Military Spouse and Family Education Benefits

To be eligible for the benefits transfer program, the servicemember must meet certain requirements: he or she must still be an active member of the military, have already served at least six years, and agree to serve an additional four. However, for many military spouses, access to GI Bill benefits provides some of the most comprehensive education benefits available.

Spouses are able to use the full tuition benefits to which their sponsoring servicemember are eligible, including those that are available through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Additionally, spouses may:

• Use benefits immediately after transfer.
• Use benefits while the sponsoring servicemember is on active duty or for up to 15 years after the servicemember's separation from the military.
• Not use the monthly housing or books stipend while the sponsoring servicemember is on active duty.

The GI Bill transfer application may be submitted online via the U.S. Department of Defense Website.

Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA)

One of the most popular spouse education benefits is the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts, or MyCAA. This program, which is sponsored by the Department of Defense (DOD), aims to help military spouses train for what the DOD terms "portable careers." These careers--like teaching, nursing, or accounting, among others--have training requirements that can be easily transferred from one location to another, thus making them ideal careers for spouses of servicemembers.

The MyCAA program provides up to $4,000 in financial assistance in attaining the education, training, licenses and certifications necessary to train for a portable career. Additional details include:

• Benefits can only be applied toward associate's degrees, certifications and licensures.
• MyCAA benefits are available to spouses of active duty servicemembers in pay grades E1-E5, W1-W2, and O1-O2.
• The military spouse must complete the program within three years from the start of the program.
• There is a yearly cap of $2,000, but waivers are available for spouses pursuing licensure or certification so that they might use the maximum benefits of $4,000.

Applications for MyCAA accounts are maintained via the Military One Source Website.

Service-Specific Programs

Each of the military branches offers additional education assistance programs aimed at the spouses of servicemembers. These branch-specific programs can be used to help military spouses pursue degrees or formal training in a range of areas.

• Spouse Tuition Assistance Program (STAP): This program provides no-interest loans of up to $3,000 annually for the spouses of active duty Navy or Marine Corps personnel stationed outside the U.S. This need-based loan is administered by the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.
• Stateside Spouse Education Assistance Program (or SSEAP): Administered by Army Emergency Relief, this program offers grants of up to $2,400 annually to eligible spouses of active duty Army personnel residing in the U.S. A companion program, the Overseas Spouse Education Assistance Program (or OSEAP), provides similar benefits to spouses stationed overseas.
• General George S. Brown Spouse Tuition Assistance Program: This program, run by the Air Force Relief Society, offers Air Force spouses up to 50 percent of their tuition charges (capped at $1,500 annually) to be used for degree or certificate programs.

The Department of Veterans Affairs offers Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits that can help both children and spouses of military personnel pursue degree and certificate programs as well as vocational training. DEA benefits are available to spouses of veterans who were killed or disabled in action, missing in action, forcibly detained, or hospitalized for service-related disabilities.

The above programs barely scratch the surface of the full range of educational opportunities available to military spouses. Individuals are advised to check with their military base, local VA office, and their schools to find out if there are additional public or private benefits program for which military spouses may apply.