This article by Eve Sampson originally appeared on Military Times, the nation's largest independent newsroom dedicated to covering the military and veteran community.
The Army removed commissioned officers from its credentialing assistance program in a policy update this week.
The program, known as credentialing assistance, helps service members pay for professional certifications and licensure that is tied to their military duties or civilian careers. Under the new rules, released March 19, only enlisted soldiers and warrant officers remain eligible.
Enlisted soldiers will also have to obtain command approval prior to utilizing benefits under the new update.
The move follows a 2024 policy announcement that the Army would cut credentialing assistance funding and remove officers from the program, citing the initiative’s rapid growth and skyrocketing costs.
At that time, around one in four people using the program were officers, and the program’s cost had more than doubled from around $31 million to more than $70 million annually, according to previous Army Times reporting.
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Credentialing assistance, which was launched in 2020, lets soldiers strive for certificates in fields like technology or skilled trades, which can also help bolster chances of employment after service.
The Army’s Human Resources Command said in a statement on social media this week that the new changes “are designed to support long-term sustainability of Army education benefits, preserve resources for Soldiers where they’re most needed, and increase leader involvement in the approval process.”
The updates also make the Army’s policies more similar to those run by other services, the statement said.
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