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RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute
The RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute, housed at the RAND Corporation, is dedicated to conducting innovative, interdisciplinary, evidence-based research to improve the lives of those who have served in the U.S. military.
Jul 15, 2021
Essay
How Veterans Fare in the Civilian Labor Market
Around 200,000 service members transition to the civilian labor market every year. They often find it's like falling into another dimension, one where employers don't even speak the same language. More than a decade of RAND research has sought to ease that transition.
Nov 4, 2022

Explore Veterans Employment

Blog
Supporting America's Veterans: RAND Weekly Recap
This Veterans Day edition of the weekly recap focuses on helping veterans succeed in civilian jobs, a bakery that doubles as a business school for members of the military community, Black Americans’ military service, and more.
Nov 11, 2022
Essay
Dog Tag Bakery: A Fresh Start for Veterans
A bakery in Washington, D.C., brings together service-disabled post–9/11 veterans, military spouses, and caregivers. For five months, they are immersed in an intensive entrepreneurial-focused business program. It's become a model for helping veterans and others in the military community reestablish their lives.
Nov 1, 2022
Periodical
RAND Review: November-December 2022
Features explore an innovative fellowship for military veterans, spouses, and caregivers; how veterans fare in the civilian labor market after leaving the military; and the impact of racism on patient safety in health care settings.
Oct 31, 2022
Research Brief
Fellowship Program Supports the Transition from Military to Civilian Life
Dog Tag Inc.'s entrepreneurial fellowship program helps veterans, their spouses, and their caregivers prepare for careers in the civilian workforce. In addition to occupational training in a variety of business sectors, the program offers wellness activities and peer support.
Oct 12, 2022
Report
The Impacts of Dog Tag Inc. A Mixed-Methods Exploration of an Entrepreneurial Fellowship for Veterans, Military Spouses, and Military Caregivers
This report describes efforts to help Dog Tag Inc. better understand the impacts of its entrepreneurial fellowship program, which seeks to help veterans, their spouses, and those who serve as their caregivers reintegrate into civilian life.
Oct 12, 2022
Q&A
The Mutual Rewards of Hiring a Veteran: Q&A with Kyleanne Hunter and Kayla Williams
July 25 is National Hire a Veteran Day, and its purpose is to encourage employers to look to this diverse pool of workers to fill positions. Employers stand to benefit from the experience and skills that veterans acquire during military service. For veterans, a fulfilling career can ease the transition to civilian life.
Jul 25, 2022
Report
How Do Education Benefits Support Veterans’ Transitions to Civilian Life?
Today’s new veterans have access to generous and flexible education benefits through the Post-9/11 GI Bill. But it is difficult to determine the effectiveness of these benefits and who is using them. Additional research could help address these gaps and improve understanding of veterans’ needs.
Jan 10, 2022
Multimedia
RAND Remote: Launching the RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute
In this RAND Remote conversation, the RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute's directors and other special guests discuss veterans policy issues and RAND’s work to help meet the needs of diverse veteran populations.
Dec 1, 2021
Report
A Big Transition: Military Service Members' Earnings and Employment After Active Duty
After leaving the service, many veterans earn less money than they did while in active duty. This emphasizes the importance of helping service members build marketable skills and supporting their transitions into the civilian workforce.
Nov 10, 2021
Journal Article
Evaluation Design Options Report: Veterans' Employment and Training Services (VETS) Research Study Design
This report presents multiple evaluation design options to address questions specified in specified in a Congressionally-mandated Department of Labor longitudinal study of job counseling, training, and placement service for veterans.
Apr 17, 2019
Journal Article
Knowledge Development Report: Veterans' Employment and Training Services (VETS) Research Study Design
This report presents information needed to design an evaluation that can address questions specified in a Congressionally-mandated Department of Labor longitudinal study of job counseling, training, and placement service for veterans.
Apr 17, 2019
Report
Women's Representation in the U.S. Department of Defense Workforce
When compared with the civilian labor force, there is less women's representation among those who work for the U.S. Department of Defense. What accounts for this gap? And what could be done to address it?
Nov 7, 2018
Research Brief
How resilience affects the transition experiences of UK Service leavers
RAND Europe was commissioned by the Forces in Mind Trust to research how resilience can affect transition experiences and outcomes for UK Service leavers.
Jun 27, 2018
Report
Understanding resilience as it affects the transition from the UK Armed Forces to civilian life
Building on a previous consultation looking at the transition experiences of UK Service leavers, RAND Europe was commissioned by the Forces in Mind Trust to research the effect of Service leavers' resilience on transition pathways and outcomes.
Jun 27, 2018
Report
Job Search Process Is Working for Veterans
A comparison of the unemployment experiences of ex–service members and civilians finds that while both groups had similar durations of unemployment, veterans delayed filing for benefits. But once engaged with employment services, they made active use of tools like job referrals and training.
Feb 8, 2018
Report
Translating Veterans' Skills into Civilian Employers' Terms
Military veterans have a great deal to offer civilian employers, including nontechnical skills such as leadership, decisionmaking, and persistence. New tools can help veterans describe their skills to potential employers and can be used by employers to understand the value veterans can bring to their organizations.
Dec 4, 2017
Tool
What Veterans Bring to Civilian Workplaces: A Prototype Toolkit
For veterans, military and civilian workplace cultures and languages can seem radically different from one another. This prototype toolkit is intended to help veterans communicate about the full value they can bring to civilian workplaces.
Dec 4, 2017
Tool
What Veterans Bring to Civilian Workplaces: A Prototype Toolkit for Helping Private-Sector Employers Understand the Nontechnical Skills Developed in the Military
Presents a prototype toolkit that describes the nontechnical skills developed through military training, education, and on-the-job experiences, to help civilian employers understand the full value veterans can bring to their organizations.
Dec 4, 2017

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Kayla M. Williams

Senior Policy Researcher

Kayla Williams (she/her) is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation; her focus areas include optimizing policies and programs to support veterans and military personnel. She was most recently Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Veterans…
Jason M. Ward

Associate Director, RAND Center on Housing and Homelessness in Los Angeles

Jason Ward is associate director of the RAND Center on Housing and Homelessness in Los Angeles, an associate economist at the RAND Corporation, and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His work uses the tools of applied microeconomics to study housing, labor markets, education,…

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