Officials extend spouse career program deadline

  • Published
  • By Elaine Wilson
  • American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  Officials have extended a spouse employment program enrollment deadline to allow more military spouses to take spring semester classes.

Effective Sept. 13, spouses currently enrolled in the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts program, commonly known as MyCAA, will be able to request financial assistance for classes with a start date that is on or before Jan. 31. Previously, the start-date cutoff was Jan. 15.

However, spouses still must submit their financial assistance request by Oct. 21.

The change was based on feedback from spouses and schools. Many schools offer a later start date for the spring semester, and extending the enrollment deadline will give more spouses the opportunity to attend courses, said Robert L. Gordon III, the deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy.

"We appreciate the feedback from military spouses currently participating in the MyCAA career advancement program," Mr. Gordon said.

Previously, MyCAA offered a lifetime benefit of $6,000 to all spouses of servicemembers. Starting Oct. 25, however, financial assistance will be limited to spouses of active-duty servicemembers in pay grades E-1 to E-5 and O-1 to O-2. Spouses of guard and Reserve members within those ranks can participate as long as they can start and complete their courses while their sponsors are on Title 10 orders.

Eligible spouses will be able to receive a maximum financial benefit of $4,000 for up to three years from the start date of the first class, with a $2,000 annual cap. The money can be used to fund associate's degrees, licenses and certification programs, but not higher degrees. The annual cap can be waived if a license or certification's cost exceeds $2,000.

Currently enrolled spouses who meet the new criteria will be able to continue with the program after Oct. 25, but under the new parameters.

Spouses who no longer will be eligible to receive financial assistance after Oct. 25 will still be able to access career and education counseling services.

Military spouses can find more information about MyCAA on the Military OneSource website at http://militaryonesource.com or by calling Military OneSource at 800-342-9647.