,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #eehe  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,september #bi1
 #bjbf,mr4 ,padilla 7for himself and    
,mr4 ,scott of ,south ,carolina7        
introduced the following bill2 which was
 read twice and referred to the         
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs  ,a   
,,bill  ,to require a pilot program to  
support members of the ,armed ,forces   
and military families transitioning to  
civilian life1 and for other purposes4  
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,building ,readiness and        
,integration for ,dependents ,going to  
,civilian ,environments ,act of #bjbf or
 the ,,bridge ,act of #bjbf4  #b4 ,pilot
 program to support members of the      
,armed ,forces and military families    
transitioning to civilian life  7a7 ,in 
general ,not later than #ahj days after 
the date of the enactment of this ,act1 
the ,secretary of ,defense shall        
establish a non-clinical1               
community-based pilot program under     

which eligible organizations shall      
provide support to members of the ,armed
 ,forces and military families          
transitioning to civilian life4  7b7    
,purpose ,the purpose of the pilot      
program shall be-- 7#a7 to provide      
personalized1 whole-family transition   
and wellness support to strengthen      
resilience1 stability1 and long-term    
well-being during and after separation  
from the ,armed ,forces2 and  7#b7 to   
treat transition as a whole-family life 
change and complement 7not duplicate7   
the ,transition ,assistance ,program    
through upstream1 preventative support4 
7c7 ,locations2 duration  7#a7 ,in      
general ,the ,secretary of ,defense     
shall carry out the pilot program at    
four geographically diverse military    
installations during the three-year     
period beginning on the date of the     
enactment of this ,act4  7#b7 ,locations
 ,to the extent practicable1 the        
,secretary of ,defense shall carry out  
the pilot program at one military       

installation in each of the following   
areas3 7,a7 ,the ,west ,coast of the    
,united ,states4  7,b7 ,the ,midwest of 
the ,united ,states4  7,c7 ,the ,east   
,coast of the ,united ,states4  7,d7    
,outside of the ,united ,states4  7#c7  
,preference ,in selecting locations for 
the pilot program1 the ,secretary of    
,defense shall give preference to       
locations that serve as major force     
projection platforms4  7d7 ,eligible    
organizations2 selection ,the ,secretary
 of ,defense shall select organizations 
to participate in the pilot program from
 among national organizations serving   
members of the ,armed ,forces1 veterans1
 and their families with a demonstrated 
capability to execute national programs 
through a community-based lens to       
provide or coordinate the provision of  
military transition services for such   
individuals4  7e7 ,eligible members and 
families2 priority2 referrals  7#a7 ,in 
general ,an individual is eligible for  
services under the pilot program if the 

individual is-- 7,a7 a member of the    
,armed ,forces on active duty who is    
within one year of separation from the  
,armed ,forces1 including a single      
member without dependents2 or  7,b7 a   
member of the family of a member of the 
,armed ,forces described in subparagraph
 7,a74  7#b7 ,priority ,in selecting    
members of the ,armed ,forces and       
families for the pilot program1         
organizations participating in the pilot
 program shall prioritize-- 7,a7 members
 of the ,armed ,forces facing           
accelerated or involuntary separations  
from the ,armed ,forces1 and families of
 such members2 and  7,b7 members of the 
,armed ,forces with limited time for    
transition planning1 and families of    
such members4  7#c7 ,referrals ,eligible
 members of the ,armed ,forces and      
families may be referred to the pilot   
program through any of the following3   
7,a7 ,the ,transition ,assistance       
,program4  7,b7 ,the command of the     
member4  7,c7 ,a partner organization4  

7,d7 ,self-referral4  7f7 ,activities   
7#a7 ,in general ,under the pilot       
program1 each organization participating
 in the pilot program1 in collaboration 
with local ,transition ,assistance      
,program offices1 shall-- 7,a7 identify 
eligible members of the ,armed ,forces  
and families2  7,b7 provide to such     
members and families1 during the        
one-year period following separation    
from the ,armed ,forces1 the services   
described in paragraph 7#b72 and  7,c7  
track the progress of such members and  
families4  7#b7 ,services ,in carrying  
out paragraph 7#a77;,b71 each           
organization participating in the pilot 
program shall-- 7,a7 provide resources1 
training1 and community connection      
support1 including-- 7i7 peer-led       
support groups2  7ii7 resilience        
workshops2  7iii7 a digital resource hub
 focused on emotional wellness1         
practical life skills1 and community    
reintegration for spouses1 children1 and
 caregivers2  7iv7 employment assistance

 for spouses2  7v7 skills training and  
credentialing2  7vi7 benefits           
navigation2 and  7vii7 reintegration and
 wellness support2  7,b7 assign each    
single member of the ,armed ,forces or  
family1 as the case may be1 a dedicated 
transition coordinator to conduct       
assessments1 develop personalized       
transition plans1 and provide high-touch
 navigation across employment1          
education1 healthcare1 benefits1 and    
community resources2  7,c7 perform a    
whole-family wellness and transition    
assessment that produces a customized   
transition roadmap aligned to separation
 timeline1 reason for separation1 and   
family dynamics2  7,d7 establish        
tailored support pathways based on      
individualized needs rather than a      
one-size-fits-all approach2 and  7,e7   
connect families to and coordinate with 
existing ,federal1 ,state1 nonprofit1   
and community resources1 rather than    
create duplicative programs4  7g7       
,outcomes ,each organization            

participating in the pilot program shall
 track the following3 7#a7 ,short-term  
outcomes1 from #j to #f months          
post-separation1 including readiness and
 confidence1 stress1 status of          
transition plans1 and resource          
connections4  7#b7 ,mid-term outcomes1  
from #f to #ab months post-separation1  
including employment outcomes1 financial
 stability1 and family wellbeing4  7#c7 
,long-term outcomes1 from #ab to #cf    
months post-separation1 including       
employment outcomes1 resilience1 and    
crisis intervention needs4  7h7         
,implementation ,in carrying out the    
pilot program1 the ,secretary of        
,defense and the ,secretary of ,veterans
 ,affairs shall coordinate and ensure a 
seamless post-separation handoff of     
services between the ,department of     
,defense and the ,department of         
,veterans ,affairs4  7i7 ,report ,not   
later than #ahj days after the date on  
which the pilot program terminates1 the 
,secretary of ,defense shall submit to  

,congress a report that includes the    
following3 7#a7 ,a detailed accounting  
of the results of the pilot program4    
7#b7 ,a recommendation on whether to    
extend the pilot program4  7j7          
,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7     
,pilot program ,the term pilot program  
means the pilot program established     
under subsection 7a74  7#b7 ,transition 
,assistance ,program ,the term          
,transition ,assistance ,program means  
the program of the ,department of       
,defense for preseparation counseling1  
employment assistance1 and other        
transitional services provided under    
sections #aadb and #aadd of title #aj1  
,united ,states ,code4