The federal decision that could take away a career path built for military families

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: NeCole Cumberlander is a U.S. Air Force National Guard veteran and licensed cosmetologist. She is co-owner of Paul Mitchell the School Cleveland and Paul Mitchell the School Columbus, and serves on the Ohio State Cosmetology and Barber Board.

The first stop after every PCS, for a lot of us, is a barbershop or a salon. New base, new chair, new haircut. That chair is part of military life. It also happens to be one of the few careers that can move with a military family.

That career is now in trouble. The U.S. Department of Education is finalizing a federal decision that judges barber, hairdresser, esthetics, nail, and massage therapy schools by how much their graduates earn a few years out. If a school’s typical graduate doesn’t out-earn the median working adult ages 25 to 34 with only a high school diploma in the same state, the school loses access to federal student loans.

By the department’s own analysis, more than 92% of barbering and cosmetology schools and 89% of massage therapy schools would fail this test. Without those loans, almost none can stay open. Barbershops can’t replace retiring staff. Salons cut hours. The careers veterans and military spouses build in this industry start to disappear.

I served eight years in the U.S. Air Force National Guard. My unit was activated and deployed during Operation Desert Storm. I came home, built a career behind the chair, and went on to co-own two cosmetology schools in Ohio. I’ve watched dozens of veterans and military spouses come through our doors looking for the same thing I needed when I got out: a lasting career with a license at the end of it.

This industry is one of the most realistic career paths a military spouse has. Military spouse unemployment sits at around 21%, roughly four times the national average, mostly because of the constant moving. The Department of Defense already reimburses military spouses up to $1,000 in relicensing costs and another $1,000 in business costs each time they cross state lines, with cosmetology specifically named as a covered profession. Cosmetology is also one of the seven licensure compacts the states have been advancing to make it easier for spouses to keep working after a PCS.

Washington built those guardrails because these careers travel. Closing the schools that train people into them undoes the whole effort.

This pipeline matters just as much for veterans. According to the International Franchise Association, veterans make up about 7% of the population but 14% of all franchise owners in America. Franchising rewards what the military teaches: leading a team, executing a clear plan, holding standards day after day. Salon, barbershop, and wellness franchises are some of the most accessible models. A licensed barber or stylist with a few years behind the chair, a small loan, and the discipline of a service career can run a shop, build a team, and own a piece of their community. Cut off the licensure pipeline, and that ladder gets pulled out from under the next generation of veteran small-business owners.

What makes this hardest to accept is that Congress and President Donald Trump already addressed it. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in July, exempted these certificate programs from the new earnings framework. The department is applying it to them anyway. And in April, the IRS finalized regulations implementing Trump’s No Tax on Tips law, specifically protecting hairstylists, barbers, cosmetologists, estheticians, nail technicians, and massage therapists. One arm of the federal government delivers a tax break on tip income for these workers. Another is preparing to close the schools that train them.

The public comment period closes May 20. Anyone can file. The Trump White House and the members of Congress who passed the law should weigh in directly with Education Secretary Linda McMahon and the department to make this regulation match the statute.

For the military and veteran community, this is not an abstract policy fight. It’s the haircut you get before formation. It’s the manicure your spouse gives a neighbor on base. It’s the massage therapist who gets your back working after a long deployment. And for thousands of veterans and spouses, it’s the career and the small business they were building when no one else was hiring. We’ve earned the right to keep that path open.