{"id":61058,"date":"2019-02-21T16:27:36","date_gmt":"2019-02-21T16:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/02\/21\/military-services-delay-financial-help-for-spouse-employment\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:58:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:58:14","slug":"military-services-delay-financial-help-for-spouse-employment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2019\/02\/21\/military-services-delay-financial-help-for-spouse-employment\/","title":{"rendered":"Military services delay financial help for spouse employment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

More than a year after the law was signed to allow the service branches to reimburse military spouses<\/a> up to $500 in professional relicensing fees when they move to a new state<\/a>, the policies aren\u2019t yet in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force seems closer than the other services to implementing this pilot program, which aims to help spouses find employment after their family moves to a new location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Air Force officials expect the policy will be available to airmen this summer, said Air Force spokesman Maj. Nick Mercurio. But timelines were not available from the Army, Navy and Marine Corps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis delay has been frustrating for spouses. As the only charity currently reimbursing spouses for PCS-related licensure expenses, we know the need spouses face,\u201d said Joyce Raezer, executive director of the National Military Family Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each branch of service is currently developing a program to reimburse military spouses for these expenses, said Pentagon spokeswoman Air Force Lt. Col. Carla Gleason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause the individual military services are responsible for both the permanent change of station move and the related reimbursement, the services retain the discretionary authority for this payment,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local and state-level licensing or certifications<\/a> are required in a long list of professions, ranging from dental hygienists and accountants, to doctors, hairdressers, nurses, attorneys and teachers, to name a few. The requirements vary from state to state, and from one profession to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new Defense Department program provides reimbursement for up to $500 in qualified costs, such as exam and registration fees, to help spouses get a new license in their same profession in the new state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt a time when they\u2019ve just had to quit a job because their service member received PCS orders, when they\u2019ve just incurred the costs of a move, they find they can\u2019t get a new job in their field until they fork over money they may not have to take another class or test in order to get licensed in their new state,\u201d Raezer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCongress understood this challenge and came up with a solution. Military leaders talk a lot about the need to support military spouses in meeting their career aspirations. By delaying implementation of the reimbursement, they\u2019ve missed an opportunity to make that happen,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilot program is authorized through Dec. 31, 2022, by the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Military Family Association will ask Congress to extend the pilot program beyond 2022, because of the delays in rolling it out, said Kelly Hruska, government relations director for the association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The law allows the services to reimburse spouses up to $500 for relicensing and certifications required to work in their same profession. It\u2019s unknown whether these reimbursements will be retroactive.<\/p>\n\n\n\t