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<a style="color: #000000;" href="https://news.va.gov/126138/va-ets-sp-partnership-transition-experience/?fbclid=IwAR0Eb4adleZ0UaiIx1qLRPZ9-_Y-OEKykjXwbqU16Dbp7eHKTpA1mwxUeAk_aem_AXty1akcB23UBdtDqL2jEifxlx7b3eJzJJBmbRoKAWXg8NMXlZ3Wnc0wBUMzZZaBpLE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VA News,</a> November 22, 2023
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Each year, approximately 200,000 service members transition from military to civilian life. Between <a style="color: #000000; letter-spacing: 0em;" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2011/12/08/the-difficult-transition-from-military-to-civilian-life/">44% and 72%</a> of them experience high levels of stress during the process. VA is committed to helping them, and one way it does this is with non-monetary partnerships. These partners act as &ldquo;force multipliers&rdquo; that expand resources for Veterans and other beneficiaries.
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VA partners with <a style="color: #000000; letter-spacing: 0em;" href="https://etssponsorship.com">the ETS Sponsorship Program (ETS-SP)</a> to help Veterans address social determinants of health (SDOH) associated with mental health resiliency and improved health outcomes. Facilitated by the <a style="color: #000000; letter-spacing: 0em;" href="https://www.va.gov/HEALTHPARTNERSHIPS/index.asp">National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships (HAP)</a>, it provides individualized support for all service members before, during, and after their transition from military service.
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&ldquo;VA strategic partnerships with community organizations, health care providers, and stakeholders expand resources supporting Veterans&rsquo; SDOH, such as food security, mental health support, and employment and education assistance,&rdquo; said Chien Chen, HAP chief officer and nurse executive. &ldquo;Together with the community, we&rsquo;re addressing the root causes of disparities to achieve health equity for Veterans and their families.&rdquo;
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The <a style="color: #000000; letter-spacing: 0em;" href="https://onwardops.org">Onward Ops</a> program pairs service members with trained volunteer peers prior to separating from the military. Here, VA and ETS-SP can address employment, transition, and education needs.
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<ul style="line-height: 1.5; direction: ltr; margin-left: 0px;">
<li style="list-style: disc;">Employment Support: The VHA-ETS-SP partnership supports military spouses through job training, resume writing assistance, and job placement services.</li>
<li style="list-style: disc;">Education and Training Support: Military spouses have access to educational resources and training opportunities to advance current or future careers.</li>
<li style="list-style: disc;">Transition Support: The Onward Ops program pairs transitioning service members and Veterans with peer sponsors in their communities. Sponsors are trained to provide effective one-on-one support throughout the transition process, including information about VA benefits and local and regional community resources.</li>
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&ldquo;The Onward Ops program effectively bridges the gap for transitioning Veterans and their families by connecting them to the health care and benefits they earned in uniform and providing support through a trained community sponsor,&rdquo; said Danielle Bracco, ETS-SP director of operations. &ldquo;By addressing common issues such as spouse employment and school evaluations, this program alleviates the burden that new Veterans and spouses often face alone.&rdquo;
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VA partnership resources
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<a style="color: #000000; letter-spacing: 0em;" href="https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.7916/D83V110C">Early research</a> indicates that participation in community-based interventions and sponsorship programs decreases suicide risk factors, increases positive SDOH, and improves military-to-civilian transition outcomes. VA partnerships provide Veterans and their families with resources, such as food and transition support.
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<li style="list-style: disc;"><a style="color: #000000; letter-spacing: 0em;" href="https://www.nutrition.va.gov">Nutrition and Food Services</a> offers meal planning tips, nutrition guidance from registered dietitians, and assistance for food insecurity.</li>
<li style="list-style: disc;"><a style="color: #000000; letter-spacing: 0em;" href="https://benefits.va.gov/transition/tap.asp">Transition Assistance Program</a> provides information, resources, and tools to help service members, families, and caregivers transition successfully.</li>
</ul>
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VA and ETS-SP Partnership Enhances Transition Experience

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Silverlinings, October 24, 2023
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unless you&rsquo;re in a very specific subset of the population, you&rsquo;ve likely never heard of the ETS Sponsorship Program. But the company, run by Army veteran <a style="text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-r-eastman/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #1155cc; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mike Eastman</a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, is working with Google Cloud on a better way to help military personnel transition to civilian life.
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While it&rsquo;s still early days, an interesting trend is emerging: veterans don&rsquo;t necessarily want to keep doing what they were doing in the military. And one of the top things they do want to be doing? Cybersecurity work.
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Indeed, cybersecurity is a growing field. <a style="text-decoration: none;" href="https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2023.pdf"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #1155cc; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A report from the</a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> World Economic Forum showed that there is a global shortage of 3 million cybersecurity professionals. The same report found just over half of the 803 organizations surveyed for the study pointed to skills in networks and cybersecurity as increasing in importance.
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eastman told Silverlinings that there are plenty of programs out there already that try to match military skills to civilian job listings on a like-for-like basis. But ETS is trying to come up with a more nuanced approach based on a slew of data that can account for &ldquo;intangibles&rdquo; in the equation.
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That includes analyzing information about a person&rsquo;s military history, their favorite thing about the military, whether they actually want to keep doing what they were doing, where they&rsquo;re living, how much travel they want to do, what kinds of vets have been hired for what jobs in the past and more to uncover jobs a candidate may not have considered but is qualified for.
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to Eastman, that&rsquo;s where Google Cloud comes in. ETS has partnered with the company to securely store what can oftentimes include sensitive data. Google Cloud also helped it build a model to crunch all the aforementioned data and supplied its Looker business intelligence platform for analytics.
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eastman said ETS is coming to the end of its first year of partnership with Google Cloud. While it took a while to build its new software, he said ETS has completed the move of its infrastructure from on prem to Google Cloud and has also integrated Google Cloud and related services into its new software. Now, it&rsquo;s working to scale its new service and tackle new use cases that can leverage Google Workspace.
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;Google&rsquo;s working really closely with us and some of their AI experts to go after these use cases,&rdquo; Eastman said.
<h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 4pt 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cybersecurity in focus</h2>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The average ETS enrollee is 27 and has served five to seven years in the military, Eastman said. They have an Associate degree and half are married.
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, where are they ending up?
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #333333; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;The careers they&rsquo;ve been selecting have been remarkably stable: Cybersecurity, project management, some of the trades, construction, HVAC and then it gets a little more fine grained as you go down,&rdquo; Eastman said.
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to Eastman, there are two pools of candidates pursuing cybersecurity roles. One group consists of folks who area already trained in this area due to their military experience. But &ldquo;the majority here are folks that are upskilling or retraining because they view cyber and IT as a growth industry. So they are literally coming in with an Associates degree in English Lit and going and getting &ndash; either through Google certificates or through [the Department of Defense&rsquo;s] SkillBridge [program] &ndash; upskilling themselves to enter into this sector.&rdquo;
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #212121; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eastman said it&rsquo;s too early to share numbers around how many employees are going into each category, given success is often a 12-month journey. But he noted that around 6,000 people are enrolled in ETS&rsquo; platform right now and it expects to enroll over 24,000 over the next 12 months.


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Google Cloud and ETS built a new way for military vets to find jobs

<p style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 75ch; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: #1a1819; font-family: 'Public Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #f5f5f5; font-size: 1.2rem !important;">VA News, October 20, 2023
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 75ch; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: #1a1819; font-family: 'Public Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #f5f5f5; font-size: 1.2rem !important;">VA will conduct a peer sponsor training session in November for anyone interested in becoming a Veteran peer sponsor.
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 75ch; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: #1a1819; font-family: 'Public Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #f5f5f5; font-size: 1.2rem !important;"><a style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition-property: color, background-color, border-color; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-timing-function: linear; text-underline-position: under;" href="https://www.queri.research.va.gov/qnews/dec21/default.cfm?QnewsMenu=article3" rel="noopener">Research shows</a>&nbsp;suicide rates among Veterans are highest during the military-to-civilian life transition. To combat this, the&nbsp;<a style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition-property: color, background-color, border-color; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-timing-function: linear; text-underline-position: under;" href="https://www.va.gov/healthpartnerships/" rel="noopener">National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships (HAP)</a>&nbsp;leads the&nbsp;<a style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition-property: color, background-color, border-color; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-timing-function: linear; text-underline-position: under;" href="https://www.va.gov/HEALTHPARTNERSHIPS/VSPN.asp" rel="noopener">Veteran Sponsor Partnership Network (VSPN)</a>&nbsp;initiative in collaboration with VA&rsquo;s Veteran Sponsorship Initiative (VSI).
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 75ch; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: #1a1819; font-family: 'Public Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #f5f5f5; font-size: 1.2rem !important;">Composed of several non-monetary VA partnerships with community organizations, VSPN partners help Veterans and their families with housing, education and employment. VSPN partners also pair Veterans with sponsors who can assist with the military-to-civilian transition.
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 75ch; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: #1a1819; font-family: 'Public Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #f5f5f5; font-size: 1.2rem !important;">&ldquo;VSI facilitates educational programming and training centered around suicide prevention,&rdquo; said Dr. Natesha Smith-Isabell, who provides oversight of VA&rsquo;s peer sponsorship training. &ldquo;Onward Ops, in partnership with VSI, enrolls current active duty service members, and then matches them with VA certified peer sponsors to build a supportive foundation before they transition out of the military.&rdquo;
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 75ch; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: #1a1819; font-family: 'Public Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #f5f5f5; font-size: 1.2rem !important;">Onward Ops is one of more than a dozen VSPN partners. This nationwide program helps all service members regardless of branch of service by creating a personalized transition plan for enrollees with peer sponsorship as a cornerstone of the system.
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 75ch; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: #1a1819; font-family: 'Public Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #f5f5f5; font-size: 1.2rem !important;">Dr. Smith-Isabell and the VSI team, in conjunction with Onward Ops and the University of Texas at Austin&rsquo;s Institute for Military and Veteran Family Wellness, will conduct a peer sponsor training session in November for anyone interested in becoming a Veteran peer sponsor. The training will be held Nov. 8, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT both online and in-person (John. W. Hargis Hall, 1823 Red River St, Austin, TX 78712).
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 75ch; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: #1a1819; font-family: 'Public Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #f5f5f5; font-size: 1.2rem !important;">To register for the training,&nbsp;<a style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition-property: color, background-color, border-color; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-timing-function: linear; text-underline-position: under;" href="https://onwardops.org/sponsors" rel="noopener">sign up on the website here</a>.
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 75ch; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: #1a1819; font-family: 'Public Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #f5f5f5; font-size: 1.2rem !important;">&ldquo;Sponsors help decrease the stress of transitioning out of the military by answering questions, providing information about community resources and fostering a supportive relationship with transitioning Veterans,&rdquo; said Christine Eickhoff, VA health systems specialist.
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 75ch; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: #1a1819; font-family: 'Public Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #f5f5f5; font-size: 1.2rem !important;">&ldquo;Service members, Veterans and military family members can also be effective peer sponsors for those going through the military-to-civilian transition, but no military experience is required to be a sponsor. Anyone committed to helping Veterans integrate smoothly into civilian communities is encouraged to volunteer with a VSPN partner and become a sponsor,&rdquo; she added.
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 75ch; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: #1a1819; font-family: 'Public Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #f5f5f5; font-size: 1.2rem !important;">Although sponsoring a transitioning service member can seem daunting, the VA VSI training helps prepare peer sponsors to support service members, their families and the community. This includes helping Veterans engage with VA in the community they&rsquo;ve moved to, in addition to local community resources that support their health, careers and more.
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 75ch; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: #1a1819; font-family: 'Public Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #f5f5f5; font-size: 1.2rem !important;">&ldquo;This training session supports the growth and development of VSPN and the continuing education of VSPN&rsquo;s network of Veteran peer sponsors,&rdquo; said Chien Chen, chief HAP officer/nurse executive. &ldquo;The one-on-one support provided by peer sponsors helps streamline the transition process to improve the overall experience and outcomes for Veterans adjusting to civilian life.&rdquo;

Assist Transitioning Veterans Through Peer Sponsorship

<div class="has-drop-cap " style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 20px;">
<p style="--wp--preset--font-size--small: var(--wp--custom--typography--font--size--small); --wp--preset--font-size--default: var(--wp--custom--typography--font--size--default); --wp--preset--font-size--large: var(--wp--custom--typography--font--size--large); margin-bottom: var(--space-lrg);">Transitioning out of the military into civilian life should be an exciting new chapter in the lives of service members. However, studies show that of the nearly 200,000 personnel who leave the U.S. military each year, 30% leave with no job and 71% don&rsquo;t sign up for VA benefits. A non-profit organization is trying to change that by combining resources and facilitating supportive communities to help transitioning veterans and their families through a program called Onward Ops. The Onward Ops program takes a different approach from other efforts to support transitioning service members by building a human connection between service members and a sponsor from the destination community they intend to live in, according to Mike Eastman, executive director for the ETS Sponsorship Program, the organization behind Onward Ops. Eastman outlined the core elements of Onward Ops in a recent panel discussion, produced by Scoop News Group, and underwritten by Google for Government which involves building relationships between a service member and their sponsor while they&rsquo;re still wearing the uniform and regardless of where they are deployed. Establishing this relationship early on can alleviate pressure during transition by allowing direct connection to information and community that the service member and their family need. &ldquo;One of the things that we are really excited about &mdash;&nbsp;based on the capabilities we have with Google Workspace is introducing risk screening into our process,&rdquo; explained Eastman. By identifying those that are in most need of assistance, through Workspace they can get connected with intake specialists and mental health providers. &ldquo;Rather than spread limited resources broadly, we can focus it on where it can have the most impact,&rdquo; he said. Mike Houlihan, director for Workspace with Google Public Sector and an ETS sponsor himself, joined the conversation to share how the collaboration platform improves the efficacy of Onward Ops&rsquo; mission. &ldquo;The technology is actually the easy part,&rdquo; he said, saying that the tools Google has already developed can be leveraged in unique ways to achieve the mission goals of the Onward Ops program. Houlihan pointed to tools that add value, such as Google Maps, which shows where soldiers eventually end up, Google Wallet, which provides gift cards or access to funds, and data analysis with AI and ML tools to provide additional services back to those transitioning service members on the communal front. This video panel discussion was produced by Scoop News Group for DefenseScoop and FedScoop, and underwritten by Google for Government.
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Building a Community with Google

<p style="--wp--preset--font-size--small: var(--wp--custom--typography--font--size--small); --wp--preset--font-size--default: var(--wp--custom--typography--font--size--default); --wp--preset--font-size--large: var(--wp--custom--typography--font--size--large); margin-bottom: var(--space-lrg); font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 20px;">DefenseScoop, May 22, 2023 While many great organizations serve our U.S. military veterans, the statistics in veteran suicide, unemployment, underemployment, and homelessness show that there is still much work to be done, shared Mike Eastman, a U.S. Army veteran and now executive director of The ETS Sponsorship Program. Eastman said part of the gap is connecting active-duty service members on their way out of service to community members who can best help them on their journey back into civilian life. &ldquo;The core of what we do is connecting a service member to a sponsor from the community they&rsquo;re moving to. Each of these veterans needs to know that someone out there still cares and someone can answer the questions that any of us would ask if we&rsquo;re making a major life change,&rdquo; shared Eastman in a recent Scoop News Group interview for DefenseScoop, and sponsored by Google for Government. The&nbsp;<a style="transition: color 0.15s ease-out 0s, background-color 0.3s ease-out 0s, text-decoration-color 0.15s ease-out 0s; color: #0b3a69;" href="http://onwardops.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Onward Ops</a>&nbsp;program assesses each transitioning service member&rsquo;s individual needs and develops a personalized, holistic transition plan across domains ranging from healthcare and social resources to employment and education that he or she then uses to achieve their goals. Utilizing Google&rsquo;s on-demand insights via world-class analytics, Onward Ops can analyze localized metrics to determine the veteran&rsquo;s specific needs and appropriate services and monitor progress and outcomes. Google Cloud services that operate in a high level of security allow the organization to say, &ldquo;with great confidence that what you tell us will be safe,&rdquo; Eastman shared. &ldquo;It is no mystery that Americans across this country want to, and love to, support the military. The challenge is, how do you do that?&rdquo; Eastman said. Becoming a sponsor will cost volunteers simply an hour a week to answer questions, &ldquo;and you will be changing the life of that veteran and their family for the better, probably making a friend in the process.&rdquo; Watch the full interview with Mike Eastman <a style="font-size: medium; color: #0b3a69;" title="Onward Ops program helps veterans transition to civilian life by directly connecting them to their communities and determining specific needs and progress with @GoogleCloud analytics." href="https://defensescoop.com/video/the-power-of-the-cloud-to-aid-service-members-in-their-transition-to-civilian-life/">DefenseScoop Spotlight and Interview</a>.
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Helping Veterans Transition to Civilian Life

Onward Ops Explained in 2 Minutes

Created by Vets for Vets, Onward Ops Bridges Military-to-Civilian Gap, Empowering Active Duty &amp; Veterans With Tools, Resources, Mentorship &amp; Google Technology to Build Interpersonal Relationships Central to Thriving After Uniformed Service <a href="https://www.newswire.com/news/ets-sp-collaborates-with-google-public-sector-to-bring-best-in-class-22034842" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source</a> ARLINGTON, Va., May 11, 2023 (Newswire.com) -&nbsp;The Expiration Term of Service Sponsorship Program (ETS-SP), a national non-profit organization bridging the gap between military and civilian life, announces a collaboration with Google Public Sector to incorporate the full suite of Google Workspace applications into the&nbsp;<a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3c3dpcmUuY29tL25ld3MvdW50aXRsZWQtcHJlc3MtMzk1MzQwOS0yMjAyNTM0Ng&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzd2pkdTQiLCIzd2pkdTUiLCIzd2pkdTYiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">newly launched Onward Ops military transition support program</a>. Empowering transitioning service members and their sponsors with best-in-class collaboration tools and data security facilitates the interpersonal relationships central to a successful return to civilian life. Annually, nearly 200,000 service members transition from the military into civilian life. Existing federal transition programs provide information regarding available services and benefits but&nbsp;not&nbsp;how to navigate thousands of potential options. Pairing service members with trained sponsors from destination communities and empowering them with tools like Google's real-time collaboration features successfully closes this gap, helping them work together on critical tasks from filing disability claims to drafting a resume. Onward Ops provides the information and resources needed to plan a successful transition on a single, secure platform, informed by best practices across the Veteran support space and validated by Veterans who have successfully made the return to civilian life. "We're thrilled to bring the magic of Google to the mission of Onward Ops, supporting transitioning service members, connecting them with resources and sponsors with the help of Google Workspace," said Karen Dahut, CEO of Google Public Sector. "This partnership is an opportunity to use technology to help active-duty service members from all branches successfully complete the journey out of uniform and into their next chapter as Veterans."&nbsp; The Onward Ops program assesses each enrollee's individual needs and develops a personalized holistic transition plan across domains ranging from healthcare and social needs to employment and education that he or she then uses to achieve their goals. Utilizing Google's on-demand insights via world-class analytics, Onward Ops can analyze localized metrics to determine the Veteran's specific needs and appropriate services and monitor progress and outcomes. "We chose Google Cloud and Workspace due to their high standards of data security, brand awareness among veterans and service members, collaboration tools and Google's commitment to veterans," said Brigadier General (ret) Mike Eastman, ETS Sponsorship Executive Director. "Google's support of America's military is apparent in all they do from bringing Workspace to our active-duty force to their veteran job search capabilities, SkillBridge program and so much more." The Onward Ops program is on track to enroll more than 24,000 transitioning service members and their families over the next 12 months. Enrolled service members and sponsors receive Google Workspace Enterprise accounts at no cost for the duration of their personal transition program. People can give back to transitioning service members and military spouses by volunteering as an Onward Ops sponsor at&nbsp;<a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cub253YXJkb3BzLm9yZy8&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzd2pkdTciLCIzd2pkdTgiLCIzd2pkdTYiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OnwardOps.org</a>. Communities interested in joining our network can email&nbsp;<a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=bWFpbHRvOmxlYWRlcnNoaXBAb253YXJkb3BzLm9yZw&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzd2pkdTkiLCIzd2pkdWEiLCIzd2pkdTYiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leadership@OnwardOps.org</a>. For news and updates, follow&nbsp;<a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tL09ud2FyZE9wcw&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzd2pkdWIiLCIzd2pkdWMiLCIzd2pkdTYiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>,&nbsp;<a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9PbndhcmRPcHM&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzd2pkdWQiLCIzd2pkdWUiLCIzd2pkdTYiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>,&nbsp;<a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnN0YWdyYW0uY29tL09ud2FyZE9wcw&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzd2pkdWYiLCIzd2pkdWciLCIzd2pkdTYiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGlua2VkaW4uY29tL2NvbXBhbnkvT253YXJkLU9wcy8&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzd2pkdWgiLCIzd2pkdWkiLCIzd2pkdTYiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a>.&nbsp; About ETS-SP: The ETS Sponsorship Program, in a public-private partnership with the Veterans Administration, supports communities across the country in the successful reception and transition of service members out of the military and into civilian life. Through the Onward Ops military transition support program, it connects transitioning service members to destination communities at all levels through a secure, common-data platform augmented by trained volunteer sponsors to set conditions in the community for a positive, proactive return to civilian life.&nbsp;
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ETS-SP Collaborates With Google

Created by Vets for Vets, Program Bridges Military-to-Civilian Gap, Empowering Active Duty &amp; Veterans With Tools, Resources &amp; Mentorship to Thrive After Uniformed Service <a href="https://www.newswire.com/news/ets-sp-launches-onward-ops-military-transition-support-program-to-22025346" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source</a> WASHINGTON, May 2, 2023 (Newswire.com) - The Expiration Term of Service Sponsorship Program (ETS-SP), a national non-profit organization bridging the gap between military and civilian life, announces its Onward Ops military transition support program. Building on six years of supporting those departing the military, this new program powered by ETS Sponsorship offers best-in-class tools, vetted resources and mentorship from trained community sponsors to ensure today's uniformed men and women continue to thrive as new Veterans. Nearly 200,000 military service members transition into civilian life each year. Despite the vast array of organizations dedicated to preparing active-duty military for transition to civilian life, results are underwhelming. Unemployment, inability to secure stable housing and lack of medical care continue to plague too many new Veterans. Accessing services and benefits earned through military service remains a frustrating, often daunting challenge. "The ETS Sponsorship Program began with a focus on the Army," said Brigadier General (ret) Mike Eastman, ETS-SP and Onward Ops Executive Director. "As we expanded the services and tools we provide and increased outreach into the other military branches, now is the right time to introduce Onward Ops as a new program designed for all those in uniform, regardless of the Service they are affiliated with." In the Onward Ops program, the information and resources needed to plan a successful transition are available on a single, secure platform. Rather than focusing exclusively on one sector such as employment, the program assesses service member needs across multiple domains from employment and educational goals to family and social needs, creating a personal transition plan for each enrollee, informed by best practices across the Veteran support space and validated by Veterans who themselves have successfully made the return to civilian life. "Leaving the military is hard enough without having to search for information and assistance. One of our main goals was bringing many trusted resources together and presenting them in a way that was accessible without being overwhelming," said Eric Kittelson, Onward Ops and ETS-SP Product Director.&nbsp;"Combining this with the ability to collaborate with a sponsor or community significantly improves transition outcomes." The Onward Ops program is on track to enroll more than 24,000 transitioning service members and their families over the next 12 months. It is offered at no cost to service members up to a year before they depart the military and provides the option to choose a self-guided transition with personalized resources and tools or a sponsor-guided transition with personalized, hands-on support from experienced sponsors. &nbsp; People can give back to transitioning service members and military spouses by volunteering as an Onward Ops sponsor at&nbsp;<a href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly9vbndhcmRvcHMub3JnLw&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzdzQ3eGgiLCIzdzQ3eGkiLCIzdzQ3eGoiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OnwardOps.org</a>. Communities interested in joining our network can connect via&nbsp;<a href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=bWFpbHRvOmxlYWRlcnNoaXBAb253YXJkb3BzLm9yZw&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzdzQ3eGsiLCIzdzQ3eGwiLCIzdzQ3eGoiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leadership@onwardops.org</a>. For news and updates, follow on&nbsp;<a href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tL09ud2FyZE9wcw&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzdzQ3eG0iLCIzdzQ3eG4iLCIzdzQ3eGoiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9vbndhcmRvcHM&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzdzQ3eG8iLCIzdzQ3eHAiLCIzdzQ3eGoiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnN0YWdyYW0uY29tL29ud2FyZG9wcw&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzdzQ3eHEiLCIzdzQ3eHIiLCIzdzQ3eGoiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGlua2VkaW4uY29tL2NvbXBhbnkvb253YXJkLW9wcy8&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzdzQ3eHMiLCIzdzQ3eHQiLCIzdzQ3eGoiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a>.&nbsp; About ETS-SP: The ETS Sponsorship Program, in a public-private partnership with the Veterans Administration, supports communities across the country in the successful reception and transition of service members out of the military and into civilian life. Through the Onward Ops military transition support program, it connects transitioning service members to destination communities at all levels through a secure, common-data platform augmented by trained volunteer sponsors to set conditions in the community for a positive, proactive return to civilian life. To volunteer as an ETS-SP sponsor, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ldHNzcG9uc29yc2hpcC5jb20&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzdzQ3eHUiLCIzdzQ3eHYiLCIzdzQ3eGoiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ETSsponsorship.com</a>. Communities can join our network by emailing&nbsp;<a href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=bWFpbHRvOmxlYWRlcnNoaXBAZXRzc3BvbnNvcnNoaXAuY29t&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzdzQ3eHciLCIzdzQ3eHgiLCIzdzQ3eGoiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leadership@etssponsorship.com</a>. Follow on&nbsp;<a href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tL2V0c3Nwb25zb3JzaGlwcHJvZ3JhbS8&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzdzQ3eHkiLCIzdzQ3eHoiLCIzdzQ3eGoiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9ldHNzcG9uc29yc2hpcA&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzdzQ3eTAiLCIzdzQ3eTEiLCIzdzQ3eGoiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5zdGFncmFtLmNvbS9leHBsb3JlL3RhZ3MvZXRzc3BvbnNvcnNoaXAv&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzdzQ3eTIiLCIzdzQ3eTMiLCIzdzQ3eGoiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://stats.newswire.com/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGlua2VkaW4uY29tL2NvbXBhbnkvdGhlLWV0cy1zcG9uc29yc2hpcC1wcm9ncmFt&amp;hit%2Csum=WyIzdzQ3eTQiLCIzdzQ3eTUiLCIzdzQ3eGoiXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a>.

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