The Military Spouse Career Advancement Account program, MyCAA, can help you become an ACE-certified Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach, and Advanced Health & Fitness Specialist. Available for military spouses of DoD Active Duty members and activated members of the National Guard and Reserve Components worldwide, through this program, eligible military spouses can receive up to $4,000 of financial assistance to help pay for ACE’s fitness certification study materials, exam fees and fitness continuing education courses.
Learn More
How to Apply for MyCAA Financial Assistance
- Establish an account on both the MyCAA Website and ACE’s website (for the ACE website, your associated account number is now your student ID).
- Determine which certification is right for you and download corresponding ACE Certification & Education Plan PDF. If you are interested, or think you might become interested in pursuing more than one certification, please download all related PDFs and submit them as part of your educational plan.
- Submit ACE Course through MyCAA Portal:
- Course Code = Course Number as found in the ACE Certification & Education Plan document
- Course Title = Product/Course Name as found in the ACE Certification & Education Plan document
- Course Start Date = Today’s Date
- Course End Date = One Year from Today’s Date
- Course Cost = Cost of Study Materials/Courses as found in the ACE Certification & Education Plan document
- MyCAA will process the request. Once approved, ACE will ship the requested study materials and add all online course components to your established ACE account.
- Once you are an ACE-certified Fitness Professional, you will be required to complete 2.0 (20 hours) of continuing education within 2 years to maintain your certification. Determine which continuing education track interests you, download the related PDFs below, and submit them along with your continuing education plan.
- Personal Trainer Continuing Education Plan
- Group Fitness Instructor Continuing Education Plan
- Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach Continuing Education Plan
- Advanced Health & Fitness Specialist Continuing Education Plan
To find out if you are eligible for the MyCAA program, please see the DoD's fact sheet here.
For more information and to see answers to frquently ased questions, please see the DoD's MyCAA FAQs here.
If you have questions, please contact ACE at 1-888-825-3636, Ext. 785 or email national.accounts@acefitness.org.
Active military, veterans and eligible spouses and dependents can receive reimbursement from the Department of Veterans Affairs for exam fees for the ACE-certified Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach, and Advanced Health & Fitness Specialist certifications. Under the G.I. Bill, all ACE exams qualify for reimbursement, including first-time and re-take fees.
Learn More
How to Apply for Reimbursement
- Apply for education benefits by completing the Veterans ON-line APPlication (VONAPP)
- Apply for reimbursement by providing a signed and dated request to the Department of Veterans Affairs including:
- Your Full Name
- Your Mailing Address
- Your Home Phone Number (Including Area Code)
- Your Social Security Number
- Your VA File Number (If Different from your Social Security Number)
- Name of ACE Certification Exam You Took
- Date the ACE Certification Exam was Taken
- Cost of the ACE Certification Exam
- A Copy of Your Exam Results or a Copy of Your ACE Certification
- Name and Address of Organization Issuing License:
American Council on Exercise
4851 Paramount Drive
San Diego, CA 92123
- Statement: “I hereby authorize the release of my test information to the Department of Veterans Affairs”
- Your Signature and Date Signed
- Mail the reimbursement request to the Department of Veterans Affairs:
Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington, DC 20420
If you have questions about being reimbursed for ACE Certification Exam fees or applying for benefits, visit www.GIBILL.va.gov or call 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551).