Spouses wait to see what’s next for popular career program

As noted in an article in FederalDaily, DoD is still trying to figure out what to do with the Military Spouse Career Advancement Account program, which has proven to be just a little too popular.

The program was designed to provide military spouses with portable career skills that would help them find jobs after making permanent change-of-station moves. The aim was to help them get credentials like real estate licenses or home health-care provider accreditations.

But military spouses started using it to pursue longer-term educational opportunities like four-year degrees, quickly using up the program’s budget. DoD pointed out that many servicemembers already have the option to transfer Post-9/11 GI Bill educational benefits to their spouses if they want to pursue that sort of education.

MyCAA was suspended early this year, then reopened to existing participants while DoD Secretary Robert Gates tries to figure out a new strategy for the program. About 136,000 spouses are enrolled.