MyCAA Military Spousal Tuition Assistance

It is very hard to pay for college these days. It doesn’t help when college costs are on the rise as the states slash budget money that was designed to help students pay for school. Now with the federal government thinking about doing away with federal student aid, the end of easy payment arrangements may be near.

The Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) was set up as a form of tuition assistance for military spouses by the Department of Defense. It is a federally funded program but it is not funded by the Department of Education. The source of MyCAA’s funding means that as DoD budgets get slashed this program may be cut. For now though, MyCAA faces no danger from the educational budget cuts being seen nationally.

MyCAA is an income based program only available to those who are married to an active duty service member. Spouses of Activated Guard and Reserve units are eligible but must be able to complete their courses within the time frame designated by their spouse’s Title 10 orders. It is important to note that AG/Reserve member’s spouses do not qualify if that service member is in Alert, Transition Assistance or Post Deployment status. AG and Reserve sponsors must be on active duty status as reported in the DEERS system.

Those who meet these active duty status requirements must also meet rank requirements.

• E1-E5
• W1-W2
• O1-O2

The rank requirements are not surprising as most DoD funded assistance programs are income based. If the service member is promoted, to a rank outside eligibility, during the time that MyCAA funds are being used it is important to notify Military One Source of the change in rank.

MyCAA funds are also limited to certain courses of study. Those seeking an Associate’s Degree, certifications and licenses from federally funded, accredited institutions are welcome to apply. If the program will not be complete within 3 years of the start date then MyCAA funds will not be awarded. Any spouse who meets the eligibility requirements is eligible for $4,000 over a course of 2 years with a fiscal year cap of $2,000.

To begin the application process visit Military One Source.