Touted by many as the first step toward a full fledged Military Spouse tuition assistance program, the Career Advancement Accounts program provides assistance to military spouses seeking to gain the skills and credentials necessary to begin or advance their career. Career Advancement Accounts (CAA) cover the costs of training and education, enabling participants to earn a degree or credential in in-demand, portable fields in almost any community across the country.
CAA can be used to pay up to $3,000 in fees for one year, and may be renewed for one additional year, for a total two-year account amount of up to $6,000 per spouse.
Eligibility:
You are eligible for a Career Advancement Account if you:
- Have a high school diploma or GED
- Are not currently receiving training assistance funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and
- Are married to any active-duty servicemember/sponsor who:
- Is assigned to one of the installations participating in the pilot site or is deployed or on an unaccompanied military tour from the participating installation and
- Has a minimum of one year remaining at the current installation duty assignment (unless affected by a BRAC closure)
The CAA program eligibility was expanded recently to include a greater number of military spouses. Read about the recent changes to CAA.
Eligible or potentially eligible spouses are encouraged to contact the local Family Support Centers, Voluntary Education Centers, or One-Stop Career Centers nearest to their installation for more information.
Like most new benefit programs CAA will be available at a limited number of military installations. Participating "pilot" military installations include:
- Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, Calif.
- Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
- Fort Benning Army Installation, Ga.
- Fort Bragg Army Installation, N.C.
- Fort Carson Army Installation, Colo.
- Fort Lewis Army Installation, Wash.
- Hickham Air Force Base, Hawaii
- Hurlburt Field Air Force Base, Fla.
- Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii
- McChord Air Force Base, Wash.
- Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine
- Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
- Naval Station Kitsap, Wash.
- Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
- Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.
- Pope Air Force Base, N.C.
- San Diego Naval Station, Calif.
- Schofield Barracks Army Installation, Hawaii
If you are not located at one of the above installations, visit www.Military.com/Spouse to learn about other employment, education and training opportunities.
Applicable High-demand, High-Growth Career Fields:
You may use Career Advancement Accounts to receive training or education in one of these fields:
- Health Care (including jobs such as nurses, radiologic technicians, dental hygienists, pharmacy technicians, and more)
- Education (teachers, child care workers, teacher's assistants, and more)
- Financial Services (claims adjusters, real estate sales agents, credit analysts, bookkeeping clerks, bank tellers, and more)
- Information Technology (computer support specialists, network analysts, database administrators, and more)
- Skilled Trades (carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and more)
- Human resources
- Business management
- Hospitality management
- Homeland security
Make an appointment with the Family Support Center or Voluntary Education Center (find locations and contact information). They can assist with career counseling, finding education and training resources, and starting the application process, including determining whether or not you are eligible for a Career Advancement Account
