In the last week four out of five services – the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard – have halted their servicemember tuition assistance programs thanks to sequestration. The Navy is the only service still offering the benefit to its members. But what about the spouses?
DoD is silent on the fate of MyCAA, the tuition assistance program offered to military spouses regardless of branch.
“… Because of the current fiscal situation, we are evaluating all programs across the department,” Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Leslie Hull-Ryde told us. “At this time, I have no specific announcements to make related to MyCAA.”
Still experts on education program funding expect DoD to announce any day that they will close MyCAA.
“I would expect DoD to suspend MyCAA very soon,” Terry Howell, Military.com’s education benefits expert, told us. “Like (tuition assistance) the DoD is being very quiet about their next moves.”
If MyCAA is suspended the same way the servicemember tuition assistance programs have been, those who are currently enrolled in courses will not be impacted.But no one will be able to enroll in new classes unless the program is restored.
But whether or not it would come back may even be in question. DoD officials told me in 2012 that an expansion of the program was out of the question due to funding constraints. And now that we’re in a belt tightening era programs like MyCAA may be the first to go permanently.
“I think the longevity of the MyCAA program has long been in question, not just because of recent budget cuts, but because of the question of how effective this program is,” said Bianca Stzalkowski, founder of the Military Spouse Education Initiative. “I believe MyCAA was created as an incentive when we were expanding the Marine Corps and Army, and now that we have to downsize I believe it will go away.”
When first launched the scholarship, dubbed Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts or MyCAA, allowed spouses in families of all ranks to receive up to $6,000 in tuition. But the program was so wildly popular with over 130,000 spouses applying within a year of its 2009 opening, that it quickly outpaced its funding. Officials abruptly shuttered the service to new applicants in early 2010, pledging to review and reopen it in the future.
The program was restarted eight months later with drastic benefit cuts and a stiff rank cap barring spouses from most officer and senior enlisted families. The cap was met with a furious outcry from excluded spouses who felt their time in a service family had earned them the benefit.
But the revamping achieved its goal of cutting users. So drastic was the drop in enrollment that DoD asked the Senate to shrink their funding request for the program in fiscal 2102 from $190 million to mere $70 million.
Of that request only $66 million was spent in fiscal 2012. About 37,000 spouses used MyCAA last year, according to DoD.
Officials were not able to get us current MyCAA usage or funding statistics by deadline.
If MyCAA goes away altogether, however, all is not lost Stzalkowski says.
“My reaction to the elimination of the MyCAA would be that spouses can turn to alternative sources of funding for their education that will allow the spouse to choose their own degree path, such as a Pell Grant, scholarships through the Spouse Clubs, branch aid societies, and private organizations like the National Military Family Association and Thanks USA,” she said. “Programs like MyCAA that limit a spouse to an Associate’s degree do not positively impact a spouse’s ability to get the kind of job they desire. If it did, we wouldn’t have an approximate 26 percent unemployment rate among our military spouses. If the Department of Defense wants to create an education program it needs to be effective, not just a check in the box to say they are giving a benefit to spouses.”
If you’re in the market for degree funding or education help or ideas, make sure to check out Stzalkowski’s Military Spouse Education Initiative.
About Amy Bushatz
Comments
Mycaa should have been the first thing to be cut!
This is my response. Not sure why TA for soldiers went first.
Obviously you are not a military spouse relocating every 2 years needing a transferrable degree… The job market is not at all favorable. It is a very notable service that is not abused in any way.
I disagree! I do know spouses who use up all of their money and then never actually go find job. I don't think we owe spouses tuition assistance in either event. You aren't in the military. And service members can still transfer GI Bill benefits.
We deserve MYCAA! AND our soldiers deserve MTA however, our soldiers HAVE jobs we spend our time taking care of EVERYTHING else with no chance to further ourselves..like the military PAYS WELL?! Buncha military haters. you "people"really make me sick
I used mycaa funds to start going to school. Currently, I’m at the end of my pharmacy tech program. I wouldn’t have been able to start at all if I hadn’t had the assistance. I gave up my job so he could join the army. Mycaa helped me. I’m sad that it may be on the chopping block. Yes they took away TA for soldiers but they still have a gi bill. I couldn’t even get financial aid because we had made too much money the year before and the school didn’t care that our situation had changed. So yeah we may not be owed assistance money but don’t be so quick to condemn it either.
As someone who is currently using MyCAA funding I absolutely think it should have been cut before they ever took anything away from the soldiers. I'm sorry but he's the one who swore to fight for them, the one they promised to take care of, not me. While I am very very grateful to have the opportunity to take classes with MyCAA funding, I would much rather have seen my husband and his soldiers have that money first.
THANK YOU (for standing up for us), how tragic is it for ignorant people to make stupid statements like those above. The spouses are the one's left in the dirt, to take care of home, family and business as our husbands deploy.
WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! I am now in graduate school, but could've never reached this point had I not been able to obtain my associate's degree in Alaska. Obviously you are divorced, or have never been in the military, jerk
For the love of pete, if the soldier can't get it, why should the spouse?
Because the spouse is relocating leaving there job every 18 months to 3 yrs to follow the service member for the service members job.
loose it. Agree with Bonn, if a soldier can't get TA why should a spouse get MYCAA. And why exactly is it the militaries problem that a younger/lower enlisted spouse get an education? The military has become a lifestyle of entitlement instead of a JOB
It has been a concern for the military to get junior enlisted spouses in the workforce….because the Army doesn't pay junior enlisted personal well at all. This is why they qualify for foodstamps and WIC and HUD housing.
As for MYCAA, it was always a crappy program geared at basic education and trade school level education anyhow…so who cares.
Considering what they would be paid in the private sector junior enlisted are paid VERY well.
Enough with the mythical "troops on food stamps". it MAY have been true in the early 80's but not now, not for a LONG time. The top end for getting them is about 28K. I you use the 2013 paycharts and add BAH and BAS for just about any place in the US all but a brand new E-1 under 1 get more than that.
A "semi skilled" E-4 over 4 almost anywhere is pullin in around 50K, twice or more than twice what he/she would be making "back at home" working in a "big box" store or other un/semi skil job.
An E-4 does NOT make 50 a year. Barely 40, WITH all the benefits.
Alright Pythagoras…in your calculations did you include the fact in Garrison they work minimum 12 hour days and in theatre 24 hour days? Can you explain why they qualify for WIC, food stamps and HUD housing? Should I go take a picture for you of all the junior enlisted vehicles parked in the HUD apt complex up the road? Should I go over to the WIC office and take a picture for you of all the military families there? How about I just take my lawn chair and sit at the end of the grocery line and snap pictures of everyone using a govt assistance food card…are you truly that BLIND to reality? Truly? I don't have time to debate morons.
The ONLY reason most of them are eligible for food stamps etc is because 1. Certain states don't count BAH as income in WIC and foodstamp calculations. 2. If they are in a state that does count BAH then they have more children then they ever should have had given their financial situation so I have NO pity for them.
And Spouse, out here an E-4 with about 4 in makes just under 47k a year in CASH…that does not include the additional compensation of around 10 plus k a year in health insurance benefits for him and his family based on current rates. Which puts his compensation of just CASH and health benefits at over 50k a year. Then add in enlistment and re enlistment bonuses, GI bill compensation etc and you are well above that 50k a year mark. so Dale is right on the mark.
My husband has 100 families under his command, we like in a BAH included state. Only ONE family is eligible for government assistance and that's because he came is a new E2 with SIX kids. He joined in his late 20's because the pay on the outside was so bad they were going under.
I remember when we were E-4s (prior to OCS), we never had issues paying the bills, but then again we never had more children then we could afford either.
I am not responding to your self righteous banter any more. You want to follow me around anywhere I post anything and try to incite me knock yourself out…stalker.
I am very sorry that you can't handle an educated and adult discussion. It seems to be your way or the highway, heaven forbid someone has a different opinion. I feel sorry for your close minded life. And it's a public forum, one that we both read and comment on, maybe you should learn the definition of stalking.
YOU are the one here with a closed minded life. Your idea is…oh well we were better than you so we went OCS, so screw all you enlisted people you're just idiots who don't deserve any better…I really feel sorry for those 100 families under your husband's command…what a lovely attitude you have. That attitude is EXACTLY what is wrong with the "leadership" in the Army. I know on the previous thread you said you also had a Masters, I suggest you get your money back. Or minimum take some servant leadership, social justice or critical thinking courses so you can better understand complex problems. People have children for a plethora of reasons: ethnic, religious, cultural, socioeconomic. People make financial decisions based also on the same host of variables which shape their worldview.
The only thing I have learned from your posts is you are a classist.
LOL, do you forget that I was enlisted? And my husband was enlisted as well? He went through OCS because leadership sucked and he wanted to change that, and he has, most of his soldiers love him. Being prior service gives him a different perspective then those that come straight out of college. What have you done to personally help these people that you claim to be fighting so hard for.
I have never once said I am better then anyone, don't think I am. I am simply pointing out it's not "poor me I'm military/my spouse is military therefore I shouldn't be touched" In times of economic upheaval EVERYONE has to share the pain, and despite what you think, private industry, federal government employees, pretty much everyone outside our overly crappy Congress/House has felt the pain financially. The military felt pain in different ways with time gone etc…but that was volunteered for not forced down your throat, and we are well compensated for it. Just because we are military (or in your case your husband is) does not mean we should be exempt from cuts. And frankly cuts to things like daycare are nothing if it means saving retirement benefits and healthcare, lets face it.
These WIC and foodstamp fallacies only further righteous indignation. It very well may have been true years ago but it's really not anymore.
You've taken some hits in life, I get it, no job with a Masters, loosing your shirt on a sole proprietership etc but military members, and their families, are not gods exempt from everything, yes they served, voluntarily and thoroughly knowing what was coming down the pike if they came in during the past 11ish years. They sacrificed, they fought, they were compensated for that. Just because you signed up doesn't mean you are guaranteed to stay for 20 regardless of what you do or how your "company" does.
I am done with you, I can see your anger at your own situation will not allow you to see logic without a ton of emotion clouding it.
And I can see that your throne of good fortune has you sitting too high to see the reality of most military families.
Take some social justice, servant leadership or critical thinking courses and we'll talk. The only thing I have learned from your posts is..you are a classist.
You know I really wish they would stop moderating every post so people could see this dialogue…its a great example of the reality of the conversation within the Army regarding classism…I imagine you are getting emailed my posts as I am yours anyhow. You asked what have I done to support enlisted families…oh I don't know, I have held every position in several FRGs, I have done casualty assistance…good golly gosh I was even mayor of a housing area…I have volunteered at ACS, I have donated money to the relief fund and I even had 30 seperate webcam stations sent down range for an MWR coms station on my company's dime. Look, you think you know everything from your throne…you don't know. And I get it, you don't want to know. So lets both hope you never find out how very wrong you are, ok? There. End of Discussion.
PS: the word is L-O-S-I-N-G…you are driving me nuts in every post you write. You "loose" as in set free…dogs etc. You can't "loose" your shirt…and no one is "loosing" their benefits. They are Losing them.
OK SAB.. You want some more reality.
I have some experience witht he Army but to broaden the discussion for all services to be "not deployed" 8 hour days are by in far the norm and 12 hour days if they ever happen at all are "few and far between" even while being "in theater" which is less than 2 years will for all practical purposes be a thing of the past NO ONE actually works 24 hours a day.
Take a look at the calendar which, almost every month has a federal holiday which if you are "in garrison" is almost always means a 3 or if it falls on a Tuesday or Thursday IE thanksgiving or Dec 25th or Jan. 1rst will mean a 4 day weekend almost every month, in the private sector you MIGHT get the three mentioned holidays but they will not equal 3 much less 4 day weekends off and unless you work for some level of government you WILL work all or most of those other days .
Then there is 4 and if you know how to work it 6 weeks paid vacation, and that is for a "new employee" most places in the private sector you will need to wok AT lEAST 5 years to get more than 2 ifr you get that much..
Ok lets go backwards, since that is order I can see your arguments as you type.
My last non self employed gig I got 6 weeks paid vacation up front, in a civilian telecom company with no relation whatsoever to the military. Again, I don't know where you people are working or what you are doing that you get so poorly compensated= Point 1 me
I will give you the Federal holisays one so=Point 1 you
Cont'd
PT starts generally around 6/7 am and most in garrison work days usually end around 6 pm, except whatever day is Soldier time, which may end earlier. Thats a 12 hour day. And most NCOs/SNCOs and Os generally work in excess of that. If you were told by your civilian employer to leave the country for 365 days, you can bet you'd be getting over time. If not, I am not a fan of unions as a rule, but you should get one. Further, the primary problem soldiers have with transitioning back home after deployment is that constant 24 hour vigiliance they experience down range in many MOSs, in every one…no, but certainly in any combat oriented, combat support oriented or combat hospital related…they are in essence "on" most of every 24 hours, whether they are playing basketball on a FOB, or sitting point in a Stryker.=Point 1 me….
So again, I will concede you Federal holidays…but really…you don't think they earn every second of those?
I have to agree with the 12hour days. My husband works from 6am to 4:30 or 6pm on most days, on good days he gets off at 3:30. He's up earlier than six to workout everyday, so most days are 10 to 12hour days. This might be different for others, sometimes he doesn't take a lunch break. E-4s with 4yrs in make 50k? I have to disagree with that statement. My husband is not an E4 anymore, but he never made that much. I will say that young lower ranking soldiers don't manage their money correctly. I've never met a 18,19, or 20yr old with no experience making 900+ every paycheck. I use to work in accounts payable, I received paid holidays from day one, but it took me a year to get one week of vacation and two years to get two weeks of vacation. We purchased merchandise from companies that gave their employees 6weeks of vacation. It just depends on who you work for.
go look at the pay charts…the information is on military.com in CO an e-4 with 4 makes 47k a year PLUS GI Bill, medical for the entire family, enlistment and re enlistment bonuses discounted food, tax free subsidies on PX purchases (frankly the PX isn't really cheaper) their TOTAL compensation is WELL above 50k a year
Key here is "in CO". BAH fluctuates drastically from one post to the next.
Agreed.
Not everyone gets the GI Bill. It is something the servicemember signs up for and PAYS for out of his/her paycheck the first year on Active Duty. Not everyone wants a college education. I've known MANY servicemember's who don't want it and don't get it.
I also know MANY servicemember's that don't use the exchanges – that really all depends on where you are stationed. There are MANY places that have military member's stationed there but do not have the exchanges or the commissaries.
Not all servicemember's have families either. There are MANY single servicemember's out there.
You are lumping everyone all in one big pot, and that shouldn't be done when computing compensation of any kind, because each and every servicemember has different circumstances. The only consistent element is the Base Pay, they all get that. Everything else is subject to individual entitlement.
Sounds like you are indeed a very entitled woman.
Re-enlistment bonuses? Who do you know that gets re-enlistment bonuses outside special forces and deployment re-enlistments? BAH is different for each state and i think you know that. To make such a general statement is incorrect. When my husband was E-4, he didn't make that much. If it's more now then good.
It's not…certain people just don't want to believe they ARE that 47 percent spoken off this past election. Most enlisted military families are statistically lower middle class to right above poverty per the data. Because pride is central to a military identity, they don't want to think of themselves that way…it's psychological.
you sad, sad woman. How sheltered your military life must be if you think the bulk of the American public gets 6 weeks paid vacation, pensions, and six figure salaries. You are TOTALLY disconnected from the real world and actual civilians.
Then you know what…if you think the military has it so great. SIGN UP. The military today exists through what is called a social contract. The American public, in lieu of a draft, has a standing professional Army. In exchange for at any given time less than 1 percent of the population serving…we, the American people compensate them with pay, housing, and incentives. For this, we, the American public do not have to serve. That is a social contract. If you don't like it…write your Congress and suggest we disband the standing professional military and go to a Korean or Israel system of mandatory service for all Americans…what's that? You don't want to be shot at? That's right, I didn't think so
Where do you live? BAH is different for each location. If you live in Hawaii, NYC, Virginia your BAH is 2k or more! It changes for each location so making such a statement for all E4s is incorrect. When my husband was a E4 we barely made 40k.
Applause. I think as an E4s wife she might not realize how varying it is. Places like FT Polk the BAH is 1/2 what it is for Ft Lewis or Drum.
Yes I agree, maybe people are unaware of the difference in BAH from the south, west coast, east coast. I have personally experienced the difference. We went from 900 in BAH to 1300, now 1470. I know the higher your rank the more BAH you will receive, but it really depends on your area code. We always receive a little bit more than what we pay for rent, utilities, and even a private parking space, all within our BAH.
Guest – BAH does not consider the NUMBER of CHILDREN you have, you are confusing BAH with COLA. COLA will only go up to, I think, 5 or 6 dependents. BAH is Base Allowance for Housing and it ONLY CONSIDERS IF YOU ARE MARRIED OR SINGLE, that's it. BAS is Base Allowance ofr Subsistance and isn't really all that much.
While in the military compensation in health insurance has been a factor in figuring out yearly income.
Not all military member's get enlistment or reenlistment bonuses either – where are you coming up with your comments!
Oh, just for your information BAS is generally an entitlement for the Officer community, Enlisted personnel get something else, it used to be called Commuted Rations or Rations in Kind.
While we are talking entitlements, you forgot to mention the unifrom allowance the ENLISTED personnel get, Officers generally do not.
Ms Guest, you sound like you need some education in the military personnel field. Pay and entitlements is a something every military member gets, however, spouses should recieve NO entitlements, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT IN THE MILITARY!
I'm not sure how it used to be, but I'm enrolled in a class now, and my class is neither basic education or trade school-level. They actually have a lot of options. I figured it would be one of the first things chopped, so I'm surprised it's survived this long.
Understood. My only experience with MyCAA was it only covering, as this article states Associates level programs or below. I agree with the quote in the article I don't believe a program which caps out at an associates degree is the type of program which prepare people for careers…they prepare them for jobs. A job is not a career.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/26/pf/college/commun… – here's an article that discusses bachelor degrees vs. associates degrees. I think it's pretty interesting.
I think everyone should do their first two years at community college, or as I did during Running Start…however, if you want to progress in your career, and not just stagnate in a job…you have to continue to obtain education in most fields. Some fields you can not even begin without minimum a Bachelors degree.
I was one of the first military spouses to use MYCAA when it first started in 2009; I used it to complete my Masters of Computer Science….it was great…I used ALL $6000.00…!
That is most definitely a lie. MYCAA does not pay for masters. It won't even pay for anything beyond an Associates Degree. Want proof here it is straight from the horses mouth.
"MyCAA provides a maximum education benefit of $4,000 with an annual fiscal year cap of $2,000 to assist eligible military spouses who need professional credentials to meet their Portable Career goals. Annual cap waivers are available for licensure and certificate programs if there is an upfront tuition cost that exceeds $2,000 (up to the maximum education benefit of $4,000)." http://www.militaryonesource.mil/12038/Project%20…
So to recap, got your masters, lie! Got $6000.00, lie. I don't know what benefit you were using if any but it certainly wasn't MYCAA.
This must have been eons ago…I know MyCAA when I looked into it years ago capped at Associates degrees as the article states originally.
You're absolutely right! It doesnt cover a master's anymore. But when it first came out it had no restrictions on what you could use it for.
Instead of fretting about what is going to be cut, why aren't we looking at alternatives to get the same thing? Why aren't we petitioning to have lower interest rates for military members and spouses to take out student loans? Why aren't we trying to get a graduated payment program based on rank to AMU or a similar program? They haven't repealed the post 9/11 GI bill yet either, have they?
its terrible that these programs are getting cut, but lets remember there are THOUSANDS of 18 year olds who figure out how to get into, and pay for college without tuition assistance.
I think it's very easy to say this and that, and complain We're all very good at complaining about whatever it is. In fact, I was not the most fond of MYCAA and felt the difficulties when the "good" schools I was looking for, were not an option. I ended up never using it because I never found a program that I liked nor felt that it would give me a much needed lift on my career. I have a B.A., I am not American, and I think it is important that any spouses are eligible for MYCAA, for instance, I might not be eligible for any of the grants you described, simply because it takes a foreigner 3 to 5 years to become a citizen, so truth be told, it isn't the best, but it's much better than nothing. It doesn't do much for me, given that I already have a Bachelor's degree, but if I was a high schooler, yes, I would gladly take it and get a degree out of it. It isn't much, but it is definitely helpful for many. Foreign spouses can't take any federal jobs either.
I agree with why was the active duty member cut before the spouses TA. I remember a long time ago when if was pretty much if the military wanted you to have a wife they would have issued you one. I am sorry if that statement offends anyone but the military has gotten to the point that the active duty gets less than the dependents.
insufficient funding for programs surrounding active and former service members and they expect this to continue?
If they want benefits then spouses need to see a recruiter……
While Congress has no problem in cutting benefits to our service members and spouses, they are being courted by the Israeli lobbyists who are hard at work in Washington making sure there are no cuts to the Israeli military. Something is not right here…
This has nothing to do with MyCCA, but when I signed up for direct deposit for my travel pay, I didn't know thatI would be forfeting $5.00 fo precessing (?). I used to get $9.73. Now, while still having to stand in line to sign for my direct deposit, I received $4.73 from the US Treasury. I havnt spoken with the billing dept, but I intend to.
Also, I was just evaluated for a possible disability increase; and I told the examinating doctor, that when I received my last increase, my disabilities totalled 80%, but was told that I had a combined rating of 60%. That's a 20%, and any increase would undoubtedly have similar results. The damned government just can't keep from from screwing the veterans.
Tuition assistance for Military spouses is not a gift … you need to realize at it's core it is a benefit provided to active personnel – not their spouse – designed to increase retention.
I can't believe some of the post I just read. When I first found out about MyCAA I was so thankful that something like that was even offered to spouses. I completely agree that tuition assistance for active military should not be taken away from them but why should MyCAA be taken away from spouses? What makes one more important than the other. Both TA and MyCAA help you go to school by making it a little more affordable. Yeah MyCAA funding isn't enough to pay for all of your schooling but it is something. That something has given me the push to even enroll in school. Going to school is so expensive and getting that little bit of help from MyCAA has helped me tremendously. As a military spouse I can say that the military life isn't easy. I know it's hard for my husband but it's hard for me too. I gave up a lot to be with him and be there to support him in his decision to defend our country. I'm not asking for praise or anything of the sort, but back off the spouses. We might not be on the front lines, but we are still there supporting our husbands and spending our lives away from family and everything we know so that everyone can live in freedom.
"I completely agree that tuition assistance for active military should not be taken away from them but why should MyCAA be taken away from spouses? What makes one more important than the other"
Your husband signed a contract with the gov't, you didn't. Your husband is the one who is in harms way, you aren't.
"I know it's hard for my husband but it's hard for me too. I gave up a lot to be with him and be there to support him in his decision to defend our country"
Why is the gov't responsible for the consequences of YOUR decision to marry a man in the military? You made the choice. No one forced you to give up anything
"We might not be on the front lines, but we are still there supporting our husbands and spending our lives away from family and everything we know so that everyone can live in freedom."
Your husband is the one in the military. He is the one fighting for our country. You are sitting in your nice comfy home enjoying all the freedoms we have in the United States. You say you are a supportive wife, but wouldn't you be just as supportive no matter what your husband does for a living? That's what married couples do for each other.
This should have been the first thing to go. All of these vocational and trade schools prey on spouses eligible for the program. They also prey on the service members. One school has a bogo program if you don’t qualify. Just get the service member to sign up using their TA or GI Bill and the spouse can go for free. Refer 3 people and keep the computer! Be a liaison and sign people up and get $500 a referral. No thanks. These spouses can apply for financial aid, scholarships, grants, and student loans to pay for school. You want the military to pay for your school? Go sign on the dotted line. Either way, I would rather like my TA and have money for training and unit readiness.
I agree a little here, i used mycaa and felt so ripped off. Than after I used it for a certificate program local college would not even accept credits since school was only nationally credited. I felt like they took money and liied.(school doing MYCAA) I was just to stupid not to realize it. Now since we have a big family and not make a whole lot I just use FAFSA for online classes. Yes MYCAA is great, just wish I would of talked to someone about the school in Cali before so they could see if not that great of a school. Oh well I do have a few more credits online from using FAFSA.
I feel that if a military member doesn't get TA a spouse shouldn't either and have been annoyed that they have allowed MyCAA to continue for longer than TA.
I used MyCAA when it first came out. It was good, but then restructured and as a spouse of an E6 I wasn't allowed to use it. I didn't complain. I was grateful for the time I was allowed to use it (I think I managed to get 4 course paid for before the restructure). I have to say, I did agree with some of the others who were annoyed that spouses of lower ranking members were allowed to use the funding. Things are tough and everyone needs to adapt to survive. I never qualify for any Financial Aid but have won over $8000 in scholarships and grants in my 2 years in school. I also work to pay for my schooling. I guess I have a different view of things than some and I don't believe the military owes me anything.
For those saying a job always has to be stagnate and that associate’s degrees are not useful, an associate degree in nursing, i.e. a RN degree, is extremely useful in getting a starting salary of $55K a year. Not to mention the fact that I will be using that 2-yr degree as a jumping off point towards becoming a Nurse Practitioner (which is still extremely useful while PCSing) to make upwards of $110K a year. In doing so, I will become a citizen who pays 30% in taxes into a system which will in turn, pay my husband’s “high” salary. As far as TA being cut before MyCAA- that’s just another example of our inefficient legislators in Washington. As for me, I will simply pay for the education I receive as I can and as my family can afford it. Do I think “free cell phones” should be done away with or “free gas cards” be eliminated before military benefits are slashed to the bone? Hell yes I do. But that will not happen so instead of complain, I will write my congressmen and senators and voice my opinions while continuing in my path of self-preservation and personal responsibility. I suggest we all keep out dignity and do the same. Raising public awareness of abuses in power is one thing- constantly whining and crying over splilled milk is quite another. Thank you to all who serve and all who stand by those who serve.
I am not trying to argue you here…but in many states an RN is a 4 year degree, take WA for instance. An LPN is a two year, associates program. And for the record, I never said an associates degree was not useful. I said most spouses who recieve an associate's degree, will in fact have to further their education to be employable in other states, and as their career progresses.
I normally don't post in these places, but I don't understand what the commotion is about. I understand the financial hardship that this places on families, I do, but what about all those families who got to find out that hubbie or wify don't have a job?
Instead of lamenting what is likely to be lost and very soon, why not petition Pentagon and Government officials to change the terms of the G.I. bill whereby the spouse doesn't have to wait 6 years to use it?
As a retired enlisted person, I have attempted to get permission from the services to use official service logos on laser engraved or scroll saw cuttings for sale. I was surprized that the serices have fees that they charge for licenses. What turns out to be unbelievable is the different amounts being charged for these depending on service. The USMC charged $25 per year, the Air Force does not charge, the Army charges $225.00 per year. I strongly believe that retiree craft hobbyists should not have to pay for use of the proper service logos, we paid more than that with our years of service. I do agree that big businesses that make and sell products do need licenses to put their items up for resale, but not hobbyists. Contact your representatives and complain that we are paying persons to grant the permission needed.
I am currently using MyCAA towards an associates in Graphic Design because it will allow me to work from home 90% of the time. The other 10% being possible client meetings or what not. The only way my husband and I could afford it is if my final bill was equal too or less than the cost of our car (which will be paid up before I graduate). We did this so we could have my school paid off in 4 years MAXIMUM without actually tacking on another bill on top of things. Without MyCAA going to college would not have been an option for me because I didn’t even want to go 2k over budget to make sure things flowed well. I actually intend on not havin a full time job but rather doing a job here an there. Basically ill be working to pay off the loans and also to save up to get the Harley that my hubby and I have always wanted and to work on some body art. All this so that we can use the money my hubby makes to put into saving incase the dear sweet army decides to completely mess up our pay again (they stopped his pay for 2 months while we were PCSing and my hubby was TDY en route). Or when they decided that we should only get 500 a paycheck. Oh did I mention we have a now 3 year old? YeAh… I have toget a degree as a fall back basically incase the military screws up again.
In case "who" screwed up again?? There is no way he was not paid for 2 months by the "sweet army", maybe they reduced his BAH, or COLA, but I assure you he was paid sooner than 2 months.; even if there is a problem with his pay, active duty personnel are able to obtain an advance in pay immediately in such a situation. Especially if PCSing, no matter where he was at time. Perhaps you should dig up your husband's records, because it's impossible.
Halfway through your comment Lauren, you began to ramble on about Harley's and body art!
Don't blame the military because you decided to "work here and there" or have a child. You're whining about school yet you seem to have no clear goal to actually obtain your education without a handout.
GET REAL SWEETHEART, and get a job.
Excuse me? The military STOPPED our pay and if you were paying attention I said that I PLAN ON GOING TO SCHOOL TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD THE THINGS I WANT. Our child was a surprise actually and I don't believe in abortion. My husband WANTS me to be a stay at home mom sweet heart because we can afford to do that. They stopped his pay because he was TDY en route and if you are not signed in to a permanent duty station within a certain period then they stop your pay and being TDY EN ROUT is NOT a permanent duty station. So before you go trolling on here about people and events you know nothing about, do your research. I do not work because I want to be a good mother and spend lots of time with my daughter. So why don't you get real and get a life sweetie. And stop being so rude.
Also. We CAN afford tuition but again my dear since you were not really reading, I said that it was a choice to use MyCAA to keep us from having a ton of bills. We can afford it perfectly fine, I would just rather be financially smart and be prepared incase my husband has to do another TDY en route or something happens. I prepare for the worst and Yano what? That's actually a responsible thing.
If I had a dollar for very time we had pay issues in the past 18 years, which had nothing to do with us…TDY en route, Family separation pay on/off, hazard duty pay on/off etc…once we were over paid almost 1000 a month for four months…we went in and told finance every single time. When they finally fixed it, they just took it all at once…luckily we were smart and had put all the extra in savings….recently we had an NTC rotation where they took 3 months BAS all out of one paycheck, two months after the rotation on Dec 1st….leaving families scrambling for Christmas. The pay system gets screwed up every time we PCS, and every time my husband comes and goes anywhere…TDY, training or deployments…anyone who has been in the Army very long knows you are correct, not only does it happen…it happens all the time.
I agree that the tuition assistance should not have been cut. However, as a spouse I feel as though spouses should have some assistance for tuition as well. And for everyone jumping the gun saying that service members can transfer their GI bill benefits….this is ONLY AFTER SIX YEARS of service!!! I'm in school now (Full time) at the age of 19 and my husband has only been in for a year and a half. This means I would have to wait over 4 years to receive any type of assistance! I'll have my bachelor's degree by then. How is that useful??? And since I have job now, fafsa is pretty much kicking me out of the pell grant. They count BAS AGAINST you as well. If I was getting food stamps instead, they would shower me with the pell grant. Or if I became a stay at home air force wife with 3 children and no job. If you do things the wrong way, like having children before a stable career and no job you get all kinds of help. If you do things the right way, like having job (30 hours a week for me) and go to school full time you get no help. Funny how things work.
There is nothing wrong with waiting for six little years for your husband's GI Bill….Consider yourself lucky to get it at all. What you should worry about is the fact that your "husband" can make the choice to grant you his GI Bill benefits, all or some; however, he also has the power to TAKE IT BACK at any time. Hope you are aware of that. If you divorce, Bam, he is able to pull your end date, change it, then you get nothing.
I am Air Force wife of 24 years, my husband transferred 75% of his benefits to me, I am now in my forties and a graduate school majoring in Public Administration, specializing in Government Studies. You appear to have some sense of entitlement, just a most 20-something girls do. Cry about your problems when you do your "time" as a military spouse. Some advice? Get a job, and wait until you've paid your own dues!!!
I tend to think there is something wrong with waiting 6 years for this particular program…which I am not a fan of anyhow, and which could never benefit me, because it would only pay for associates level classes when I had looked into it.
Let's use your analogy…MyCAA is for associate level classes at this point in time, at least last I checked….so they are to wait to get an associates degree until they are minimum 24 (assuming they married at 18) or more likely 26-30….you do realize your earning potential without even an associates degree is basically minimum wage? So which is it…do you want them to be able to make enough money to be self sufficient…or would you lie them to be dependent until they are pushing 40?
I realize you are just finishing your grad degree in your 40s….do you not think ageism is a reality? Let me assure you it is. I finished at the top of my class from a very good school 8 months ago…but at 39 pushing 40….I am competing for management training programs with people half my age. It took me the past four months of truly selling myself to a national company to finally get a foot in the door. I think we are going about this wrong. NO THEY SHOULD NOT WAiT, they need to get tracked ASAP…because trying to get tracked at 40 is arse backwards.
Had you had read my post Kathleen, I do have a job. By your logic, I should work in the fast food industry for minimum wage for 6 years and wait to further myself. How ignorant. Save your breath, I've researched both G.I bills and am well aware of how it can be distributed, taken back, etc. etc. It wouldn't surprise me if you spent your time as a military house wife fluffing pillows. I have higher aspirations, and there's nothing wrong with a hand up. 4,000 will not earn anyone an associate degree, however I am very thankful for it and plan to get my master's in nursing by the time I'm 28. Mycaa is giving me a jump start towards that goal.
In addition, ANYONE with half a brain–will tell you that you're stupid to put off college unless you're going to a trade school or at least some other form of post secondary school. I truly hope everyone here encourages their own children and others around them to pursue a career whether it be college or a trade school and have higher aspirations than becoming a manager a burger joint.
I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF THESE YOUNG MILITARY WIVES COMPLAINING ABOUT THEIR EDUCATION BENEFITS!!
THIS SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT BLOWS MY MIND. AS AN AIR FORCE SPOUSE OF 24 YEARS, I CONSIDER MYSELF FORTUNATE THAT I WAS ABLE TO ACCESS ANY BENEFITS AT ALL (CAA). BUT I WAS ABLE TO ACHIEVE A "START" WITH MY AAS, I PAID FOR MY BAS OUT OF POCKET, I AM NOW A GRADUATE STUDENT IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, SPECIALIZING IN GOVERNMENT STUDIES THANKS TO MY HUSBAND'S GIFT TO ME OF 75% OF HIS POST 9/11 BENEFITS. WE EARNED OUR BAS DEGREE'S TOGETHER, AND BOTH WORKED HARD, IN SCHOOL AND IN THE WORKPLACE. HE IS A CONTRACTED FIRE CHIEF NOW IN AFGHANISTAN. WE STAND AS A TEAM, NOT LOOKING FOR A HANDOUT. I AM PROUD OF MY HUSBAND, AND THANK DOD FOR WHAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH.
THE DOD OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO ALLOW SPOUSES TO BENEFIT FROM OUR HUSBAND'S OR WIVE'S SERVICE, WHY IS EVERYONE DEMANDING IT? IT IS INDEED THE ACTIVE MILITARY THAT SHOULD RETAIN THE EDUCATION BENEFITS THEY SERVE THEIR COUNTRY FOR, I AM UPSET THAT THEY MAY NO LONGER HAVE ACCESS TO IT.
Holy Bologney, lose the caps already. Look, I too paid for my own B.S. and my own Masters. I just finished my Masters after 18 years of marriage to my enlisted soldier. As an enlisted spouse…I understand where junior wives are coming from on this issue. Most of them NEED to work to get ahead financially. Sure they can get by these days on military pay…but they can't as junior enlisted families get ahead….they can't have considerable savings, they can't fund their kids college etc without that spouse's paycheck. In fact most of them live on credit as junior enlisted families so they don't have to live like welfare recipients. Enlisted pay at the junior level is horrid. You can make all sorts of value judgments about people, but I am sure so where in your education you had a sociology or psychology class…use it. They are angry because they are trying to get ahead, in a system which already treats them like second class citizens. While they are enduring two wars..the most of which casualties and injuries happen in their ranks E1-E5. They are paying a huge price for the war…and they deserve some dang benefits. I don't particularly like the MyCAA paradigm…but it's a start for them.
Let's take the military out of the picture and look at the basics. A young woman is married and wants to increase her household income to get ahead. How would she go about going to school? She applies for financial aid and school loans, she takes classes as she can afford them. It will take longer doing school part time, but eventually she'll get there. I believe this is the point that Kathleen was trying to make. A woman decides to get married before she gets a college education and whose fault is it when she is having difficulty obtaining a degree after the "I do" is said? I would say it is hers because she chose to get married instead of doing what lots of other people do after they graduate high school.
MYCAA is a benefit that should be appreciated but is not an entitlement. Just because you marry someone in the military doesn't mean that you get to go through the special line and not have to jump through the same hoops as everyone else. Also, military pay is not a secret. Anyone can go online and pull up a pay chart to see how much money will be coming in. If they choose to get married when they have little income, isn't that their responsibility to deal with the ramifications of that decision? It's not like anyone was blindsided by receiving a massive pay reduction after the marriage occurred. It's all about personal responsibility for the choices you make.
I find it heartbreaking that so many people on here think that a woman has to go through a certain series of events in her life in a certain order. When I was just out of high school I could not afford college at all. Parents made just a smidge too much for me to be able to get financial help (but they have a life and bills too) and I had no luck with scholarships due to my school being very small and me not being a sports person. I got married without a college degree and we conceived a child a month after being married and he deployed 2 months after she was born. I am going to school now because with the help of my husband and my financial planning sense, we can afford it. Also, for those of you who say to use a GI bill, we are thinking of our daughter in that regard and he intends to give it to her.
Ladies out there, do not feel that you failed or screwed up because people think you have screwed yourself by doing things "out of order". You did things how they happened. There are no negative ramifications for doing so unless you go in extremely ill prepared and blind. So what if you had a kid, then got married, then found time to go back to school? I respect women like that more because they have to work 3x as hard as a person going to college right after high school.
It's all about preparation. Having a hard time with money? Re evaluate things your currently paying for and cut back. Do you need cable or can you work with just Internet and Netflix? How often do you eat out? Can you make more at home and save the eating out costs? Things like that. Do a simple budget on excel, I am horrible with excel but I watched a couple tutorials on the Microsoft website and figured it out. Timing and preparation. No one screwed up and you spouses who appreciate MyCAA deserve every bit of help that is given to us. The military is already taking small chunks out of things soldiers and their families are actually entitled to so isn't it good to appreciate something that will not only benefit us but will also benefit the soldier and the families in the long run?
I did not say that women did things out of order. My point was that people choose their order of events and responsibility lies with them for their choices. To say that because a woman marries a military man young and then finds she needs an education entitles her to MYCAA is wrong. I think it's great that program is out there. I did not use it since it wasn't available when I went to college. I was one of those people who got married first before I got my degree and I found other means to make it happen.
I have always planned to go to college…I didn't decide that after marriage lol (I've been with my husband for 4 years–I was with him way long before he was a 'military man') There is absolutely nothing wrong with offering a little help to military wives. If they made the G.I bill transferable earlier, we wouldn't need Mycaa, now would we? People need to stop acting like Mycaa is going to pay entirely for an associate degree. Which I have absolutely no problem with at all. I paid plenty out of our own pockets, I'm just saying people seem to act as if it is some free ride. I attend a community college, so mycaa will pay for a year for me which is wonderful.
I am grateful for MyCAA. No it's not 100% necessary for me to get a degree, but I chose to do it as a fall back in case something should happen or to be able to get some of the bigger luxury things for my family. I'm a carpenter (self taught) and going to school for graphic design. It's a degree that will allow me to work wherever I happen to be. MyCAA will allow me to be able to pay off my loans in 4 years or less while most people pay theirs in 10+. I am a stay at home mom which is a choice that my husband and I made before we got married. Do I think I deserve MyCAA? Do I think ALL SPOUSES deserve MyCAA? Heck yes I do! When the husbands deploy we are the ones here managing 100% of things. Why? Because that is our job! Our husbands cannot fix a car, pay bills, run errands, be mr fix it, or kill a spider in the closet while they are deployed. So we AS SPOUSES need to put on our big girl skirts and do it. Yes I know we married into the military but Yano what? We CHOSE the person we married. We signed on that dotted line (or box, or regular line). I don't know about some of you ladies but I work pretty darn hard to keep my house clean and organized, bills paid on time, little one happy and healthy, dogs happy, and grades at a 3.5 GPA currently. I do all of this so my husband can focus on work and being an amazing husband and father. So good for you ladies who use and appreciate MyCAA and boo to those of you just getting on here to pick fights and tell the ones who would be sad to loose such a helpful program that they are lazy. No we just work our butts off and appreciate what little help we do get. So instead of name calling and bashing why don't you look at yourself, evaluate your happiness and appreciate what you have. The MyCAA program does not even provide that much assistance but every little but helps..