Military Tuition Assistance Program: Background and Issues

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.