The Staircase

A soldier walks away today
From where is friends and family stay.
Weighed down by a rucksack
That pulls on his shoulder
And the burden that lay on his heart.
Lord give him strength
To carry on
And do what he must do.
With one last glance
He pulls his hat down low,
And leaves his loved ones behind.

"Spoiled Rotten"

In one response on the King 5 news site, some one said my quote of, "I'm a military spouse, why isn't this program open for me?" was "spoiled rotten." From this whole process I have learned that the news only takes a snippet of what you say in the interviews.

The point I was trying to make is that the program was for military spouses in general, and it was known about by word of mouth. Why is it that I'm an Army wife, just like Julia, and she's in the program, and I'm not? There's nothing spoiled rotten about that statement.

Speaking out comes with a price, and this process has definitely been eye opening for me. Every one can make assumptions about me, my values, my husband, the reason he does his job and my reason for being with him without even knowing me!

Julia Speaks.

"Okay well join the rest of the world who has to figure out how to pay for school. I'm a woman and veteran and I understand the frustration. However, our county is in DEBT. We can't afford to hand out money to everyone. My sister is a military wife and most of my friends are. However, I will say I find most spouses feel entitled. You do a lot and we thank you. However, we can't fork over money every time you ask. Get over it and do what most people do. Get scholarships apply for loans and then join a group of us that will be paying off college until our kids go to college. Suck it up and DRIVE ON!"

This was taken from yahoo news. I would like the world to know that military wives did not ask for this program. The DOD asked families what is important to them. Getting an education that you can take with you when you move was at the top of the list. This was Secretary Gates brainchild!!!!!!!!

DoD dropped the ball on military spouses’ tuition | Editorials - The News Tribune#Comments_Container#Comments_Container

DoD dropped the ball on military spouses’ tuition | Editorials - The News Tribune#Comments_Container#Comments_Container


Here is generic story that the Tacoma News Tribune published. I see that the comments are not nearly as nasty and disparaging as they were when Lauren and I were being interviewed. Lauren and I have also noticed that part of the article has statements that we wanted in our own articles and broadcasts that were deleted.

I do like one of the comments made that they liked this welfare program. I do not see this as welfare, but that is okay I guess.

Military spouses do face challenges even attending college. We move so much that most of us are unable to finish a degree at one or even two colleges. I am now attending my third college. It took me ten years to finally finish a two-year degree due to military life and my obligations to taking care of the family.

I am finally realizing my dream of a college education at 42 years old!

Lauren Here

During my winter quarter a couple months back I was trying to figure out how to pay for the rest of the 2009-10 school year. I was also applying for the 2010-11 FAFSA as well as getting multiple scholarship applications in line. I heard about the My Career Advancement Program (MyCAA) from Julia and another friend of mine and we found that it had been shut down.

When I chose to do the interview with King 5 and the news paper article, I did it simply to speak up about a program that had been shut down irresponsibly. When the MyCAA program was approved, and put into effect with the guidelines they had (which were loose), they should have taken into account every single military spouse, not just made a generalization and assumption about how many spouses would apply. Why would a program be put into operation when there was not enough funds to fully back it up? That is my whole point in doing these interviews.

Since I was on the news and in many news papers across the country, so many misconceptions have been made about me, my intentions and even my character. Through this blogging process I hope to dispell those misconceptions about myself and the ignorance of military life.

Julia Speaks.

A little bit about me. My husband has been in the service for over 17 years. I have followed him while he has served his country. I have taken care of our special needs child mostly by myself. I have never complained and I most defiantly have never expected anything from the government for myself. Our son who graduated from high school in June of 2009 with a very good GPA was heading off to Pacific Lutheran University in the the fall. He had gotten a sizable merit scholarship and other scholarships which left us with roughly $12,000 per year to cover for him. Not to bad when the total costs are close to $40,000 per year.

Last summer I was told by another Army spouse about a tuition assistance program for military spouses. I had not heard anything about this program. The DOD did not send a letter to all military spouses telling us about the program. It was a word of mouth program. I had just completed my associates degree at Pierce College in Lakewood Washington. I had already applied to the University of Washington Tacoma and had been accepted into the Social Welfare Program. I applied for the MyCAA program in the summer of 2009. I was approved for $6,000 of tuition assistance. I was ecstatic. This would cover 75% of my first year of tuition.

We had filled out the FAFSA for myself and my son. My husband was an E-6 at the time with no special duty pays. We did not qualify for one penny in federal financial assistance. We both only qualified for loans. Many of the responses wanted to know why we felt we were better then the rest of the United States. Why we were not filling out the FAFSA and applying for scholarships. Many alluded to the fact that we were getting this aid ON TOP OF any other financial aid. For those of you who know how college works this is farthest from the truth. For every penny in scholarships or grants that a student receives and offer of financial aid will be reduced by the grant or scholarship amounts. So no military spouse who was awarded the MyCAA grant will be getting one penny more then every other citizen is getting. For me this did not matter as we did not get federal aid. For another military spouse who was awarded federal financial aid they had to claim their MyCAA grant to their college and their award was adjusted accordingly.

When the DOD abruptly and without warning shut down the program there were many spouses left out in the cold with no way to pay their tuition. They said for us to try and get loans or other aid, but we all know that it is not that easy or quick.

I found out on Facebook that the program had been halted and that I would have to find another way to cover my tuition for spring quarter. The whole way the DOD handled this was not right. Below is an article discussing the abrupt shutdown. For a program that was not publicized they were surprised at how many spouses applied. I am sorry, but if you are going to authorize a program through Congress then you should make sure there is enough money for every military spouse out there. It is no secret how many military spouses reside in the United States. It seems to me they started this program that none of us asked for thinking it would be "hush hush" and no one would sign up. What they failed to realize is that military spouses talk!!! They should have never started a program for all military spouses if there was not enough funding to make sure everyone who was eligible was able to participate. I will continue tomorrow with what happened next.

Military Times Article

Spouse tuition aid shuts down without warning

By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 24, 2010 7:19:48 EST

Defense officials have abruptly shut down the My Career Advancement Accounts, a program that gives qualified military spouses up to $6,000 in tuition assistance to help them pursue portable careers.

Officials said the MyCAA shutdown is temporary, but no date has been set for resuming operations. Officials “hope to resume accepting financial assistance applications in a few months,” Defense Department spokeswoman Air Force Maj. April Cunningham said.

Cunningham said defense officials are “reviewing the software applications, financial assistance documents and overall program,” but she offered no specific details on the reason for the sudden halt and review.

“We’re reviewing it from top to bottom to ensure the program is meeting the intent established in legislation,” she said.

Meanwhile, spouses are finding out about the program shutdown at the worst time — when they are trying to request funding for classes that start within a month.

“I found out this morning when I logged in to have money sent to my school,” said Army wife Julie Thornton, who lives near Fort Gordon, Ga. Her education plan had been approved, and she had registered for two courses at Augusta State University. But the MyCAA program regulations require that spouses must wait until 30 days before classes start to request payment of funds to their schools. When Thornton called Military OneSource to ask what to do, she said, she was told that employees were informed at 4 p.m. Feb. 16 that the program was shutting down.

“I can’t use the application to get the funds for courses already approved,” Thornton said. She is taking refresher courses to get her teaching credentials up to date.

When she asked a Military OneSource consultant about what to do, she said, “I was told, ‘Can’t you apply for other financial assistance?’ Where else can I get funds in 30 days?”

Cunningham said no new or pending financial assistance accounts will be approved during the review period.

Without any formal announcement of the program’s existence, nearly 133,000 military spouses have applied for the MyCAA program since it started early last year, Cunningham said. Currently, 98,000 are enrolled in courses or have been approved for tuition assistance.

Although the financial assistance no longer will be available, spouses can receive career counseling support at local installations and through Military OneSource, Cunningham said.

“They should have sent an e-mail to people” in the program, Thornton said, to let them know about the halt, so people could start trying to find alternate funding.

“I sent an e-mail to DoD telling them my problem is with the way they’re handling this,” Thornton said. “It’s beyond poor.”

Letter from Patty Murray to Secretary Gates and Press Release.

Patty Murray has become someone I really admire as I get to know her better!!!! Julia News Release

Print This Release

MILITARY SPOUSES: Murray Demands that Pentagon Open Popular Career Training Benefits Program to All Military Spouses

After Department of Defense freezes program that over 135,000 military spouses have enrolled in, Murray writes Defense Secretary Gates to ensure that spouses who have been left in limbo are given checks, demands that program is opened to all military spouses

For Immediate Release:

Friday, March 12, 2010

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) wrote to Defense Secretary Robert Gates to demand that the Pentagon’s Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) program be opened to all military spouses and that military spouses who have applied for the program be given the benefit checks they have been approved for. Murray’s letter comes after the Pentagon temporarily froze the popular program that provides $6,000 for military spouses to help them afford career training opportunities. Murray’s letter asks the Pentagon why they failed to reach out to Congress when the program faced difficulty, what their plan is to avoid future spikes, and calls for the program to be expanded.

“It is unacceptable for our government to shortchange military families by promising benefits and then leaving them in limbo,” Murray writes. “We owe it to our military families to fix this situation and to expand the program to all spouses from here on out.”

According to Pentagon data, 136,583 military spouses have been enrolled in the MyCAA program. However, only 98,250 have received the $6,000 benefit check. Many spouses have therefore enrolled in certification programs or classes expecting the benefit only to have to drop out or find an alternative source of funding to afford a training program. While the Pentagon has announced that they will be restarting the program to those currently enrolled and will be working to extend checks to all those waiting, Senator Murray believes that the shutdown was unacceptable and that the program must be opened to all military spouses.

“Unemployment and underemployment adds to the already substantial stress facing our military families, and the MyCAA program allows military spouses to access the education and training they need to develop portable career options that work with the transitory lifestyle of military members,” Murray writes. “This makes it that much more unacceptable that military families were cut off due to a lack of preparedness on the part of the Pentagon.”

The following is the full text of Senator Murray’s letter:

The Honorable Robert Gates
Secretary of Defense
U.S. Department of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301-1000

Dear Secretary Gates,

I am writing with concerns about the Pentagon’s decision to temporarily halt operations of the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) program and to close it to new enrollees following an overwhelmingly positive response and an unforeseen number of applications. It is extremely disappointing that the spouses of active-duty military service members and reservists who were enrolled in this successful program were left in the lurch due to a lack of preparedness by the Department of Defense, and that this opportunity will be closed off to additional participants.

Our men and women in uniform serve and sacrifice for our nation on a daily basis. We owe them our complete support while they are on the battlefield, as well as the care and benefits they have earned when they get home. But they are not the only ones who sacrifice for our country. The spouses of our active duty military also bear a significant burden of service as well, and frequent moves often make it hard for them to gain the skills and training they need to advance in their careers. This is especially devastating during these tough economic conditions.

As you know, the MyCAA program provides tuition of up to $6,000 for military spouses to train for career opportunities in fields that can endure frequent relocations. But I have heard from military spouses around my state who were left scrambling to continue their training and education programs due to the program’s sudden halt, and who simply did not know where to turn when they heard the news. Many were never directly notified by the Pentagon and ended up finding out through their schools or a posting on militaryonesource.com.

As you know, unemployment and underemployment adds to the already substantial stress facing our military families, and the MyCAA program allows military spouses to access the education and training they need to develop portable career options that work with the transitory lifestyle of military members. This makes it that much more unacceptable that military families were cut off due to a lack of preparedness on the part of the Pentagon.

While I am pleased to see you will be restarting the program for current enrollees, I am concerned about the potential for future spikes in enrollment to disrupt services, as well as about how the Pentagon will pay back enrollees who have already paid tuition while the program was shutdown.

I would like to hear directly from you about what led to the unforeseen shutdown of this popular program, and what needs to be done to ensure it never happens again. I also want to know why you failed to reach out to Congress when the situation emerged and what the status is of your department’s review of the program.

It is unacceptable for our government to shortchange military families by promising benefits and then leaving them in limbo. We owe it to our military families to fix this situation and to expand the program to all spouses from here on out. I look forward to hearing from you on this and to working with you on this issue.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Patty Murray

Lauren Speaks

Julia Speaks

My name is Julia Aten. I am an Army spouse. Lauren and I started this blog to dispel the myths of the military spouse. We would also like to speak to many of the negative comments all over the internet regarding the MyCaa program available to military spouses. I was shocked at the negative responses regarding each one of our interviews.

I was contacted by Senator Patty Murray's press secretary after writing to her regarding the abrupt and unannounced shut down of the MyCaa program and asked if I would be willing to speak to the press. I was asked if I knew anyone who had been shut out of the program and I told them about my classmate Lauren. This is where our journey together begins. Many military spouses all over the country banded together and we voiced our concern to our legislators.

I have learned through the past few weeks that advocacy and speaking out can come with a price. I believe in what I am doing and will not back down, but the negative response is hard to take some days.

The purpose of my postings will be to speak to the very little bit of information that the public was given through several interviews about my life as well as that of military spouses everywhere. I hope that by posting about my journey and speaking to individual statements regarding myself and military spouses that I can educate others about the truth of military spouses.

I have been proud by my fellow citizens when I read their comments on various news sites and I have been also brought to tears as others have ripped me apart. I have been most shocked by some of the negative responses from veterans, active duty military, and spouses.

At the end of the day I still know that I did the right thing in speaking out. I have been professional and respectful in my dealings with my legislators as well as the press. I have nothing to be ashamed of.

Webcasts-Senate Appropriates Hearing-Senator Patty Murray

Webcasts

Senator Patty Murray from Washington State questions Secretary Gates at the Senate Appropriations Hearing on March 25, 2009. Cue to 80:00 to hear her questions and Secretary Gates response.

Losing Major Military Benefit-Julia's Interview on Fox and Friends

Losing Major Military Benefit

King 5 Interview-Lauren and Julia Speak Out.

Military spouse tuition aid at risk | Government/Politics - The News Tribune

Military spouse tuition aid at risk Government/Politics - The News Tribune

This is the article that Lauren and I were interviewed for that was sent out over the AP.

Sherry Reynolds Erickson-Freelance Reporter on the Shutdown and Running of MyCAA.

This is Julia and I am including a great article written about the shutdown of the MyCaa program. It details the program and the flawed system of implementing and running the program.

Sherry Reynolds Erickson A MyCAA recipient speaks out

By. S. Erickson, freelance correspondent


Last year the Department of Defense approved a new program aimed at offering tuition assistance to military spouses looking to complete college classes and specialized training. Believing this effort would lead to better employment options for spouses who constantly relocate, Military One Source, a multi-purpose location providing a wide array of assistance to the military and their families, became host to the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts, known as MyCAA. Once completing the application process which includes DOD screening, military spouses were approved for up to $6000 in tuition assistance.

In January 2010, the program saw a spike in applications and by February the DOD felt the need to evaluate the situation as the MyCAA program approval rate went far beyond the funds available to support the program. In mid-February, the DOD abruptly stopped providing tuition assistance leaving many spouses in financial trouble with no means to pay for enrolled classes. Frustrated by the lack of useful information provided by the MyCAA resource phone line, and clearly not understanding why more specific detail or notice had been given, Sherry Erickson, a US Navy military spouse of 20 years and MyCAA recipient since July 2009, started looking into the reasoning behind the sudden stop the MyCAA program implemented.

On Friday, February 26th Erickson spoke with a DOD representative connected to the MyCAA program, Pat Shanaghan. While talking by phone, Shanaghan unequivocally told her that the MyCAA program is an unguaranteed benefit program which never promised to provide funds past what is approved through the financial assistance voucher process, regardless of spouses being told a total of $6000 is allocated per approved spouse. The figures, which were tracked by online accounts at Military One Source and stated how much money a spouse could use of the approved $6000, was basically fictitious – not a guarantee of funds to use but a guide to what might be a spouse’s fund if a per term financial assistance voucher was completed which would be limited to current class enrollments costing as much as $2000 per college class.

At the time of the shutdown, Erickson successfully used about $3000 of her supposed $6000 fund, a total of six college classes offered at Columbia College. Although the following is still unclear due to the DOD’s ambiguous responses to questioning, the tuition assistance funds were essentially pooled and taken from a big pot, instead of being specifically allocated to each spouse’s online account. When that pot grew close to emptying, the plug was pulled on the program, without notification, regardless of the funds balance.

The DOD seems to have failed to accurately anticipate the level of interest in this program and grossly underestimated the required funding. With the January spike in DOD approvals of spouse program applications officials appeared to have approved too many applications for funds that were not available and instead of turning away new applicants due to insufficient funds, they shut down the program for review purposes.

Erickson believes this shutdown is the result of poor oversight, saying

“The pool of funds should have been better accounted for when considering what funding was already approved to a large number of spouses. I was under the impression that the MyCAA program would stop taking applications at a certain point in order to maintain service to those already promised funds. “

Erickson went on to say, “For my account, I looked at this transaction as binding – I was approved for $6000, I counted on that $6000 and expected to use it fully. A person cannot walk away from a student loan of $6000 and say – oh sorry I have no more money – so MyCAA should not be allowed to do the same.”

When asked if the program would be brought back online, Shanaghan alluded that it would, but would probably be changed as a result of the review.

Should anyone interested in this topic wish to find out more, Pat Shanaghan can be reached at 901-874-6643. In addition, more information can be found at the Facebook community group Take Action Against MyCaa Shutdown.

March 1 at 9:25am