The Department of Defense has an education benefit program for military spouses called the Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) program. Though paused in mid 2010 the MyCAA program began again in October of 2010 as a program that provides up to $4,000 of education financial assistance for eligible military spouses.

To be eligible for MyCAA funding, military spouses must meet the following requirements:

• Military spouses must be married to an active duty service member who is not scheduled to exit the military before the end date of the program the military spouse enrolls in.
• The service member must be in pay grades E1-E5, O1-O2, and W1-W2. Spouses of activated Guard or Reserve members within those ranks may be eligible for MyCAA funding if they start and enroll in their education program while the service member is on Title 10 orders.
• Military spouses must finish their program within three years from the start date of their education program.
• Program offerings are limited to certificate programs, licensures and associate degrees.
• Military spouses are eligible for $2,000 annually with a maximum of $4,000. Military spouses that need to exceed the annual cap of $2,000 may submit a waiver  for additional funding up to the maximum amount of $4,000.

MyCAA funding is specifically for military spouses and is meant to help prepare spouses obtain a portable career.  MyCAA is separate from a service member TA benefits or from a Veteran’s GI Bill. Utilizing this benefit will in no way negatively affect these other education funding sources for service members.

There are many good education options that will help military spouses quickly obtain a portable career.  One institution that has been proven to be an excellent option in preparing spouses for portable careers is Career Step.  Over the last several years Career Step has trained more military spouses than almost any institution in the world by training over 9,000 military spouses.  In addition, Career Step is a DoD Military Spouse Employment Partner (MSEP) and has extremely high success rates in assisting military spouse graduates in obtaining employment.

A military spouse can begin their MyCAA application by going here: https://aiportal.acc.af.mil/mycaa/default.aspx

A military spouse can also receive assistance from a Career Step military spouse Academic Advisor by calling 1-855-261-7366 or go to their website to find out more < http://www.careerstep.com/mycaa-funds

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