The sacrifices of National Guard and Armed Forces Reserve service members have been overlooked for decades, despite an increase in deployments since September 11th, 2001, and increased responses to national emergencies. Although they have served alongside their active-duty counterparts, these service members do not always earn their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits at the same rate. 

Current law requires only 90 days of active-duty service to  become eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and 36 months to reach the full benefit.  Guard and Reserve members eligibility is based on the number of days the member serves on active, federal duty under Title 10 or 32. For those members, initial training periods and some national emergency response efforts do not count towards qualifying service towards VA benefits. This inequity was recently highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic as National Guard and Reserve members stood on the front lines administering relief and health services. 

H.R. 7543 / S. 3873, Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act of 2024 would ensure that Guard and Reservists receive credit for every day they spend in uniform. 

The VFW strongly urges Congress to pass legislation to allow National Guard and Reserve members to rightfully earn GI Bill benefits for every day served. The time is long past for parity with all the armed forces in earning VA education benefits. This inequity must end now.

We urge Congress to:

Pass H.R. 7543 / S. 3873, Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act of 2024, to allow any day in uniform receiving military pay to count toward Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility, creating equity for National Guard and Reserve members.