Tuition assistance for spouses halted temporarily

by Paula M. Fitzgerald
Paraglide




A Department of Defense program designed to help alleviate costs for military spouses to advance their educations has proven to be a little too popular.

The DoD announced Feb. 18, that the Military Spouse Career Advancement Account has been temporarily halted while officials review all procedures, financial assistance documents and the overall program.

The program was implemented last year to allow spouses to apply for up to $6,000 in financial assistance for education, training, licensing or certification necessary for high-demand and
high-growth careers.

When asked how many spouses at Fort Bragg have been affected by the suspension of the MyCAA program, Trent Stanfield, an education services specialist, said he didn’t have exact numbers, but he’s fielded questions from several spouses.

Stanfield explained that there is some good news, however.

“Spouses who have already been approved for MyCAA will not be affected as of now,” Stanfield said. “However, they might not be able to use MyCAA after this semester is over. We just aren’t sure right now because we haven’t gotten a lot of information.”

At a conference held recently, Stanfield learned that DoD officials hope to have the program up and running again within two months.

“We recognize that the military lifestyle calls for portable careers, and that military spouses need access to education and training for careers that are portable and high-growth nationally,” said Tommy T. Thomas, deputy under secretary of defense for the Pentagon’s Office of Military Community and Family Policy. “This short term break will allow us to better access the program to ensure we are achieving that goal.”

According to DoD officials, the above-average numbers of spouses applying for the benefits overwhelmed the program.

“These applications were overwhelming the system intended to support the program and almost reached the budget threshold,” Thomas explained in an AP news article. “We are looking to ensure the viability of this valuable program.”

Nearly 133,000 military spouses have applied for the program since its inception last March. About 98,000 spouses are currently enrolled in courses or have been approved for financial assistance. Any spouse who currently has a MyCAA account and has been affected by the program’s suspension can still access education counseling through the Web site. New accounts and applications will not be accepted until the DoD completes its review of the program and issues further guidance.

For more information about MyCAA, call 1-800-342-9647 or visit https://aiportal.acc.af.mil/mycaa/default.aspx.