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Version 00 · Introduced in House · Mar 5, 2025
TAP Promotion Act
This bill requires that pre-separation counseling under the Transition Assistance Program include a presentation that promotes the benefits available to veterans from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill also requires the VA to annually report on the presentation to (1) identify veterans service organizations that participate, (2) provide the number of members of the Armed Forces who attend, and (3) provide any recommendations for changes to the presentation.
People & committees
Rep. Van Orden, Derrick [R-WI-3] · R–WI
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: Oct 6, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-03-05 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed TAP Promotion Act would add a standardized presentation about veterans’ benefits to counseling for service members preparing to leave the military. It would explain how veterans service organizations can help with benefit claims, prohibit encouraging membership in a particular organization, and limit the presentation to one hour. The Department of Veterans Affairs would report annually on participation.
This Act may be cited as the TAP Promotion Act.
Transition assistance program: presentation in preseparation counseling to promote benefits available to veterans
(20) A presentation that promotes the benefits available to veterans under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Such presentation— (A) shall be standardized;
(E) shall include information on how a veterans service organization may assist the member in filing a claim described in paragraph (19); (F) may not encourage the member to join a particular veterans service organization; and (G) may not be longer than one hour.
Not less frequently than once each year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit
(1) identifies each veterans service organization that participated in a presentation under paragraph (20) of section 1142(b) of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a); (2) contains the number of members of the Armed Forces who attended such presentations;
Section 2 would add the presentation requirement to the existing military transition counseling statute. Before implementation, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs would have to review and approve the standardized presentation in collaboration with veterans service organizations that assist with claims through the department’s benefits delivery at discharge program.
Section 1142(b) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (20) A presentation that promotes the benefits available to veterans under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Such presentation— (A) shall be standardized; (B) shall, before implementation, be reviewed and approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in collaboration with veterans service organizations that provide claims assistance under the benefits delivery at discharge program of the Department of Veterans Affairs;
The Secretary would have to submit the presentation to the Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs committees for review at least 90 days before implementation. This clause requires submission for review, rather than committee approval.
(C) shall be submitted by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives for review at least 90 days before implementation;
Where available, a legally recognized veterans service organization representative or a legally recognized individual would have to participate in presenting the material. An individual participating under the second option would also need authorization from the Secretary concerned.
(D) where available, shall be presented with the participation of— (i) a representative of a veterans service organization recognized under section 5902 of title 38; or (ii) an individual— (I) recognized under section 5903 of such title; and (II) authorized by the Secretary concerned to so participate;
The presentation would have to explain how a veterans service organization may help a service member file the claim referenced in existing paragraph (19). The supplied text does not reproduce that paragraph.
(E) shall include information on how a veterans service organization may assist the member in filing a claim described in paragraph (19);
The presentation could not encourage service members to join a particular veterans service organization and could last no longer than one hour.
(F) may not encourage the member to join a particular veterans service organization; and (G) may not be longer than one hour.
After enactment, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs would have to report at least annually to the Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs committees in both chambers. Reports would identify each participating veterans service organization, give the number of service members who attended, and include any recommendations from the Secretary for changes to the presentation or its statutory requirements.
(b) Annual report Not less frequently than once each year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit, to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives, and to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives, a report that— (1) identifies each veterans service organization that participated in a presentation under paragraph (20) of section 1142(b) of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a); (2) contains the number of members of the Armed Forces who attended such presentations; and (3) includes any recommendations of the Secretary regarding changes to such presentation or to such paragraph.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated October 6, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs committees on March 5, 2025. Its latest listed action is referral to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity on March 27, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-06T08:06:03Z. 2025-03-27: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. 2025-03-05: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2025-03-05: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-03-05. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion applies only to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; accompanying earmark materials were not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential benefit, carve-out, or special exemption was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. Program coverage and presentation administration do not by themselves warrant such a finding. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 6, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI