having a disability.
Findings
Employment
- The study showed no statistically significant relationship between TAP and veterans’ employment success.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The authors did not account for any preexisting differences between the groups before program participation. Such differences—and not the program—could be responsible for any observed differences in outcomes.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the authors did not ensure that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. This means we could not be confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to TAP and not to other factors. However, the study did not show statistically significant effects.