Hiring Our Heroes recognized MOAA with its Congressional Advocacy Impact Award at the 10th Annual Military Spouse Employment Summit on May 21 in Washington, D.C. The summit brings together spouses, employers, and advocacy leaders to advance military spouse employment.

This year, MOAA was honored for its leadership in advancing policies that support military spouse employment and economic opportunity. Stephanie Rose, MOAA's director of Government Relations for Military Family and Survivor Policy, accepted the award on behalf of the organization.

"MOAA is deeply honored to receive the Hiring Our Heroes Congressional Advocacy Impact Award, recognizing our sustained legislative efforts to advance military spouse employment," Rose said. "As a military spouse who spent half of my husband's active duty career unemployed, I understand firsthand the critical need to integrate the needs of military spouses into legislative policy. This year, our advocacy has centered on expanding the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to include military spouses and improving access to child care through key congressional initiatives."

MOAA was recognized for championing bipartisan legislation that would add military spouses as a newly eligible group under the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, a federal program that gives employers a tax credit for hiring workers who face persistent barriers to employment.

[TAKE ACTION: Support the Work Opportunity Tax Credit for Military Spouses]

The Hiring Our Heroes award represents MOAA’s unwavering commitment to reducing the military spouse unemployment rate, which is five times the national average. With the summer recess approaching and the 119th Congress coming to a close in December, time is running out to pass this legislation in this session.

MOAA is urging members and supporters to contact their lawmakers and ask them to cosponsor the Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act.