(WHNT) — More than three-quarters of military and veteran families may carry debt, according to a 2021 survey by the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN).

According to MFAN, their poll found that 51.2% of military and veteran families surveyed had experienced barriers to saving money over the past two years, and 80.7% of respondents said their finances caused them at least some stress over the past year.

For many military families, financial security can become uncertain when they move to another duty station, according to Terron Sims II, the chair of the DNC Veterans & Military Families Council.

“On average, it takes about 44 days once a military spouse moves into a new state to gain employment,” Sims told our sister station, WAVY in Norfolk, Va. “But as you know with the game of averages, you have 44, but you also have one, and then you have the far end that could be 100.”

In some cases, the military spouse who has to move with their service member has an occupational license. That can be for careers like teaching, real estate or medical tech.

However, their new state won’t recognize that credential.

Sims said the process to get the license re-established in the new state is not necessarily free or even cheap.

“Sometimes these fees are thousands of dollars. If you’re E-1 thru E-7, or O-1 thru O-4, $1,000 is a lot of money,” Sims explained