At a Glance

Funder:

U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration

Project Time Frame:

2008-2009

Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts Demonstration Study

The husbands and wives of military personnel—or “military spouses”—often must relocate when their spouse transfers to a new base, which can make it difficult for them to find a job and sustain a career. This situation can put a strain on the family, lower overall satisfaction with life in the military, and encourage active-duty personnel to leave the service.

Helping military spouses obtain portable degrees or credentials may assist them in sustaining careers even when they must frequently relocate. With this theory in mind, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration and the U.S. Department of Defense began collaborating in 2007 on an initiative to help military spouses pursue such degrees. Through the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (CAAs) Demonstration Project, eligible military spouses were able to obtain funds to pay for education and technical training to aid them in developing portable careers.

Mathematica evaluated the CAA project, focusing chiefly on:

How states and sites implemented the demonstration
Challenges states and sites faced
Promising practices for successful implementation
Participant characteristics and service use

We first conducted an implementation study, with teams visiting the demonstration sites and interviewing staff to learn about service provision, promising practices, and challenges. We then conducted a quantitative study, based on participant data that sites collected using a demonstration-developed data collection tool. This information included participants’ demographic characteristics, employment history, and CAA participation.