CAA certification – is it recognized outside my state and worth it for career mobility?

I've been in benefits administration for about 4 years and my HR manager mentioned the CAA as a credential that could help me move into a more senior analyst role. But when I look at job postings in other states, I almost never see it listed as a preferred or required credential. I'm trying to figure out if this is a regional thing or if it genuinely has limited national recognition before I commit the study time.

The exam content seems straightforward based on the outline – benefits plan administration, regulatory compliance, carrier relationships, and application processing. A lot of that maps directly to what I do now, which makes me think I could prep in 4-5 weeks at about 45 minutes a day without it being overwhelming. But “easy to pass” and “worth having” aren't the same thing.

My current goal is to eventually move into a benefits director role at a mid-size company. I already have my SHRM-CP, which seems much more universally recognized in postings. Would adding a CAA create real differentiation or am I better off pursuing a CEBS designation instead, which I see listed more often in director-level postings?

I'd love to hear from people who actually listed CAA on their resume and whether it came up positively in interviews or went unnoticed by hiring managers.