December 2011/January 2012 - Navy
By Ms. Katie Savant
Today’s military spouses are skilled,
diverse, and motivated, with sound
work values and a strong work ethic.
And because of the unique military
lifestyle, military spouses need targeted support
to enable them to pursue their educational
goals and career ambitions. According
to the Department of Defense (DoD) Military
Community and Family Policy office, military
spouses are young, tech-savvy, mobile, and
more educated than their civilian counterparts.
Here are the statistical facts:
-
95% of the 1.2 million military spouses
are women.
- 85% of the military spouses want or
need to work.
- 750,000 active duty spouses – over
half are under 31 years old.
- 400,000 Guard and Reserve spouses –
over half are over 35 years old.
- 26% unemployment rate – 1 in every 4
military spouses is unemployed and looking for
work.
- 84% have some college, 25% have a bachelor’s
degree, and 10% have an advanced degree.
Through the Joining Forces initiative,
DoD programs, and Congressional support,
military spouses have more educational
and career opportunities than previous
generations. Joining Forces is a national
initiative led by First Lady Michelle Obama
and Dr. Jill Biden that mobilizes all sectors
of society to give service members and their
families the opportunities and support
they have earned. Both public and private
partnerships are beginning to understand
the strain on the families of the all-volunteer
force and are stepping up to provide
support.
Education Opportunities
Many military spouses are eligible for
military-specific financial assistance,
including the Department of Defense (DoD)
Military Spouse Career Advancement
Accounts (MyCAA), in-state tuition, and
the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
MyCAA is open to spouses of service members in
the pay grades of E1-E5, W1-W2, and O1-O2. MyCAA
accounts provide a $4,000 maximum benefit with a
$2,000 fiscal year cap. Funding is limited to an associate’s
degree, certification, or licensure programs. Full
eligibility criteria and applications are available on
the Military OneSource Web site at www.militaryonesource.mil/.
Spouses of active duty service members who attend
a public college or university are eligible for in-state
tuition rates in the state of the service member’s
domicile or permanent duty station. Additionally,
spouses who maintain continuous enrollment retain
in-state tuition eligibility even if the service member
is transferred out of state. This allows a military spouse
to avoid more costly out-of-state student tuition fees.
The third educational opportunity is the transferability
of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. If the service member
is eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit and is still
on active duty, the service member may be entitled to
transfer all or a portion of the benefit to a spouse. To
be eligible, service members must have served in the
Armed Forces for at least six years and agree to serve
four additional years from the date of election to transfer.
The service member must first contact the VA to
establish transferability and then submit a transferability
application through the Transferability of Educational
Benefits Web site, located at www.dmdc.osd.mil/TEB.
For detailed information please visit the VA Web site at
http://www.gibill.va.gov/.
New Military Spouse Employment Opportunities
Military spouses want an educational program
that will lead to a career. Two recent program
developments aimed at helping military spouses
find employment include the Military Spouse
Employment Partnership and Executive Order
13474.
The Military Spouse Employment Partnership
(MSEP) has 93 partners (and counting) and is
designed to connect corporations who have
portable career opportunities with military
spouses. Numerous Fortune 500 Plus companies
(“plus” refers to local companies) have pledged
to hire and retain military spouses. Military
spouses interested in employment opportunities
may visit the MSEP job board located at
www.msepjobs.com.
Executive Order 13474 provides federal
employment options for certain military spouses.
Starting September 11, 2009, federal agencies
may hire military spouses for noncompetitive
appointment in the civil service under three
conditions:
-
If the service member is transferred to
a new location through a permanent
change of station (PCS), not training;
- A spouse of a 100% disabled service
member injured while on active duty; or,
- The unremarried widow or widower of a
service member who dies while in active
duty status (does not need to be combat
related).
PCS eligible military spouses are eligible for
noncompetitive appointment for a maximum
of two (2) years from the date of the service
member’s permanent change of station orders.
Spouses interested in employment opportunities
under this authority should explore OPM’s
USAJOBS Web site at www.usajobs.gov. The
military spouse noncompetitive appointment
is not a hiring preference; agencies can use a
noncompetitive hiring authority at their discretion.
With the commitment from the federal
government, robust DoD programs, and pledges
from private companies, this is a key time for
military spouses to pursue their education and
career and hopefully reduce the unemployment
gap between military spouses and their civilian
counterparts.
About the Author: Ms. Katie Savant joined the National
Military Family Association Government Relations staff as
a Deputy Director in July 2008. However, she began her
volunteer work with the Association in 2004 when her
civilian husband joined the Marine Corps. When a permanent
change of station brought Ms. Savant and her husband to
Virginia, she immediately applied for a position with the
Government Relations team. As a Deputy Director, Ms. Savant
has immersed herself in the issues of financial literacy, military
housing, relocation, spouse education and employment,
deployed family support, and other quality-of-life issues.
Ms. Savant represents the Association at Congressional
hearings. She’s a co-chair for The Military Coalition Morale
Welfare & Recreation, Military Construction and Base
Realignment & Closure Committee. Ms. Savant writes weekly
for the Association’s Web site and contributes articles to military
family publications.
Ms. Savant has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
from Regis University in Denver, CO. She also has a postbachelor’s
American Bar Association approved Paralegal
Certificate from Denver Paralegal Institute.
(Her complete biography is available upon request at
Katie.Savant@nmfa.org)