Under the legislation, Pentagon officials will assess the costs of providing education opportunities for military spouses as an incentive to retain service members, compared with the costs of recruiting and training new service members.

Along with the review, Congress wants defense officials to recommend ways to improve spouse education programs.

At a minimum, officials must also evaluate the effectiveness of all Defense Department and Veterans Affairs Department programs to advance education opportunities for military spouses and assess the programs’ influence on service members’ decisions to stay in the military.

Military Spouses Education Program

The requirement is one provision of the 2011 defense authorization bill, which at press time was awaiting President Obama’s signature. The review will be due 180 days after the law is enacted.

The House version of the bill contained the provision requiring the review; the Senate version did not. Senators agreed to add the provision, but also added VA programs that support military spouse education for inclusion in the review.

“It’s interesting they’re just looking at education and not spouse employment,” said Katie Savant, government relations deputy director for the National Military Family Association.

If lawmakers want the Pentagon to look at retention issues for younger troops, she said, “ultimately, spouses are really looking for a job. You need a job to help pay the bills.”

“Some people may not be able to find employment, so they turn to education. We have a highly educated population, but that may not translate to a job” for the spouse because of the location or other reasons, she said.

Military spouse education was thrust into the spotlight last year after DoD abruptly halted its popular My Career Advancement Accounts program Feb. 16, less than a year after its launch, because a flood of applications threatened to drain its funding.

Spouses raised objections with defense officials and lawmakers, and the program was reinstated in March for those already enrolled. On Oct. 25, it reopened under new rules, and is now available only to spouses of service members in paygrades E-1 through E-5, W-1 and W-2, and O-1 and O-2. Total payouts were reduced from $6,000 per spouse to $4,000.

MyCAA supports a variety of educational, credentialing and licensing programs to further portable careers, but it no longer supports work toward four-year or postgraduate degrees.

Source: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/01/army-spouse-education-programs-reviewed-011711w/

Army Spouse Scholarships

As the spouse of a soldier in the U.S. Army, you may want to take advantage of programs designed to offer financial assistance and scholarship opportunities to family members looking to pursue educational and career goals.

Earlier this year, the Department of Defense (DoD) and Veteran’s Administration (VA) announced brand new benefit programs designed to help spouses of service members to obtain monetary aid as they seek to gain the skills and credentials to begin or advance their careers.

Here are some of education and emergency relief programs currently offered by the Army for its spouses and family members:
Post-9/11 GI Bill Transferability: A special provision of the new Post-9/11 GI Bill offers education benefits for the spouses and children of servicemembers and veterans. Under the new law the Department of Defense is authorized to allow individuals who have served at least 6 years in the Armed Forces and who agree to serve at least another 4 years to transfer unused GI Bill entitlement to their spouse.

SOCAD: The Service member’s Opportunity Colleges (SOC) degree program for the Army. Colleges that are part of this network offer associate and bachelor’s degree programs either on or in close proximity to Army installations across the globe. SOCD colleges form groups in which each college accepts credits from all the others.

The SOCAD program guarantees that spouses and adult family members will be allowed to complete their studies toward a degree even if the Army may transfer you multiple times. There are also degrees offered through distance learning which do not require classroom residency.

Stateside Spouse Education Assistance Program (SEAP): This is a need-based option created to provide spouses of active duty Army Soldiers, and widows/widowers of those who died while on active duty, financial aid for education that will ultimately broaden and enhance their occupational opportunities. To qualify, you must be a resident of the United States.

Individuals receiving free tuition as a result of their employment will not be able to receive tuition assistance from Amy Emergency Relief (AER) but may apply for assistance to cover fees, books and the cost of other supplies needed for classes they are enrolled in.

SEAP has a cap of $2,500 in funds per academic year.

Spouse Education Assistance Program (EAP): This is available for those deployed overseas to Europe, Korea, Japan or Okinawa. The Army Emergency Relief offers your spouse a grant to help with the expenses associated with pursuing his or her education, up to $350 per term.

Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MYCAA): This program was designed to provide assistance to military spouses trying to obtain the skills and credentials they need to begin or further their careers. Through these accounts, the costs of training and education are covered, giving participants the chance to get a degree or credential in portable fields that are in demand across the country. MyCAA can be used to pay up to $3,000 in fees for one year and may be renewed for an additional year for a two-year total of up to $6,000.

Spouse and Dependents Education Assistance: This program offers up to 45 months of education benefits to eligible dependents of service members which can be used for degree and certificate programs, apprenticeship, and on-site training.

Regarding scholarships, many go unclaimed because eligible recipients don’t know where to look. Visit the Military.com’s Scholarship Finder to find out what is available and how to apply.

The Army, as all branched of the Armed Forces, is committed to helping spouses and dependents of its service members in their quest for educational training and in developing skills to further their success both personally and professionally.

As the spouse of a soldier in the U.S. Army, you may want to take advantage of programs designed to offer financial assistance and scholarship opportunities to family members looking to pursue educational and career goals. Assistance may be provided for colleges, universities, and online degree programs.

Active duty? Starting now — as a soldier, officer or Wounded Warrior serving on active duty, including National Guard and Reserve Soldiers on extended active duty, funding is available to assist you with technical, vocational or advanced training and re-trainingthrough the Army Vocational/Technical (AVOTEC) Pilot Program. 

Click here to learn about Army Vocational/Technical (AVOTEC) Pilot Program

This program is designed to help you acquire short-term training in today’s high-demand careers. You may use up to $4,500 per fiscal year under the AVOTEC Program. Your education must be finished in less than 18 months; and completed through an approved institution. You also need to enroll before September 30, 2009 to be eligible.

Choose from these available certificate programs at Allied Schools:

- Real Estate Inspection Career Training Program
- Property Management Career Training Program
- Introductory Real Estate Career Training Program (CA, VA, GA, FL, TX or WA)
- Real Estate Appraisal Career Training Program
- Dental Office Assistant Career Training Program
- Medical Billing Career Training Program
- Medical Coding Career Training Program
- Medical Transcription Career Training Program
- Medical Administrative Assistant Career Training Program (Billing or Terminology)
- Medical Billing Specialist
- Entrepreneurial Business Career Training Program
- Professional Administrative Assistant Career Training Program
- Financial Accounting Career Training Program
- Microsoft Office Professional Career Training Program
- Professional Private Investigator Career Training Program
- Introduction to Computer Systems Career Training Program

The short-term pilot program is intended to provide training in high-demand career fields to help you find employment when you transition out of the Army. Comprehensive career training can give your post-military career an advantage. Take advantage of 100% online programs — learn anytime, anywhere. Create a fulfilling post-Army career today!

Article Source: http://www.education4military.com/reblog/2009/02/transition-into-fulfilling-post-army.html