A voice for spouses in Military Times
Aug 10 2010
*This letter from MOAA president VADM Ryan appeared in this week in the Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Military Times publications.
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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