Veterans Affairs (VA) is the primary agency in the United States that provides veterans with benefits and unique services. Some of the benefits from VA include education benefits, home loans, life insurance, and health care benefits. While the VA is one of the most important resources for veterans, additional government agencies in the US help service members transit back to civilian life, including:

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

This agency assists veterans and military families who are facing unique financial problems by:

• Offering educational resources
• Providing assistance with grievances and complaints
• Working together with other departments to ensure that the veteran’s requests are met.

The US Department of Agriculture

The USDA offers veterans an opportunity to assist with keeping America’s food supply safe and secure, restoring and conserving the environment, and preserving or strengthening rural communities. The agency highlights the wide range of experience and strong work ethic that veterans can offer as one of their motivations to recruit this type of workforce. 

This program also aims at equipping veterans with a new career in farming, including the tools and resources they need to succeed. Veterans can learn more about employment, education, and entrepreneurship by visiting the USDA’s veterans website.

The US Department of Energy

The US Department of Energy has numerous veterans programs and training opportunities to assist veterans in their transition to civilian jobs. The most common ones include:

• DOE Scholars. These are internship programs for veterans who are still in college or those who have recently graduated. Some of the courses under this program include energy management and intelligence programs for veterans.
• Power4Vets and Troops to energy. These two programs help veterans start a new career in the energy sector.
• Operational Warfighter Program. This organization offers an internship program that helps veterans who are wounded, ill, or injured develop skills that will help them easily transition to civilian life.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

The IRS also offers unique tax benefits for current and former military members. The department excludes income tax on the VA education and training benefits. Veterans must be serving or have served in the military and receive VA education benefits to be eligible for the income tax exclusion.

The IRS also excludes disabled veterans from paying certain taxes. Those veterans who received an amended return filing for combat-injured disabled veterans or those who received an increase in disability percentage from VA are eligible to claim a federal tax return.

Transitioning back to civilian life can be challenging, but with additional resources from the VA and other US organizations, veterans can find support for a variety of situations, including finance, careers, and education.