Senate Committee Agrees to MyCAA Funding Cuts

The Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously agreed to cut $120 million in funding from the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts program, or MyCAA, which administers education benefits for military spouses. This proposed change is part of a new bill authorizing funding for the Department of Defense, which modifies the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 passed earlier this year. The new bill, which slashes several Pentagon programs by $21 billion, now goes to the Senate for consideration.

The cuts to MyCAA came after the DoD indicated it only needed $70 million--not the $190 million included in the President's budget--for the program due to its overhaul of MyCAA last year when it limited spouse eligibility. Now, only spouses of active-duty service members in pay grades E1-E5, W1-W2, and O1-O2 qualify. The scholarship, which was reduced from a $6,000 to $4,000 maximum over three years, must be used toward an associate degree, licensure or certification.

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