Money for Military Spouses to Advance Their Education

To help pay for their college education, military husbands and wives can open Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) and start saving to pay for their college tuition. Through MyCAA military spouses can receive up to $4,000 in tuition assistance from the government. Although this will not cover the entire cost of a two-year degree, it can pay for college textbooks or a few college courses. To be eligible to participate in the program, applicants must be married to active duty military members at the enlisted ranks. Monies from the program are used to pay for associate degrees and college certificates and licensing examinations.

Additionally, if active duty service members do not anticipate using their Post 9/11 GI Bill tuition assistance, they can transfer the benefits to their spouse. Couples interested in taking this approach to pay for a spouse’s college education are encouraged to contact the nearest Veterans Affairs office. Active duty military members can also contact their supervisor or human resource manager to find out if they’re eligible to transfer their benefits to their spouse.

Another military dependents tuition assistance program spouses can take advantage of is the Survivors and Dependents Assistance (DEA) program. To be eligible to receive the program’s benefits, spouses must be the husband or wife of a military member who died or became totally disabled due to active duty military service. Spouses have up to 20 years to use the benefits after they are declared eligible to receive the benefits.

More Tuition Assistance Options for Military Spouses

Before enrolling in postsecondary programs, spouses should contact the nearest Veterans Affairs office and make sure that the programs they want to enroll in meet the DEA’s qualification guidelines. A good first step spouses can take to ensure programs they enroll in qualify to receive military tuition assistance is to ensure that the programs are offered by schools that are accredited by organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education.

In addition to the above tuition assistance programs, military spouses are encouraged to check with their civilian employers to see if they offer tuition assistance. Several top firms reimburse their employees’ tuition expenses after the employees earn a passing grade (e.g. 3.0). As a tip, in order to get courses approved for employer tuition assistance reimbursement, courses may have to be related to jobs spouses work. For example, spouses working as marketing managers may get advertising courses approved for reimbursement but not chemistry courses.

Even in good economies it can be tough for military spouses to receive the same respect from employers that civilian spouses receive. This may be due, in part, to the fact that employers realize military spouses may not work for their companies for more than two to three years, until their active duty spouses get transferred to new duty stations. By getting college degrees, certificates and diplomas from accredited postsecondary schools employers recognize and respect, military spouses can have an additional tool to use to demonstrate to employers how serious they are about their careers. This, in turn, may help military spouses to secure quality employment in career fields they can work at for years, despite their home address.

Conducting Due Diligence Before Enrolling in College

Similar to how military members clean and inspect their equipment before heading out on field training missions, they profit when they examine schools, weighing options and benefits, before signing enrollment contracts. For example, before enrolling in colleges, universities and trade schools, military members can check facts about schools, such as:

Graduation Rates (find out the percentage of students who graduated with degrees within four to five years)
Job Placement Rates (ask admissions counselors at schools for the percentage of graduates who get hired into jobs in their major within one year of graduating with degrees)
Find out if postsecondary schools, including trade schools, are fully accredited by organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education (DOE)
Additionally, checking the job outlook for college majors they are thinking about declaring can help military members avoid majoring in career fields that are experiencing a lack of job growth. The United States Department of Labor (DOL) publishes annual job outlook reports by occupation under its Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Facts, figures and data available through these digital reports include:

Job growth rate expected for occupations or career fields over a ten year period
Top employers by industry for occupations (e.g. computer technician, chemical engineer, project manager)
Median hourly or annual income for occupations and the wages that 50 percent of the professionals working in the occupations earned in recent years

College degrees and professional licenses required to start working at certain occupations
Types of work hours and working environment associated with different occupations
Being Smart About Military Tuition Assistance

TA benefits received by military professionals are well deserved. After all, professionals serving in the military devote time to their country during the same years many other high school graduates attend college full-time and/or start working civilian jobs that don’t require them to endure combat. On the other hand, because of TA benefits, military professionals may have it easier than other students when it comes to gaining access to money to pay for college tuition. For example, there is the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Through this program qualifying military members can receive up to $17,500 in TA if they attend private postsecondary schools. There is also the Montgomery GI Bill, a program that allows military professionals to contribute a portion of their salary toward their education. Other TA programs, like the Reserve Education Assistance Program and the Veterans Education Assistance Program, make it possible for qualifying military professionals to receive up to 36 months of TA.

When these qualifying military members are smart about their TA decisions they can benefit economically, career-wise and educationally for years. Their spouses and children can also reap the rewards of their smart decisions, possibly using money they saved due to not having to pay college expenses out-of-pocket to start and build family savings and investment accounts.

Q1. What is the MyCAA Program?

Ans. MyCAA or Military Spouse Career Advancement Account Program is an initiative of the US military to provide career improvement and employment opportunities to spouses of military personals. This program is sponsored by the Department of Defense (DOD) and helps military spouses pursue their educational goals by achieving medical, legal training and other certifications or Associate’s Degree so that they can gain employment.

Q2. What will MyCAA pay for and what it won’t pay for?

Ans. MyCAA helps in pursuing educational goals so it pays for the education, training and examination of a certified course or Associate’s degree with major in any subject except subjects related to General Studies and Liberal Arts. Major in General Studies are accepted if there is specific concentration such as concentration is in General Studies – Nursing, or General Studies – Teaching. Moreover the course must be undertaken from an institution, school or college accredited by MyCAA in United States.

The MyCAA program won’t pay for any tuition or preparatory classes, books and supplies, transportation, lodging, personal enrichment courses, student activity, fees paid as job training, or for private licenses.

Q3. What are the eligibility criteria for MyCAA?

Ans: Not everyone is entitled to apply for the MyCAA program. Spouses of military personals on active duty and fall under the pay grades E-1 to E – 5, W- 1 to W – 2, and O – 1 to O – 2 are eligible to apply. Spouses married to the National Guard and Reserve Components personals and falling under the same pay grades are also eligible to apply.

Q5. How to know which schools are participating in MyCAA?

Ans. Presently there are about 3000campuses participating in the MyCAA program. The best way to search for a campus is to visit the MyCAA Spouse Portal (https://aiportal.acc.af.mil/mycaa) and view the list. In case the school is not participating then applicants can talk with school officials and persuade them to join the program. However the fastest way to get enrolled is to select a school that is already on the list as the process of registering a new school can take 60 days.

Q6. How to apply for MyCAA Financial Assistance?

Ans. First create a MyCAA Account. Next comes preparing an Education and Training Plan and getting it approved. The Education and Training Plan should include spouse’s career goal, school location, and type of program the spouse is enrolling and detailed course information. If the Education and Training Plan is approved print the MyCAA Financial Assistance documents and take them with you to the school for course registration.

Q7. Can a spouse register for the MyCAA program without taking Financial Assistance?

Ans. Yes, even without taking any financial assistance spouses can register for MyCAA and get career counseling, recommendations to self-assessment tests, employment support and other career related facilities.

College Grants for Military and Veterans’ Spouses can be used for tuition and books, and they are essentially free money because they do not have to be paid back. Many organizations offer college grants for women, however, it can be difficult to find them because they aren’t usually advertised. This means you will have to do a bit of digging and here’s where to look.

The Federal Government
In your search for a college grant, start with the Pell Grant from the Federal Government. All you have to do is fill out at the application accurately and wait to find out if you have been awarded.

Academic Advisors
When you’ve chosen a school, meet with the academic advisor or a financial aid representative for the college. They usually receive information from hundreds of organizations offering grants to students, so they can be a great resource. Advisors can also point you in the right direction to find other grants.

Contact Associations, Foundations and Other Organizations
Contact every association, foundation or other type of organization you can think of to find out if they are offering college grants. Here’s just a few we’ve found already:

• The Jeannette Rankin Foundation has a grant for United States citizens who are older than 35 and in financial need.
• The Patsy Takemoto Mink Foundation has a grant of $2,000 for women who have children living in a low-income household.
• Raise the Nation seeks to help single mothers or the children of single mothers, who are in financial need.

Employers
Many companies offer college grants to help their employees go back to school. Check with your employer to find out if there are any opportunities.

Friends, Family and Community Members
The more people you tell about your initiative to go back to school, the better. Not only may they know about college grants, but they will keep their eyes and ears open too.

Internet Search
Resources for college grants abound on the Internet. Search for college grants along with the field of study you’d like to pursue, your minority status or any other unique feature of yourself that might help you get a college grant. You can also use some college grant search options. Some websites have a system that you answer questions and then grants are presented that matches your qualifications. Always check the details of these grants, however, because you may qualify for parts of the grants but not others.

College Grants for All Years of School
College grants aren’t just for students who are entering school, but it can also be for those already enrolled. So if you’re already in college looking for a way to fund you next semester or year, start searching now for grants.

The more you search, the more you’ll find. The more you apply to, the higher likelihood you’ll win and that makes all the searching time worth it. Good luck!

The TRICARE health care program offers three different categories of health care options to choose from namely TRICARE Standard, TRICARE Extra and TRICARE Prime. Active Duty and Guard and Reserve service members are involuntarily registered for TRICARE Prime.

Survivor Benefits

In case a sponsor dies while on active duty eligible family members such as the spouse and children, below 21 years of age will continue to receive all benefits of TRICARE Prime for the next three years without paying any enrollment fees and copayments. For family members who were not enrolled in TRICARE Prime can use TRICARE Standard and Extra but will have to make proper allowances for the annual deductible costs for the programs. During the 3 year period spouses and eligible family members do not have to pay out-of-pocket expenses exceeding $1000 per fiscal year

If the surviving family members decide to reside outside of US then they should check with the overseas TRICARE Service Center as their benefits differ from the ones offered in United States.

After the 3 year period surviving family members may enroll in TRICARE Prime but will have to pay for the annual enrollment fess and copays as their status is then converted to retiree family. The family members may choose to enroll in TRICARE Standard and Extra program but then also they will have to pay the required deductible and cost-share requirements.

Why Enroll in TRICARE Health Program?

TRICARE is a massive health care system serving more than 9.2 million eligible families all over the world. It is an initiative of the DoD aimed at creating a network of civilian health care professionals providing quality health care services to military service men. TRICARE prime offers health care services through its huge network of medical care providers, military treatment facilities, medical clinics and dental clinics at just $520 a year as enrollment fees. A civilian on the other hand pays around $4000 annually for a family health insurance plan, there is no reason why should not enjoy the benefits of this system.

The demand for Substance Abuse Counselors is projected to grow much faster than the national average—20percent or higher—during the period from 2008-2018, with a stated employment in 2008 of 352,000 individuals!  However, before you choose any school, the school you attend should be approved the state association,

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Vermont

At InterCoast College, The Alcohol & Drug Counselling Studies program is designed for flexibility and classes need not be attended in the order in which they are offered. Start the program at any point in the semester. In order to complete the program and receive a Villanova Certificate in Alcohol & Drug Counseling requires the completion of 12 classes, 905 hours of education along with 41 credit unit.

• Has served at least 6 years (active or reserve/guard) and agrees to serve 4 more years.
• Has at least 10 years in the Armed Forces and is not allowed (either by DoD or service policy) to reenlist for 4 more years but agrees to serve for the maximum amount of time allowed by that policy or statute.
• Is or becomes eligible for retirement during the period from August 1, 2009 through August 1, 2013 (or further).
• Still based on the percentages (40% -100%) – how much time was spent on active duty by the veteran post 9/11/2001
  • For more information concerning transfer of benefits:
    http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2009/0409_gibill/

What Ch. 33 (TOE) provides:

• Cost of Tuition and Fees (paid directly from the VA to UTA)
• Monthly housing allowance (BAH) equivalent to that of BAH for an E-5 with dependents – based on percentage of eligibility. (Paid directly to dependent)
  • Dependents must be enrolled in at a MORE THAN HALF TIME rate (51%) to receive BAH payments
  • Dependents enrolled exclusively in on-line training must also be enrolled at a MORE THAN HALF TIME rate (51%) to be eligible for BAH payments. (Effective August 1, 2011)
• Books and supplies stipend (up to $1000 per year) – based on percentage of eligibility. (Paid directly to dependent)
  ACTIVE DUTY COMPLETED BY VETERAN AFTER SEPTEMBER 10, 2001

  At least 36 months	100%
  At least 30 continuous days on active duty and discharged due to service-connected disability	100%
  30 months to 36 months	90%
  24 months to 30 months	80%
  18 months to 24 months	70%
  12 months to 18 months	60%
  6 months to 12 months	50%
  90 days to 6 months	40%

How long does Ch. 33 (TOE) last?

• The veteran assigns months of benefit to dependent (i.e. If a veteran has never used GI Bill at all, they can assign 18 months to one child and 18 months to another).
• The benefits expire on the dependent’s 26^th birthday (for child) or 15 years from the date of transferring (for spouse).

Documents UTA VA office will need:

• VA Form 22-1990-E (if student has never used/applied for benefit before)
  Download this form (PDF)
• VA Form 22-1995 (if student has used benefit before, transferring from another institution)
  Download this form (PDF)
• Certificate of Eligibility
• Signed Degree Plan (signed by advisor)
• No DD214 is required if the veteran is still on active duty
• UTA VA Information Sheet
• Statement of Understanding

Certification Process for Ch. 33 (TOE):

• Student applies for benefits and turns in all required documents to the UTA VA office
  • Two step process: Veteran must apply to transfer benefit and then the dependent must fill out a VA Form 22-1990E.
• Notification of enrollment* must be received by the UTA VA office– either in person or by using Online Certification Request Form.
  *This must be done every semester or every time a student enrolls (or adds) a new class.
• Classes are checked by the certifying official against the most current degree plan. Only those classes on the signed degree plan can be certified to the VA.
• Certifying official submits VA Form 22-1999 (certification) to the VA.
• Process time = Allow for up to 7-10 business days for submittal to the VA during enrollment periods.
  • This benefit provides tuition and fees paid directly from the VA – in order to avoid incurring late fees caused by overdue accounts regarding VA covered benefits, please submit ALL documentation or notifications of enrollment within the given deadline:
    • August 1^st – For Fall Terms certifications
    • December 1^st – For Spring Term certifications
    • May 1^st – For Summer Term certifications
  • Students eligible for Ch. 33 benefits may also want to pursue other avenues in order to avoid incurring late fees:
    • Apply for Financial Aid (www.fafsa.ed.gov)
    • Pay one-third of tuition and fees by tuition deadline date
    • Receive an “Emergency Enrollment Loan” through your MyMav account or at Bursar Services
  • Late fees incurred will be the responsibility of the student.

CHANGES TO THE POST 9/11 GI BILL:

http://www.gibill.va.gov/benefits/post_911_gibill/Post911_changes.htm

America’s students are in debt, $1 trillion in debt in fact. But while most college graduates struggle to repay loans with less than 10 percent interest, some military personnel are drowning under significantly more expensive loans.

Holly Petraeus, CIA Director David Petraeus’s wife and an advocate for military families, told a Senate panel today that for-profit colleges are actively targeting military personnel and their families, marketing private loans with inflated interest rates.

“There are some real concerns, there is real aggressive marketing right now to the military and not just to military members, but to their spouses and to their children as well,” Petraeus said.
To pay for the pricey private schools, these colleges often market “expensive private student loans” to service members, said Petraeus, who as the assistant director of the Office of Service-Member Affairs at the newly-formed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is working to protect military families from such predatory loans.

Petraeus said she spoke with an Army wife at Ft. Campbell in Kentucky who had enrolled in an online course through a college she thought was officially associated with the military. She said representatives from the school, which actually had no military affiliation, called her a dozen times per day until she agreed to register.

But help was nowhere to be found once the school received her tuition payment. The woman ended up failing her course because she had trouble logging on, Petraeus said.
“I have a real interest in folks being able to make more informed decisions than, ‘Well, they sounded military friendly and they called me 10 to 15 times per day,” she told the Senate committee. ”There are serious questions about whether the education you get at many of these institutions justifies their high cost.”

While meeting with service members around the country, Petraeus said she also heard horror stories of loan companies charging crippling interest rates. One internet lender, she said, tells service members who visit their site: “We believe that your membership in the armed forces entitles you to special treatment. We speak your language!” That language includes a steep interest rate on their loans that far out-paces rates on government-offered loans.

And when military personel fall behind in their payments, harassing debt collectors take over.

“They may call a service member’s home and unit 20 or 30 times a day, threaten them with the uniform code of military justice, and tell them they’ll get them busted in rank or have their security clearance revoked if they don’t pay up,” Petraeus said. “We’ve even heard of a debt collector harassing a surviving spouse of a service member killed in action, insisting that she had to use the money from his death gratuity to pay off a debt immediately.”

College costs aside, many military members are in debt before they even enlist. Petraeus said that on a recent trip to Texas, “We were told that the average Air Force recruit arrives at Lackland Air Force Base for basic training over $10,000 in debt.”

“A continuing issue for the military is the general issue of indebtedness,” Petraeus said. ”Unfortunately there are still too many young troops learning about wise spending through hard experience and years of paying off expensive debt.”

Each year, we seek out the best places for military spouses to find employment, assessing these employers based on many factors. Among the most critical are these:

• Are they actively recruiting and hiring military spouses?
• What is their current percentage of military spouse employees?
• How do they approach workforce development and the retention of military spouse employees?
• Do they have policies in place to support military spouses during deployments, PCS moves and other challenges that military life can bring?