There doesn't need to be a study done to measure the effectiveness of transition programs provided for Veterans as they leave the Military. I will tell you why. Because transition programs don't work. When I was medically retired from the United States Army three years ago, one of the "Check the Box" requirements I had to fulfill was a weeklong transition class which was developed to help Veterans prepare in becoming Civilians again. So for five days I sat in this classroom with about 40 other Veterans who were being medically retired for wounds they received in Iraq or Afghanistan, and for five days we were told that when we return home and start applying for and interviewing for jobs that it will be in our best interest if we do not mention anything at all about our service. We couldn’t believe what we were hearing. Here we were, all of us being highly decorated Combat Veterans who spent time away from our families and friends and loved ones, seeing some of the worst things imaginable that a human being can ever see, and here we were being told that none of this matters to recruiters. We were told that Civilians don’t understand us, that they can’t relate to us, and this can and most likely will negatively impact us in the job hiring process. This can’t be right I thought to myself. Here I was, an Infantry Officer with time spent as a Platoon Leader, an Advisor, and a Company Executive Officer. I was responsible for ensuring that my Platoon was trained up and ready for our deployment, when I got wounded three weeks into our deployment and was offered the chance to stay on as a Logistics Officer to the Afghanistan National Army and Afghanistan Uniformed Police, then when our mission changed and I was promoted to being the Company Executive Officer, I was responsible for the deconstruction of our Combat Outpost and the reallocation of $26,000,000 worth of property. Not to mention, keeping the Soldiers in the Company equipped with the resources they still needed to go out and conduct their missions. There would be no way any recruiter would pass me over with all the Leadership and Operations experience I have. But you know what, once I left the Military and returned home, I found out that this lady was right. Nobody cared. Nothing I did in the Army mattered. Not once did I have a single recruiter ask me one question about my Military experience. So I took any mention of my Military service off my resume and now it’s never mentioned. As soon as I did this, I got offered a job.

You mean you create these programs without having a built-in system for evaluating their effectiveness??? That takes a special kind of STUPID! Oh, no! Let's just keep pouring money into programs and later we'll ask for MORE MONEY AND MORE BUREAUCRACY to see if the programs were any good to begin with! <smh> The inmates are TRULY running the asylum! It strikes me as the same kind of garbage that's been going on with the VA in general.

If I understand this question clearly, a Veteran Transition Program was created, but had also not established a program to evaluate its effectiveness. Truly sounds like a well researched governmental approach. So this program will need taxpayers cash on cash already spent on a failed program. BTW, how do women or minorities fit into this new expenditure? Are we not all equal? Sounds like another boondoggle to increase a bloated federal budget.