The National Military Spouse Network Releases Second Annual White Paper on Military Spouse Employment

LORTON, Va., Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Military Spouse Network (NMSN), the premiere organization supporting the professional and personal growth of the nation's military spouses, today released its second annual National Military Spouse Network White Paper presented by USAA. The latest findings focus on three recommendations for supporting career portability for military spouses overseas and identifies the obstacles military spouses face while working abroad, including complex and antiquated tax rules and inconsistent Status of Forces Agreements (SOFA) rules that negatively impact their gainful employment. Recommendations include:

• A study to better understand the barriers and challenges to job portability among military spouses, including collecting data from private business that employ military spouses, such as defense contractors and federal agencies to uncover the difficulties, pain points and best practices.
• The Department of Defense (DOD) should coordinate with the Department of State (DOS) to issue clarifying and location-specific guidance to military spouse employment overseas and consider designating a contact person at each overseas installation to assist military spouses.
• The IRS should provide guidance on and raise awareness of potential tax credits and exemptions available to military spouses and simplify mechanisms designed to reduce the tax burden on military spouses working remotely overseas.

"There are no silver bullet solutions to the crisis of military spouse unemployment," said Sue Hoppin, founder and president of NMSN. "These issues are complex, and no individual stakeholder can fix them on their own. However, through collaboration and negotiation of impacted parties, we gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the employment obstacles facing military spouses and can begin to solve the problem. We are laser focused on improving employment and entrepreneurship options for military spouses, especially through career portability, that ultimately strengthens the family unit."

For the second consecutive year, the National Military Spouse Network White Paper was written by David Chrisinger, Director of the Writing Program at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy and author of "Public Policy Writing That Matters." Designed to jump start the conversation, the paper will inform a series of invitation-only roundtable discussions held throughout 2020 to develop and put in place viable solutions to military spouse unemployment.

"USAA is proud to join forces with the National Military Spouse Network for the tenth straight year in an effort to better understand the challenges of the professional military spouse community," said Michael Kelly, assistant vice president of Military Affairs at USAA. "The second annual NMSN white paper will help highlight issues and potential next steps as we look to gain a better understanding of the continuous hurdles military spouses face."

About National Military Spouse Network
Founded in 2010, the National Military Spouse Network (NMSN) delivers ongoing personal and professional development for military spouses by providing quality content, mentoring, networking opportunities and resources, including a monthly newsletter and free bi-annual digital magazine. NMSN creates a community of military spouse professionals, businesses, academics and media to share expertise and craft innovative solutions on both balancing a viable career with the military lifestyle and laying the foundation for a successful career post military life. For more information on NMSN, visit www.nationalmilitaryspousenetwork.org. Follow NMSN on Twitter at @NMSNetwork or join the Facebook community at www.facebook.com/NMSNetwork.

About USAA
The USAA family of companies provides insurance, banking, investments, retirement products and advice to 13 million current and former members of the U.S. military and their families. Known for its legendary commitment to its members, USAA is consistently recognized for outstanding service, employee well-being and financial strength. USAA membership is open to all who are serving our nation in the U.S. military or have received a discharge type of Honorable ? and their eligible family members. Founded in 1922, USAA is headquartered in San Antonio. For more information about USAA, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@USAA), or visit usaa.com.

Media contact:
Laura Liebeck
[email protected]
845-440-7974

SOURCE National Military Spouse Network