Every day, members of the National Guard wear their uniforms, ready to serve their country with the same dedication and professionalism as their active duty counterparts. Yet, despite their shared training and deployments overseas, serving shoulder to shoulder, they are not considered equal when earning federal veterans benefits.
The Post 9/11-GI Bill is the cornerstone of veterans benefits, providing financial support for education to those who have served on active duty for 90 days or more since Sept. 11, 2001. Full eligibility requires 36 months of active duty service. Passed by President George W. Bush in 2008, the benefit has been a lifeline for countless veterans leaving the military, offering them the opportunity to further their education and successfully transition to civilian life.
However, the current administrative structure within the Defense Department unfairly often excludes members of the National Guard from this benefit. This disparity undermines the very unity of all service members and betrays the notion that all service is equal.
This issue isn’t just bureaucratic. As the founder of the Special Operations Association of America, and a proud Green Beret, it’s deeply personal because I’ve lived it.
After years of dedicated service with the National Guard, including multiple deployments with combat in Afghanistan, I planned on using the GI Bill for graduate school. I paid my way through college, working and taking one class at a time. I successfully balanced team training, deployments and years away from family.
Shortly after earning my degree, I began the process of selecting a graduate school, knowing I had completed the required 36 months of active duty military service as a member of the National Guard. I even received a certification letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs stating I was eligible to use 100% of the benefit.
I was ecstatic when I was accepted to grad school, knowing that my 100% eligibility would cover the majority of tuition. I enrolled in classes, moved my family from our home in Washington, D.C., and prepared to start school. However, my excitement turned to horror when I received notice that my eligibility had been miscalculated and that I was no longer qualified for the full benefit.
The reason? My time spent earning the Green Beret in the same class alongside active duty soldiers did not count towards GI Bill eligibility because of a technicality. We were equals in every way that mattered — except when it came to our benefits.
Apparently, the two years I spent earning my Green Beret did not qualify as eligible time because my orders were coded as National Guard on active duty and not as active duty. It was an administrative oversight, one that would cost me $30,000 in tuition benefits to me and my family. It forced me to take on significant debt to attend college.
Unfortunately, my story is not an isolated incident. Nearly every member of the National Guard faces some form of this unjust disparity. It’s time that the next administration directs the DOD to fix this double standard and ensure that every day in uniform counts equally.
The solution is clear and straightforward: DOD must update its bureaucratic process to ensure all service members receive equal benefits regardless of whether they are wearing the uniform as a member of the National Guard or on active duty through a process called duty status reform.
The changes would not require legislation and can be entirely executed by the DOD. But that work has been delayed by Pentagon leaders for over a decade.
Delaying duty status reform any longer sends the message that leaders in the DOD consider service in the National Guard to be subpar. Some opponents of duty status reform within the DOD claim there is a need for a legislative fix. Other detractors highlight the need for Congress to weigh in due to the exorbitant cost associated with providing benefits to the thousands of members of the National Guard who would receive eligibility.
Regardless of the reason, members of the National Guard have endured the same rigors of training, faced the same enemy fire and bled for the same cause. It’s time to honor their service by providing them with the benefits they have rightfully earned.
Let’s fix this disparity and ensure that every day in uniform counts equally.
Daniel Elkins is the founder and president of the Special Operations Association of America. A former Green Beret and Special Operations combat veteran, he is also an Atlantic Council Counter-Terrorism Project member and a nonresident fellow at the Quincy Institute.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the positions of the United States government or the Department of Defense.
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