DoD to Restart MyCAA, Admits 'Failure'

The Defense Department’s tuition assistance program for military spouses will be up and running again March 13 for people already enrolled in a certificate or degree program, the Pentagon said.

In statement today announcing a phased restart of the Military Spouse Career Advancement Account program, dubbed MyCAA, a senior Pentagon official also admitted the sudden freezing of the program on Feb. 16 left thousands of spouses in the in the lurch.

"We failed to notify our spouses in a timely and appropriate manner," said Tommy Thomas, deputy under secretary of defense, military community and family policy. "As a result of our failure, we know we will have to work hard to restore their faith in us."

Learn all about Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts at Military.com's MyCAA page

All MyCAA applications were abruptly put on hold Feb. 16 when the Pentagon said it would be reviewing the program. The sudden halt caught many by surprise, including spouses who already were part way through programs aimed at getting degrees or certificates in a variety of professions.

Under a phased in return of MyCAA, the Pentagon will resume paying up to $6,000 in tuition assistance for the more than 136,000 spouses in a career training program. Officials also said they are “working hard to adjust and meet the demands of the program and develop a long-term solution for spouses not yet enrolled who would like to establish an account.”

"We made a commitment to our military spouses when they established a career advancement account and we will be true to our promises," Tommy Thomas, deputy under secretary of defense, military community and family policy, said in a press statement today.

Until new accounts can be created, he said, Military OneSource Spouse Education and Career Consultants will provide education and training, career options and counseling to military spouses.

MyCAA was started just over one year ago. The program provides financial assistance to military spouses pursuing a degree or certificate in a career fields likely to offer employment opportunities regardless of where they move with their servicemember. But the program seemed to become a victim of its own popularity, and a significant spike in enrollments prompted the Pentagon to announce the sudden freeze while it conducted a top-to-bottom review.