1. THINGS SOLDIERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
ACAP
Location and Contact Info:
Fort Meade ACAP
4216 Roberts Ave, 1st Floor
Fort Meade, MD 20755
(301) 677-9871
www.acap.meade@serco-na.com
ACAP Manager: Countess D. Simiyu
Transition Service Manager: George E. Matthews
Every Soldier who has been on active duty for more than 180 consecutive days, no
matter the reason for leaving the Army, is required to complete Preseparation
Counseling (documented on DD Form 2648) at least 365 days prior to ETS date or
Retirement. Soldiers being administratively discharged should be directed to ACAP at
the first sign that discharge is a possibility. Reserve Component Soldiers have to
complete Preseparation Counseling also but it will be documented on a DD Form
2648-1. The 365-day criterion does not apply to Reserve Component Soldiers unless
they are AGR.
 Preseparation Counseling can be done online at www.acap.army.mil or in the
ACAP Center on a computer. If the Soldier completes Preseparation
Counseling online she/he must call ACAP @ 301-677-9871 to schedule an
Initial Counseling. It’s during Initial Counseling that the Soldier will be
provided their copy of the DD Form 2648/-1 and informed about and scheduled
for follow-on services. We encourage Soldiers to complete Preseparation
Counseling at the office or at home vs. ACAP Center because the 2 hours it
takes can be accomplished over a period of time; at the ACAP Center it must
all be accomplished during one sitting.
 Only an ACAP Counselor can provide a Soldier with a DD Form 2648/-1.
Therefore, Soldiers have to visit the ACAP Center in order to receive it.
Soldiers who are deployed, or lack access to an ACAP Center can get their DD
Form 2648/-1 by conducting Initial Counseling with the ACAP Call Center, 1800-325-4715. At the conclusion of Initial Counseling the Counselor will sign
the DD Form 2648/-1 and send to Soldier via encrypted email or postal service.

2.  Soldiers must provide the Transition Center a DD Form 2648/-1 in order to
clear.
There is no established standard for how much time a Soldier spends in ACAP.
 Soldiers may start the ACAP process 24 months in advance of
retirement/separation
 The most important thing Soldiers get out of Preseparation Counseling is
information to help them make smart decisions about their Transition Process.
Soldiers will also be exposed to the other services ACAP offers or facilitates
 Other Services
o VA Briefing (Mandatory)*
o Dept of Labor Employment Assistance Workshop (Mandatory)*
o MOC Crosswalk (Mandatory)*
o Transition Overview (Mandatory)*
o Financial Counseling/12-month budget (Mandatory)*
o eBenefits Registration (Mandatory)*
o Individual Transition Plan (Mandatory)*
o DTAP Briefing
o Applying for a Federal Job
o Operation Boots to Business (Starting a Business)
o Starting a Business Franchise
o Understanding Education Benefits
o Dress for Success
o Employer Day & Job Fairs
o Individualized assistance with resume writing, job search, interview
preparation, etc
 In addition to the events/items listed as Mandatory under Other Services
Soldiers, based on their particular situation, Soldiers must also possess one or
more of the following prior to separation: (1) Resume (2) College
Application/Acceptance Letter (3) Job Application (4) Job
Acceptance/Contract
 *All of these workshops/seminars/briefings are covered during the 5-day
TAP/GPS Workshop that is offered once, and sometimes twice each month.
Location for TAP/GPS Workshop is McGill Training Center, RM 1. Please
contact the ACAP office for more information or to schedule the workshop.
Mandatory workshops/seminars/briefings can also be completed virtually by
visiting www.acap.army.mil and clicking Virtual Center.