Supporting Military Families: Blumenthal & Kaine Introduce Legislation to Reimburse Costs Incurred When Leaving Employment Due to Military Move

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced legislation today to ease the financial burden on military spouses who must break an employment contract when their families are relocated. The Military Spouse Relocation and Contract Reimbursement Act would reimburse military spouses for fees and payments they may incur when forced to break employment contracts due to frequent moves necessitated by military service.

“Packing up your family, moving to a new place, and relocating your career is hard enough for a military spouse without the added financial burden of payments and penalties owed to a previous employer,” Blumenthal said. “We owe an immense debt of gratitude to the military families who make sacrifices every day in service to our country – supporting their well-being is our responsibility, and absolutely fundamental to our national security.”

“Military spouses put their careers on the line in service to our nation. When they have to pick up, pack up, and break an employment contract, a huge financial burden lands on them and their families,” Kaine said. “This legislation will help ease those kinds of burdens.”

When military spouses are forced to break an employment contract due to a permanent change of station, they often forfeit pay, accrued leave or paid time off and sometimes incur additional payments or penalties. This legislation would allow military families to access funding through My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) to cover those costs. Expanding the program to cover these fees will allow military spouses who have already earned their degree, license, or certification to benefit from the program and avoid being financially penalized when their spouse receives permanent change of station orders.

The Military Spouse Relocation and Contract Reimbursement Act is one of a comprehensive set of policies Blumenthal has proposed to support the partners, children, and close relatives of servicemembers. Military families make immense sacrifices and confront unique challenges, including frequent moves, the stress of deployments, and the difficulty of caring for a loved one who has been injured. Family members provide servicemembers with an invaluable support system, and their well-being is essential to overall military readiness and our national security.