Use Your $4000: The Military Spouse Scholarship Is Underused

According to an analysis conducted by Rand Corp, less than one-fifth of military spouses who are eligible for a military spouse scholarship are actually using it. It appears that a lot of military spouses don’t even know that they are eligible for scholarships and other financial aid that is provided by the Department of Defense.

In an attempt to remedy this, the DoD has been trying to promote its scholarships and funding for eligible military personnel as well as their dependants. The MyCAA scholarship program is one of the most useful and quick ways to get financial aid.

What is MyCAA?

The Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) is a program started by the Department of Defense to help military spouses pay for training in a portable career. It offers up to $4000 in financial and is paid directly to the MyCAA approved schoolsonce the applicant is deemed eligible. MyCAA funding is available to the spouse (male or female) of an active duty Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, National Guard, or Reserve member in the pay grade of E1-E5, O1-O2, or W1-W2.

How can I Use My $4000?

According to Career Step, one of the many MyCAA approved online schools, the best way to make use of your funding is to use the complementary career counseling provided by Military OneSource — the organization in charge of overseeing the MyCAA program.

The important thing to remember when applying for MyCAA funding is that you will only be approved if you choose a portable career. Portable careers are those that you can take up no matter where you move to. Careers like medical transcription, pharmacy technician and medical coding billing are some portable MyCAA approved courses.

Once you choose a career path, you need to find some MyCAA approved online schools that offer your course. Depending on which one suits you best, narrow down your list and contact them individually. Most online schools charge about $4000 for their courses on an average. If you manage to find such a course, it should be completely covered by your MyCAA scholarship.

The next thing to do is get in touch with your MyCAA counselor and put in your application. Within 2 weeks you will be ready to begin your new course and kick off your portable career with a bang.

Why should I Use My MyCAA Funding?

Here are 4 excellent reasons why you should use your MyCAA benefits:

–          The MyCAA scholarship is one hundred percent free and you do not have to pay it back ever.

–          Application is quick and easy.

–          Military-friendly schools are very sensitive to your needs as a military spouse and will do everything in their power to offer you the flexibility that you need.

–          Having portable career training is always a plus point, even if you aren’t planning to find employment immediately.

So, to break it down, a very small percentage of everyone who can use the MyCAA scholarship to get portable career training is actually using it. Whatever is holding you back from using your MyCAA benefits needs to stop today! It is simple, free and you get a fantastic education in that bargain, that you can actually make into a very promising career. So look out for yourself and your family — use your MyCAA funding today.