Spouses Surprised as DOD Suspends Education Program

 
 
 

Spouses Surprised as DOD Suspends Education Program

  • Release Date:
  • Friday, February 26, 2010
  • Dateline (city):
  • Fort Campbell, KY
  • Contact:
  • Rick Rzepka
    The Fort Campbell Courier
    www.fortcampbellcourier.com
Fort Campbell spouses seeking to further their education suffered a serious setback Feb. 16, when the Department of Defense abruptly announced that it would suspend the relatively new and popular Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA).

The program, which pays up to $6,000 for education and training courses for military spouses, is temporarily halting operations in order to review all procedures, financial assistance documents and the overall program, according to the Military One Source website.

"It stinks," said Stephanie Schultz who is pursuing her Associate's degree in midwifery. "For me to continue, I have to go back to student loans," she said.

Schultz is one of many area spouses whose educational goals are now in jeopardy due to the program's unexpected cessation. "My neighbor is a mother of four and her husband makes too much for federal student aid," she said. "So now she will have to drop out."

Affected students are now scrambling to find alternative ways to pay for their education, including scholarships, student loans and paying out of pocket.

"I can't stop going to school," said Wayne Rhoades, who found out about the program's suspension two days before registering for the upcoming semester. "It seemed very hurried and rushed," he said.

The announcement came as a shock not only to students, but to schools as well.

"It was a huge surprise," said Marc Barker, Fort Campbell Campus Director for Hopkinsville Community College. Last week while attending a national conference for the Council of College and Military Educators, Barker said that it was discovered by another college that the Web page for MyCAA had a posting announcing the "pause" in funding. "There was absolutely no warning," he said. "Nothing mentioned by the DoD representatives at the conference until they were questioned."

Hopkinsville Community College, which offers classes to Soldiers and spouses on its Fort Campbell campus, could potentially lose 300 students in March, said Barker.

Spouses who were approved for MyCAA before the suspension, will still receive funds for the upcoming semester. However, after that, they will be left to their own devices on paying for college.

"Military spouses represent a significant, young, diverse and motivated component of America's labor force," said Tommy T. Thomas, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy. "This short-term break will allow us to better assess the program to ensure we are achieving that goal," he said.

In a statement issued by the DoD Feb. 24, Thomas said, "For those of you who have approved financial account documents, your documents will be honored. We encourage those spouses who were in the process of developing their career plans to continue to do so."

The "pause," said DoD officials, is the result of an "unforeseen, unprecedented spike in enrollments." In Jan. 2010, MyCAA applications increased six-fold and that trend continued into February. According to officials, "These applications were overwhelming the system intended to support the program.

A long term strategy to keep the program viable is expected to come soon, said Thomas.

Since the program's inception, 133,000 military spouses have applied for the MyCAA program, while 98,000 are currently enrolled in courses or have been approved for tuition assistance according to the Department of Defense.