This is the fourth year of highlighting the challenges and efforts concerning the needs of our combat wounded. The day-long forum, “A New Normal: How Is the War within Transforming our Force and Families?” will feature keynote speeches by Senator James Webb; General George Casey, Army Chief of Staff, and Mrs. Sheila Casey; and the Honorable Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs.

In addition, military, federal, and private sector experts and beneficiary advocates will join wounded servicemen and their families in three discussion panels to tell compelling stories about their long road to recovery:
• Navigating Recovery: Are we Meeting Needs & Expectations?
• Confronting the Reintegration Process – Embracing the Experience
• The New Normal: Hope for the Future

Many citizens of this country are unaware of the toll being paid by our military personnel since September 11, 2001. About 45,000 servicemembers have been wounded or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and countless more may have suffered trauma that will appear in unseen ways. To them, the sergeant who lost both legs or an arm while defending our freedoms, others with current or future psychological injuries, and the family members who must care for them—often at great personal and financial sacrifice—are distant thoughts lost in the rush of our daily lives.

 I hope you agree with me that we must keep the public informed about this important issue and continue to improve the care and support of our wounded. Please join me on September 10th in Washington, D.C., from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., so you can be a part of this important effort. If you cannot attend, I urge you to forward this to others who you think might be able to be there with our heroes.

 
Admission is free for active duty, but pre-registration is desired by Sepember.2. For more information and to fill out the registration form, visit www.defenseforumwashington.com . To register after September 2, please call (800)-234-6622 ext 542.

 
Thank you for your support and I hope to see you on the 10th!

VADM Norb Ryan Jr., USN (Ret)
President

 Inequity and MyCAA

We at the Military Officers Association of America are deeply disappointed in the way that the restructured My Spouse Career Advancement Accounts program was reopened by the Defense Department (“MyCAA resumes applications in fall but sets limits,” Aug. 2).

Designed to support the portable careers of military spouses, the MyCAA tuition assistance program has proven to be hugely beneficial to military families and the quality of life of our overstressed armed forces.

MyCAA provides resources to help mobile spouses gain the skills, education and certifications needed to begin or restart employment after a military-directed move.

After an abrupt halt to MyCAA in February, DoD recently reopened it, but the funds will now go only to spouses of first-term enlisted and younger officers. These groups clearly can benefit from MyCAA, but spouses who have experienced multiple moves are left behind.

About 70 percent of Army and Marine troops leave the service after the first hitch; the rules miss the point. And covering courses that lead to associate degrees—but not the degrees essential for nursing, teaching, and other portable careers—seems incongruous.

We recognize cost is an issue, but believe that DoD must come up with a better solution that would equitably address the needs of all military spouses without hurting longer-serving spouses. That way, everyone benefits—the spouses, the military services, their communities, and our nation.

Vice Adm. Norb Ryan, Jr, (ret.)
President, Military Officers Association of America Alexandria, Va.

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2010 Defense Forum Washington with Senator Jim Webb, The Honorable Tammy Duckworth and many more.

• All Financial Assistance (FA) documents approved as of July 20, 2010 will be honored
• Spouses with approved FAs for $6,000 may continue to use up to that amount until October 21, 2010.
• Effective July 20, 2010 Guard and Reserve spouses may only receive the benefit when their service member is on Title 10 active duty orders. Alerts and demobilization periods are not eligible periods of active duty for Guard and Reservists.  
• New eligibility for assistance is limited to spouses of service members E1-E5, W1-W2, and O1-O2
• Maximum financial benefit is now $4,000, with a $2,000 yearly cap. Program or certificate requested for funding must be completed within 3 years.

Important dates

August 31, 2010

Last day to submit mandatory career plan for approval if you have an active account as of July 20, 2010

September 1 – October 21

Time to request financial assistance for classes starting by January 15, 2011 

October 21

Last day to request financial assistance if you had an active account as of July 20.

October 22 – October 25

MyCAA program will be closed to prepare infrastructure for new program

October 25

All MyCAA accounts previously approved under $6,000 cap will be reduced to $4,000.

For more details read Military OneSource FAQ page for students and schools.

If you would like to send feedback to DoD, MOS has established an email where you can direct comments and complaints:

  MyCAAFEEDBACK@militaryonesource.com

Since the July 20 announcement that the program will reopen October 25 with new restrictions, MOAA has been working to expand the funding to all military spouses. Follow MOAA on Twitter or  Facebook to stay updated on this issue. Sign up for Legislative Updates to get weekly e-news on issues we’re working for the entire military community.

Read MOAA’s response to the new MyCAA rules.

But you know who really caught our eye? The Wiesbaden Middle School Deployment Mascot, Bob Cat. This cuddly little guy has traveled around the world bringing smiles to military kids and conference attendees who need a pick me up Way to go Bob Cat!

 Many spouses are disappointed to find they are no longer eligible for MyCAA funding under the new guidelines. But while MOAA continues to fight for an enhanced program, how can you continue to pursue your educational goals?

1) Explore GI Bill transferability. Check out www.moaa.org/gibill for details.

2) Servicemember Opportunity College (SOC) – more than 1900 colleges and universities that agree to military friendly policies, this is a program funded by DoD through a contract with American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Learn more here.

3) In state tuition - The 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act included an in-state tuition directive for service members, spouses and college-aged children. This MOAA backed initiative was effective July 2009 and provided that not only can spouses qualify for in-state tuition where they are permanently stationed, but even if the service member PCSs again, spouses and children can retain the in-state rate if they are continuously enrolled.

4) Consider careers that offer loan forgiveness programs such as education, nursing, or even law.

5) Military OneSource - MOS counselors have been added to handle the questions resulting in the recent MyCAA announcement. They have a plethora of information available about other sources of funding as well.

Bottom line – advocate for a better MyCAA, but keep moving forward on your education goals!  MOAA  is here to partner with you. Let us know how we can help. moaaspouse@moaa.org

Read MOAA’s full statement on MyCAA

“In order to maintain a highly effective force, we not only have to take care of the men and women in uniform, but also their families who patriotically share the sacrifices of military service,” said Senator Casey. “The Military Spouses Job Continuity Act will help ease the transition of relocation for families and allow military spouses to more easily re-enter the workforce.”

Closing a GI Bill gap
Military members could transfer their GI Bill to their children as late as age 26 if a new House bill introduced by Rep. Gwen Moore on Wed is passed. Right now the benefit must be transferred by age 23, but can be used up to age 26. HR 5737 would close that age gap.

Want to follow the progress of these bills? Sign up for MOAA’s Legislative Update.

Watch Phil Dyer’s Post 9/11 GI Bill Webinar below or visit www.moaa.org/gibill for more information about this important benefit.

I found a great article about how to start out on the right foot when entering the workforce out of college. Written by Jim Armstrong, a recent graduate from Syracuse University (my graduate school ), he talks about making the change from full time student to full time employee. 

Change is always difficult and dealing with it can, at times, be overwhelming. Below are 10 approaches I have taken to become more proficient at work while helping myself adjust to this new life. 

Change. Hmm. Now there’s something milspouses should be experts at dealing with! That gives us an advantage in a workforce – being adaptable is a huge asset. Not sure how to articulate that in a resume? MOAA has FREE resume reviews for members and their spouses. Want to know more? Contact MOAA spouse at moaaspouse@moaa.org

As for Jim’s advice, I would only disagree with one point – don’t take yourself off the listserves! I am still on my school’s email lists and it helps keep me in the loop and stay connected. It’s all about networking.

Check out the rest of the article: “Real World Advice for Undergraduates”

Photo by Stephanie Himel-Nelson

On Thursday MOAA Spouse attended a celebration of Blue Star Museums; a program partnership between the nonprofit organization Blue Star Families and the National Endowment for the Arts that provides free admission for military families to museums across the country this summer.

Photo by Stephanie Himel-Nelson

The event was held at The Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA. Speakers included BSF Executive Director, Mark Smith; Admiral Mark Boensel, Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic; Senator Mark Warner (Va); Norfolk mayor Paul Fraim and Chrysler Museum Director William Hennessy.

Sen Warner said, “This is a nice way to demonstrate support for our military personnel and their families, and I congratulate the Chrysler Museum and all of the other Virginia cultural sites that have stepped-up to partner with the Blue Star Museums program.”

Senator Warner talks with his littlest constituents. Photo by Stephanie Himel-Nelson

After the event I did a short interview with WTKR NewsChannel 3 (where Bianca Martinez, our moderator at the 2010 Spouse Symposium, is a news anchor) saying, “Programs like these remind military families that the country still remembers the sacrifices we are making at home and overseas.”

If you haven’t checked out The Chrysler Museum of Art, stop by. It’s free, natch, and it’s a beautiful open air space. The collections aren’t so overwhelming that you feel you can’t squeeze it all in.

More than 800 museums have signed on to be a Blue Star Museum. To find the complete list check out www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums

Our family usually participates in the library’s summer reading program  (amazing how the promise of a coupon book that includes free ice cream motivates kids) but this year I thought I would up the ante.

My boys are six and 11 and they’ll read (or be read to) but they tend to lean towards Sponge Bob over Sounder if you know what I mean. With my older son headed off to middle school and the pressures of honors classes ahead, I want him to challenge himself as a reader a little more. So, I said if he would pick a book from the school’s suggested reading list for 7^th graders and host a book club each month during the summer with his buddies, I would throw them a slumber party with pizza, video games and a late night. I think he only heard “slumber party” but he agreed and got four friends on board. With books like “Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler’s Shadow”, “Jane Eyre” and “An Inconvenient Truth” on their rising 7^th and 8^th grader reading list, I think my plan to move him into more challenging books will work.

I read the Little House on the Prairie series and The Chronicles of Narnia more times than I recall. What was your favorite childhood read?

 Three years later in 1947, veterans made up 49 percent of college admissions. By 1956 nearly half of the 16 million World War II veterans had received some sort of education or vocational training with the help of the GI Bill. In 1984 the bill was revamped and became known as the Montgomery GI Bill after former Mississippi Congressman Gillespie V. “Sonny” Montgomery, who led the effort.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill continues the legacy by adding transferability and unprecedented financial support. On June 29 tune in to a MOAA livestream of the webinar: 5 Simple Secrets to Maximize Your Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits at  moaa.org/livestream to see what you can do with this incredible benefit.