The Military Spouse Career Advancement Account – “MyCAA” – employment program, in a soft launch since March 2, 2009, will undergo an evaluation. In order to accomplish this assessment, the program will be halted temporarily. The operational pause will not affect financial assistance already approved for military spouses in academic programs across the nation.

“Effective immediately, the MyCAA program is temporarily halting operations. We are reviewing all procedures, financial assistance documents and the overall program. This pause will not affect approved financial assistance documents. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please check back for updates.” The announcement was posted to the MyCAA Web site.

“Military spouses represent a significant, young, diverse and motivated component of America’s labor force. We recognize that the military lifestyle calls for portable careers and that military spouses need access to education and training for careers that are portable and high-growth nationally. This short-term break will allow us to better assess the program to ensure we are achieving that goal,” said Tommy T. Thomas, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Military Community and Family Policy.

More than half of today’s 1.3 million active duty servicemembers are married; of these spouses, nearly 77 percent – about 675,000 – say they want or need to work. These spouses represent a significant, young, diverse and motivated component of America’s labor force. However, almost three-fourths of military spouses who would like to advance their careers report that the cost of education is the reason for not attending school.

Since the beginning of the program, nearly 133,000 military spouses have applied for the MyCAA program. Currently, 98,000 are enrolled in courses or have been approved for tuition assistance. The program provides military spouses with opportunities to pursue portable careers in high-demand, high-growth occupations.

The Military Spouse Career Advancement Account program, an employment assistance program sponsored by the Defense Department, has three components: training, job readiness and employment assistance and career services.

Eligible active duty military spouses may receive financial assistance to help them pursue education, training, licensure, certification and degrees leading to employment in portable career fields.

Job readiness – Military spouses may request free career counseling through Military OneSource (800) 342-9647 and online at militaryonesource.com to learn about market conditions, finding child care, successfully relocating to new communities, and balancing the demands of military life.

Employment assistance and career services – DoD is currently developing networks of militaryfriendly employers who want to place military spouses in paid internships, hire and retain as they relocate.

During the DoD review of the MyCAA program, previously approved financial assistance for military spouses will be unaffected. Counseling support will remain available at the local installation and through Military OneSource. Military spouses are encouraged to continue to pursue career counseling and the development of their career training plans.