Military Tuition Assistance Program: Background and Issues. CRS Report R47875, Version 4. Updated

Abstract

Congress has provided authority to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to fund off-duty voluntary education for Active and Reserve Component servicemembers. Congress and DOD have conceived of tuition assistance (TA) as a quality-of-life benefit, force-shaping tool, and a mechanism for developing human capital in the Armed Forces. The TA program, authorized under 10 U.S.C. §2007 is one of several federal education incentive programs available to servicemembers and veterans. The program is funded through discretionary appropriations to the Operation and Maintenance accounts for the military departments. Servicemembers are allowed to use TA funds for undergraduate, graduate, vocational, licensure, certificate, and language courses, or to complete their high school education. The military service distributes funds directly to the educational institution on behalf of the student This report provides an overview of the TA program legislative history, parameters, and funding. It also provides a discussion of oversight issues for Congress with respect to TA.