{"id":35171,"date":"2018-12-06T00:18:38","date_gmt":"2018-12-06T00:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/12\/06\/heres-how-the-mycaa-spouse-scholarship-program-is-helping-support-troop-lethality\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:00:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:00:18","slug":"heres-how-the-mycaa-spouse-scholarship-program-is-helping-support-troop-lethality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2018\/12\/06\/heres-how-the-mycaa-spouse-scholarship-program-is-helping-support-troop-lethality\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s how the MyCAA spouse scholarship program is helping support troop \u2018lethality\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A scholarship<\/a> program for spouses of junior military personnel may be contributing to higher retention rates, as well as helping the spouses\u2019 job prospects and earnings, according to a recent study from the RAND Corporation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The My Career Advancement Account Scholarship Program<\/a> \u2014 known as MyCAA \u2014 is a Defense Department initiative that provides up to $4,000, with an annual cap of $2,000, for certain spouses to get training for portable careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scholarships can be used toward associate\u2019s degrees, occupational certificates or licenses<\/a> in portable career fields. The intent is to help spouses pursue portable careers early on, so that they might more easily weather the frequent relocations and other barriers to employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe RAND report validates the My Career Advancement Account Program\u2019s direct and positive impact on military spouses and service members,\u201d said A.T. Johnston, deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy, in a DoD press release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scholarship program is “associated with higher retention rates of service members married to scholarship recipients, which ultimately enhances overall force readiness and supports the department\u2019s goal of increased lethality,\u201d the press release stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers looked at spouses who were eligible for MyCAA between October 2010, when the current version of the program began, and December 2011, and examined the employment and earnings of eligible military spouses between 2007 and 2013. Those eligible are spouses whose service members are in the pay grades of E-1 to E-5, W-1 to W-2, and O-1 to O-2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During that time frame, more than 380,000 spouses were eligible for MyCAA funding<\/a>, but about 34,748 spouses, or 9 percent, applied for the scholarship. Among their recommendations, the researchers said officials should ensure that spouses across the services are aware of the MyCAA scholarship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the eligible participants whose study plans met the MyCAA requirements were approved for scholarships, although 19 percent of those didn\u2019t use their funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RAND researchers found that active-duty members with two to four years of service, and whose spouses used a MyCAA scholarship, were between 6 and 8 percentage points more likely than similar service members to remain on active duty three years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking at service members who had three years of service in 2011, researchers found that 52 percent of those whose spouses used MyCAA were still on active duty in 2014, compared to 43 percent of those whose spouses did not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers noted that this shouldn\u2019t be interpreted as MyCAA having a causal effect on the service member\u2019s decision to remain on active duty. However, it may show MyCAA is having a positive impact on spouses\u2019 and service members\u2019 desire to stay in the military, as well as MyCAA supporting spouses of service members who already have a greater desire for or compatibility with military service, they noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\t