88.5—Responsibilities.
(a)
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness shall; (1) Issue guidance on transition assistance programs for Service members and their families, as necessary.
(2)
Coordinate, as necessary, within the Department of Defense to ensure the availability of high quality, equitable, and cost-effective transition programs among the Military Services.
(3)
Coordinate with and seek the assistance of the Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs, and other Federal Agencies to facilitate delivery of high quality transition assistance programs to separating Service members.
(4)
Evaluate the level of resources needed to deliver quality transition programs and facilitate efforts to obtain these resources.
(6)
Coordinate with theater commanders, though the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on transition assistance programs (job fairs and training conferences, for example) impacting overseas Unified Combatant Commands.
(7)
Establish the Department of Defense Service Member Transition Assistance Coordinating Committee, consisting of representatives from the Military Services and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. The purpose of this committee is to provide DoD-level direction and coordination for transition assistance programs.
(8)
Collect data to determine systematically the degree to which transition assistance programs satisfy the needs of transitioning Service members and their families.
(b)
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs shall establish and publish guidance on transition assistance programs for Reserve personnel and their families.
(c)
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs shall establish guidance on transitional medical and dental care, including health insurance and preexisting conditions coverage, for Service members and their families.
(d)
The Secretaries of the Military Departments shall ensure compliance with the criteria in Public Law 101-510, 102-190, and 102-484, as amended, and the following provisions:
(1)
Preparation counseling shall be available no later than 90 days before separation to all separating Service members.
(2)
High quality transition counseling and employment assistance programs are established on military facilities with more than 500 Service members permanently assigned or serving at that installation.
(3)
The participation of separating Service members in transition assistance programs shall be coordinated with mission requirements.
(4)
Transition assistance programs are allocated the resources necessary to delivery quality transition assistance programs.
(5)
The Military Services are represented on the Department of Defense Service Member Transition Assistance Coordinating Committee. Each of the Military Services may invite an installations-level transition manager to participate.
(6)
Quarterly reports on the status of transition programs are submitted to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness beginning the second quarter after this publication is published, and continuing each quarter until cancellation of this part.
(7)
The Inspector General of each Military Service shall review and report compliance with § 88.5(d)(1) through (d)(6) to the Service Secretary, on an annual basis, due no later than January 31 of the next calendar year.