tuition assistance Archives

By Debbie Gregory.

Using TA for technical credentials is one of five ideas that will go to the secretary of defense as part of the family council’s yearly recommendations for improving the lives of military families. The idea would have to go through a number of steps in any approval process.

A DoD family council wants service members to be able to use college tuition assistance (TA) for licensing and technical certifications — and to expand TA to military spouses. The DoD has worked with the Departments of Labor, Education and Veteran’s Affairs to develop many ways for you to pursue vocational and technical licensing and certification.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor electricians, carpenters, construction workers, police, and computer systems specialists will be the most sought after and highest paid workers in the U.S., making them ideal military veteran jobs.

Sergeant Major of the Army Dan Dailey has said one of his priorities for 2016 has been to push for expanding tuition assistance to pay for credentialing opportunities for soldiers — to allow soldiers to use TA to pay for civilian-equivalent credentials. Not every soldier wants to attend college, and this would help prepare them for their transition to civilian life and jobs for military veterans, Dailey contends.

The Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) program, which is separate from service members’ TA, is only available to spouses of lower-ranking troops. MyCAA helps pay for spouses’ costs associated with pursuing licenses, certificates, certifications or associate degrees.

But again, this program excludes spouses of more senior troops.

Furthermore, there may be times when the service member is unable to use the tuition assistance benefit due to circumstances, including deployment, but it might be the perfect time for the spouse to take classes.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, and their families.

Active duty Army soldiers, wishing to utilize Tuition Assistance Program (TA), should be advised that some changes have recently taken effect.

The changes are reflected in the rules that set the standards of performance and service for institutions receiving student tuition payments through the online GoArmyEd system.

Soldiers are encouraged to check the Defense Department website at www.dodmou.com, to see if their school has signed the required memorandum of understanding. If their school is not listed, soldiers are instructed to contact their nearest education center to discuss options for enrolling in an institution that does qualify for TA.The deadline has passed for schools to sign the memorandum of understanding.

Soldiers should also know that the Army has implemented a new rule that links their eligibility to their final grades. Soldiers utilizing TA must achieve a grade of “C” or higher in undergraduate college courses, “B” or higher in graduate courses, and a “Pass” for courses that only issue pass/fail grades. The restriction does not apply to courses that are currently in session.

Also, beginning Oct. 1, 2014, Army TA funds only can be used to pay for tuition costs of up to $250 per semester hour, and will not cover the instructional fees associated with some courses.

The Army is also changing the timeline for requesting Tuition Assistance. TA requests must be approved before a soldier’s class start date. Soldiers attending schools that do not upload their course catalogue into GoArmyEd should generate their TA request at least 10 days before the class start date, in order to provide sufficient time for processing.

Tuition Assistance is a retention tool utilized and managed at the discretion of each individual military branch. TA can only be used by active duty personnel to take courses or earn degrees that progress their military careers.

The Army expects to spend about $275 million on TA in fiscal year 2014. As of late summer, more than 115,000 soldiers were drawing funds from the program, with many of them enrolled in multiple classes.

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