Making it in the MilLife

This is too important to get wrong, so here are two press releases speaking to the status of the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act – this first one is from Senator Richard Burr’s office:

“Today, U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) offered the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization bill currently under consideration in the Senate.  The amendment, which was approved by voice vote on the Senate floor, would allow military spouses to maintain residency in their home state regardless of military placement of their families.”

The press release from Representative John Carter’s office:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 23, 2009
Senate Attaches Military Spouse Residency Relief Act to Defense Authorization
Move Puts Carter Bill on Fast Track for 2009 Passage

(WASHINGTON, DC) – The U.S. Senate today approved the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act as an amendment to the 2009 Defense Authorization Act (S. 1390) at the request of Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), putting the legislation on a fast track for passage into law this year.

The bill authored by U.S. Rep. John Carter (R-TX), currently has over 140 bipartisan co-sponsors.  The high level of support Carter has built in the House makes it likely the final version of the Defense Authorization Act will include the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act when it is signed into law by the President.        

“This is fantastic news for our service families worldwide,” says Carter, who has been pushing the legislation for the last four years. “We should have done this long ago, but at least we are now on track to have a new law in 2009.”

The bill allows a military spouse who moves out of a state with their service member under military orders to have the option to claim the same state of domicile as their active duty spouse, regardless of where they are stationed.  Service members themselves have had that option for decades, while spouse did not, leaving many families with split residencies.

Contact Senator Burr and Congressman Carter to let them know that you appreciate their efforts on our behalf.  Thanks to Rebecca Poynter and Joanna Williamson for their leadership on this issue!

I just finished up doing an interview for Military Advanced Education Magazine.  As I was going through all the programs and resources for miltiary spouses and dependents, I realized I was holding out on my blog pals.  So, here you go, the rundown on some resources you may or may not already know about:

• First of all, MyCAA for spouses.  The program offering a $6000 lifetime amount for military spouses pursuing education toward a degree that will help them identify and pursue portable careers has been expanded.  For more information and to get started, go to www.militaryonesource.om.  You’ll have to register and determine eligibility first, but then you should have no problem getting to a counselor to start down the path of achieving your educational goals.
• We’re all hearing a lot about the post 9-11 GI Bill….and for good reason.  With tranferability, it has tremendous implications for military dependents.  The transferibility regulations won’t be released until August 1st, but applications are now being accepted.  Remember that the GI bill will provide a certain of amount of money, but depending on the school you choose, it’s not guaranteed to cover all the costs of college, you should still look into starting or continuing other college savings – don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
• Now, how about the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC)….do you know about that?  It is a consortium of more than 1800 colleges and universities that provide educational opportunities for servicemembers and their families.  Pursuing an degree through participating schools makes it easier for folks to transfer credits as they move from installation to installation.  For more information on the program, consult your installation education center.  

Now, if you’re just starting to look at going back to school, or if your kids are in high school and the SATs or ACTs are looming in front of them, consider the eKnowledge and NFL program that makes free SAT/ACT test prep programs available to all military service members, veterans and dependents.  The software is free, you pay only for shipping and handling.  Since it’s inception, the program has given out over $20,000,000 worth of products to military families.

In addition to the educational programs available to support military families, there’s also a lot going on at the policy level.  Just a couple things of note:

• this month, the in-state tuition and continuity rates for military dependents will be mandated in all states, and
• as mentioned earlier, next month, the regulations regarding transferability of the post 9-11 GI bill be released.  (August is the anticipated release date.) You’ll be able to find those details at the VA website. 

You may or may not be aware of this, but one of your greatest advocates (in addition to MOAA, of course) is the DoD State Liaison Office whose regional coordinators tirelessly work key military family quality of life issues at the state level.  They were instrumental in pushing through in-state tuition on a state by state case and have now taken on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children.  This Compact seeks to “provide a vehicle for states to follow common guidelines in handling issues that impact children of military families as they transition between schools”.  They want to standardize things such as: records transfer, immunization requirements, graduation requirements, exit testing, etc….  There are currently 21 states participating.  If you want to see if your state is one of those participating, go to their website.