Last week I began the process with Soldier for Life Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP). I'm not sure what the difference is between "ACAP" and "SFL-TAP", it may just be a regional difference or SFL-TAP may be the new acronym for what ACAP used to be. The Army likes to change acronyms for things every few years as a way of showing "progress" and being responsive to critique.
This week I finished the Initial PreSeparation Counseling with an SFL-TAP counsellor and was scheduled for the formal briefings required before receiving the all-important DA 2958, which your CO signs off on and gets submitted as part of the UQR (Unqualified Resignation) packet to BDE and HRC which ultimately results in your DA 214 release from active duty form.
During Initial Counseling I was required to Register on the eBenefits website (https://www.ebenefits.va.gov) and MyHealthEVet website (http://www.myhealth.va.gov) with a username and password so they can be accessed without a CAC card after transitioning out. I also was shown how to print out my Verification of Military Experience & Training (VMET, https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/tgps) and Joint Services Transcript and Summary (JST, https://jst.doded.mil), which is like a college transcript and description of all of my military schools and how they apply to the civilian world, so that a civilian employer can better understand what my job in the Army was like in brief, general terms. A lot of transition benefits were described to me as well, and the counsellor offered assistance with a resume. I had one already created, and had already applied to two jobs, which happened to be a requirement for SFL-TAP as well, so I met those requirements during the initial counseling. The counsellor said that these are the hardest parts for most people, because most people in the Army have never had to write a resume or apply for a job. Having done this already made the counseling session go by very quickly, but most of the time this counseling can take an hour to an hour and a half.
The earliest I could get scheduled for the mandatory, full day, week long briefings was Dec 7th, nearly two months from now, and I am on a small post with not many permanent party residents. The short months in the Fall and the natural personnel cycle of the Army means Fall is a big time for separations, so plan accordingly. I am investigating if I can do any other paperwork between now and the mandatory briefings so the time is not simply idle. The briefings include a Transition Overview and creating an Individual Transition Plan, an MOS Crosswalk description and the creation of a GAP Analysis (how your military job experience benefits your future civilian career, as well as an exploration of what careers might interest you), a Financial Planning Seminar and the creation of a 12 Month Post-Separation Budget, and three days of Dept of Labor Workshops with the creation of a Resume rough draft. Finally there are two VA Benefits Briefings. I am also supposed to visit the on-post Guard/Reserve for "Continuum of Military Service Counseling" which is counseling on the benefits of staying with the military part-time as opposed to going into the Independent Ready Reserve (IRR). This week of briefings is scheduled for all day, 0900 to 1700, but the SFL-TAP counselor wants us to show up in business professional attire instead of duty uniform, in part to get us used to the civilian professional environment, I reckon.
Again, as a word of warning, I recommend starting the ETS process as soon as you possibly can. You can always pull back your packet after you've explored the option, but if you start too late then you won't be able to submit the paperwork on time for your desired ETS date!
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