Beyond The Uniform

Why Listen: This is the third installment in our series where we are taking a deep dive into each branch’s credentialing assistance program. Today we talk with Mike and Cristy from Coast Guard COOL. This is a relatively new program that was stood up in January 2020, but it already has over 1,500 credentials available for Coast Guardsmen. Here's the program in a nutshell: •CG COOL funds enlisted members only (active and selected reservists) and can help pay for exam, application, state licensing, membership and renewal fees. •The exam has to be related to service member’s rating, out-of-rate assignment, collateral duty, or academic degree. •There is no dollar amount cap on the cost of credential. •CG COOL only funds one exam attempt per credential and service members can only have one approved funding request per FY. •There is no additional duty service requirement for utilizing this resource and there is no recoupment if the service member fails exam. Mike and Cristy rattle off a plethora of resources, so