My Opportunity -- MyCAA –- Becomes My
Nightmare
Guest Editorial
By Heidi L. Evans
I’ve
felt mad at the military before. Heck, I’ve felt incensed, furious and bent
around the axle.
But this
time I feel betrayed. Hey Department of Defense, haven’t you heard that saying
about a woman scorned? Well, try a woman filled with righteous indignation.
On Feb. 15,
the Department of Defense suddenly put a stop to an educational benefits
program for military spouses called Military Spouse Career Advancement
Accounts, or MyCAA. Nearly 100,000 spouses were receiving funds at that time
from the program to pay for “portable careers.”
Participants
were assured they would receive up to $6,000 to pay for educational programs. With
such assurances, thousands of us started educational programs. I am one.
I
pursued the program after more than six months of an unsuccessful job search.
For me, MyCAA was the answer to a prayer.
I needed was
a short-term program that would bring me up to speed with my new love, Web
design. When I found MyCAA, it was a dream come true. Propelled by the
opportunity to start a program without dragging my family into further weighty
debt, I found a perfect one-year program with a local community college.
Like
many continuing education programs, the classes last only a few weeks at a time
stretched out over a normal semester. One course in particular didn’t start
until April. By MyCAA’s own rules, I couldn’t apply to pay for that class until
I was within 30 days of starting, or March 1st. But, I thought, what stronger
assurances than the DoD?
As we
all know, MyCAA was canceled without notice. I am now on the hook for a
$200 class. And I feel lucky. A dear
friend of mine is currently enrolled in classes that won’t be paid, to the tune
of nearly $3,000. You can’t get loans for classes that are nearly complete.
The
MyCAA web site says:
“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.”
“We apologize for any inconvenience?” Smashing
the dreams and goals of potential earning of thousands of spouses is a little
more than an inconvenience. To say nothing of leaving many of them with what
can be crushing debt, the kind of debt that can actually jeopardize the
clearances of the active duty spouses.
Following
the initial MyCAA statement is a link to other ways to find money for college. Many of these methods take time, time current recipients don’t
have for impending classes. And most of those methods are either loans or
designed for folks who are low-income. While too many military families fall
into that category, a good chunk of MyCAA recipients will not. Others may face
complications because they live in one state, yet maintain their residence in
another.
I have
read extensive personal comments online that this program should never have
received funds. That it’s a waste of taxpayer money. That it’s a boondoggle. These voices might be
right. Surely this isn’t a typical DoD expense, at least not like a plane or
gun. I won’t
debate that MyCAA needs to exist, at least not like the Department of Veteran’s
Affairs need s to exist. But it does need to keep its promises.
So what
can we do? We have two options. Send e-mails to the federal legislators in the
district where you are registered to vote. Share your stories with the press,
especially if you are suddenly on the hook for thousands.
Heidi L. Evans is a frequent contributor to Military Spouse Magazine.