{"id":66166,"date":"2019-04-10T23:57:56","date_gmt":"2019-04-10T23:57:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/04\/10\/few-military-spouses-are-using-this-4000-benefit\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:49:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:49:50","slug":"few-military-spouses-are-using-this-4000-benefit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2019\/04\/10\/few-military-spouses-are-using-this-4000-benefit\/","title":{"rendered":"Few military spouses are using this $4,000 benefit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The number of spouses of junior personnel who are using the Defense Department\u2019s spouse tuition assistance program<\/a> declined by about 45 percent between 2011 and 2017, according to a new report by government auditors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 7 percent of eligible spouses used the My Career Advancement Accounts<\/a> in 2017, according to the report from auditors in the Government Accountability Office. The program, commonly referred to as MyCAA<\/a>, provides up to $4,000 in tuition assistance for education or training for spouses of service members in the paygrades of E1 to E5, W1 to W2, and O1 to O2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MyCAA<\/a> funds can be used only for the pursuit of certificates, licenses, or associate degrees in a portable career field \u2015 a high-growth and high-demand field that is most likely to have job openings near military installations. A recent Rand report<\/a> found that the program may be contributing to higher retention rates, as well as helping the spouses\u2019 job prospects and earnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Auditors said the number of military spouses receiving tuition assistance through MyCAA declined from 38,000 in fiscal 2011 to about 21,000 in fiscal 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That 21,000 represented about 7 percent of the 302,000 eligible spouses using the program, which was similar to the rates for fiscal years 2014 through 2016, auditors stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2011 about 10 percent of eligible spouses were using the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile we are not particularly surprised by a decline in utilization of the program, the rate decrease from 2011 to 2017 is alarming,\u201d said Jennifer Davis, government relations deputy director for the National Military Family Association. “Since we know, based on DoD\u2019s own data, that over 30 percent of employed military spouses are in fields requiring a license or certification which are covered by MyCAA, and military families [make permanent change of station moves] every two to three years on average, a 40-plus percent drop in program utilization is significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis clearly shows that the program is not fulfilling the intent and need of these spouses. We urge DoD and Congress to look at ways to tweak the program in an effort to maximize its impact on military spouse education and employment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While NMFA understands the need to limit the eligibility, she said, the program may be too rank-restrictive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor many spouses of junior-ranked service members, there may be an overload of information, a lack of understanding of support programs in place and which ones are service-specific or DoD-wide, changes in family situations or any number of other challenges.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the program were expanded to include spouses of those in the ranks of E6 and O3, for example, there would be more usage. \u201cWe also believe expanding the program to cover supervision hours for spouses pursuing a mental health profession would increase utilization while also encouraging growth in a high-demand sector of the workforce,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DoD officials attributed the decline partly to the decreases in the active duty forces, the improvements in the labor market, and to lack of awareness of the program, according to GAO. Survey data of spouses in 2015 as well as 2017 show that spouses noted they didn\u2019t have time for additional education and training because of family and personal obligations. In the 2017 survey, while 21 percent of spouses who were aware of MyCAA said they didn\u2019t have that additional time, a higher percentage \u2015 39 percent \u2015 of spouses of enlisted members in paygrades E1 to E4 cited that reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others noted they needed education, training or testing not covered by MyCAA, or they weren\u2019t interested in additional education or training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 2015 and 2017 surveys of active-duty spouses, about half of all spouses said they weren\u2019t aware of the MyCAA program.<\/p>\n\n\n\t