Just leaving service: what the first two years after separation look like in the data.
This path is a preview. Drop your email and I'll send the full version when it ships.
Want to see what a full path looks like? The Founder path is already live.
Where are you in the timeline? (optional)
Got it. The full path will open on the window before separation: making the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) classes actually useful, and the records that are easier to get before you're out.
Got it. The full path will open on the handoff window: Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP) health coverage, the first job search, and the clocks that start the day you're out.
Got it. The full path will open on what comes after the first job, and which windows may still be open for you.
If you pick one, it's saved with anything else you've told me here, so the full path can open on the part that fits where you are.
What's coming
The full Transitioning path will walk the separation timeline with data attached. Where do recently separated Illinois veterans actually land? How long does the first job search take? Which benefit windows close fastest?
It will also cover the steps people miss. Transition Assistance Program (TAP) classes happen before you're out. The Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP) covers health care in the months right after. Both run on clocks.
Early read
| Value | Early read (preview) |
|---|---|
| Security / stability | How rocky is the first stretch after separation? The full path will put real numbers on it. |
| Income / earning ceiling | Is the first job out the ceiling, or a bridge? The full path will test that against the data. |
| Community / friendship | The full path will cite what transition research says about staying connected. |
| Purpose / meaning | A gap many veterans report after separation. No dataset measures it; the survey asks. |
| Mental health / stress | Care from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has enrollment windows. The full path will map them. |
Preview only. The full 18-value table ships when this path is built.
The full path also adds the stay-or-go state comparison, the research callouts, and an honest section on what the data can't show. Those ship when this path is built.
Where the numbers come from
U.S. Census (veteran tables, business survival), Department of Labor (federal-contractor filings), Bureau of Labor Statistics (wages), Small Business Administration (lending, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business certification, Mentor-Protégé). Plus non-government research, cited where it's used. The full path will cite every figure it shows.
Anything you enter on this page is read by one person, Henry. Details: what I collect and the privacy page.
Want the full Transitioning path?
Drop your email and I'll send this path when it ships. Demand decides the order, and whether a path gets built at all. Your email is a vote. I review the signals on July 12, 2026 and decide what ships next.
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