Cap Phantom

While you are serving in the defense forces it is necessary to prepare yourself for a post military career should you decide to leave the forces at some point in the future. In the initial stages adjusting to a civilian life and work place is more often than not painful and involves a lot of problems for separated military people. Keeping this in view you must plan your transition to civilian career while still in military service. To let you adapt to civilian like in a better way the government has various assistance programs that allow you to earn a college degree, gain vocational skills or get technical education in your free time while you continue serving the nation. Innovative technological advancements in computers and the Internet allow you to undertake educational programs from any place in the world through the distance-learning mode that you can complete at your own pace. Subject to certain conditions the government takes care of all your training and educational expenses in order to give you every opportunity to prepare yourself for a desirable post military career.

In pursuance of these objectives the government also provides assistance to spouses of serving personnel who want to prepare themselves for high demand careers that can greatly help the serviceman family’s transition to civilian life and also provide military spouses with jobs following military moves as long as the member remains in service. There are a number of accredited institutions in the country that offer educational and training courses to military spouses under the CAA (Career Advancement Accounts) that funds the educational expenses of military spouses of active duty military personnel under the Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative.

The CAA program is geared to provide military spouses with portable career opportunities. A ‘portable career’ is one that has a credential which is recognized in several states and for which job opportunities can be found across the nation. A number of ‘high demand occupations’ that exist in several ‘high growth industries’ for military spouses have been identified by the Department of Defense and the Department of Labor. These are selected high growth industries, which are expected to add a large number of jobs to the economy. These are industries that offer the widest scope in portable careers.
The high demand occupations within these industries are growing at a pace much faster than average creating high employee demand.

Five industries have been identified by the government and categorizes as ‘hi-growth’. These include Financial Services, Health Care, Information Technology, Construction and Education.

Given below is a list of portable careers under each separate category. The list is not exhaustive but provides a fair idea of available job opportunities for qualified military spouses and is important from the point of eligibility for funding under Career Advancement Accounts.  Any occupation under these industries is eligible for CAA funding.

Financial Services:- Credit Analyst, Claims Adjusters, Bookkeeping, Accounting and Auditing Clerks, Bank Teller, Tax preparer etc.
Health Care:- Dental Hygienist, Radiology Technician, Practical/Vocational Nurse, Pharmacy Technician etc.
Information Technology:- Database Administrator, Data Communications Analyst, Computer Support Specialist etc.
Construction:- Pipe fitters, Steamfitters, HVAC mechanics and Installers, etc.  
Education:- Teacher’s Aide/Assistant, Child Care Worker etc.

Some occupations outside the above industries but falling under the CAA ‘in-demand occupations’ are also eligible for CAA funding support.

Are you an active-duty military spouse that had to put their education on hold after losing your MyCAA funds?  On March 13, 2010, the Department of Defense (DoD) made a very special announcement concerning MyCAA military spouse accounts – funds will be reinstated for accounts that are currently open.

This means that military spouses who have existing accounts will have access to the entire MyCAA Web site. This includes the ability to create and have financial documents approved.

This good news follows a previous DoD announcement that stated the MyCAA program would be temporarily on hold for an unspecified amount of time.  Now, military spouses who opened MyCAA accounts can do what they originally set out to do – pursue their education.

Do you have questions about how MyCAA works?  Here’s a brief overview of the program to get you started:

What is the MyCAA program?

The DoD Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts program provides military spouses with up to $6,000 of financial assistance for pursuing an education that will lead to a license, certification, credential or degree and a portable career.

Who is eligible?

Under the recent changes announced by the DoD on March 13, you must meet the following in order to be eligible for MyCAA:

Be a spouse of an active duty service member or a spouse of an activated member of the National Guard/Reserve who are on Title 10 orders
Currently have an existing/open MyCAA account

What does MyCAA cover?

Education and Training Courses
Professional Licenses, Licensing Exams and related prep courses
Certifications
Credentials
Continuing Education (CEU)
Degree Programs
High School Completion Courses and ED Tests
English as a Second Language Courses (ESL)

Does MyCAA cover the costs of materials and items related to obtaining my education?

The following items are not covered under MyCAA:

Computers
Miscellaneous Electronic Items (laptops, iPods, etc)
Application Fees
Association Membership Fees
Student Activity Cards
University Entrance Exams or Related Preparation Courses
Health Care Services
Child Care Services
Transportation and Parking Fees
Graduation Fees

I have an existing MyCAA account.  How are the funds provided to my educational program or school?

Using your existing MyCAA account, you will need to create a Training Plan. Your Training Plan will include your career field of interest, a job description/occupation, the name of the training program or school and course information (i.e. costs, course name, course code, etc). You will need to provide information for at least one course.

Next, your MyCAA Financial Assistance (FA) request will be submitted. Once approved, your MyCAA funds will be provided directly the program or school you specified on a course by course basis.

How do I go about selecting the right portable career?

As a military spouse, you have probably endured your share of PCS moves. So, why not use MyCAA funds to train for a portable career?  And there are some great options to consider.  For example, you can use your MyCAA funds to enroll in an online school (also portable) and pursue a health care career in the medical transcription field.

In fact, many medical transcriptionists work from home, and with the right training and experience, often begin their own transcription businesses!  This is a beneficial career option for busy military spouses who want to contribute to their family’s financial stability, but must also juggle the responsibilities of being a single parent while a spouse is deployed.

If you haven’t decided on a career path, Medical Transcription is among the exciting, portable career options that are worth looking into. If you need assistance, consider contacting a MyCAA Career and Education Consultant (visit the military one source Web site for the most up-to-date contact information).

If you have an open MyCAA Military spouse account, don’t let the opportunity to pursue your education pass you by.