There is an “America Supports You” program that helps active duty, Guard, and Reserve veterans transition to jobs in the construction industry. Defense officials say the “Helmets to Hardhats” program has “matched about 40,000” veterans with apprenticeships in construction unions around the country. However, the program still has some 150,000 registered job seekers looking for their particular area of interest and more signing up each year.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.