U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) on Aug. 10 announced that the Office of Secretary of Defense will work with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to allow members of the Guard and Reserve to concurrently use Federal Tuition Assistance and GI Bill benefits to fund their education.
The action achieves the goals of the bipartisan Montgomery GI Bill Parity Act of 2019, S. 1136, which Sen. Hoeven sponsored in April 2019 with original cosponsors including U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to improve access to education benefits for Guard members and ensure that they are able to utilize those benefits in the same way as active duty service members.
The identical bill, the same-named H.R. 2952, was introduced in May 2019 by U.S. Reps. Steven Palazzo (R-MS) and Tim Ryan (D-OH). Both measures remain under committee consideration in each chamber of Congress.
“The National Guard and Reserve components are a central part of our nation’s defense, both at home and abroad, and our efforts were all about ensuring these service members can access the benefits they have earned,” Sen. Hoeven said. “We appreciate the administration for working with us to restore the full education benefits for our Guard and Reserve members, and we look forward to the policy change being fully implemented later this year.”
Sen. Leahy added that he’s “glad to see that the department has found a way to restore parity to the Montgomery GI Bill’s application.”
“The educational opportunities provided to men and women in the Guard are both a thank you for their volunteering to serve, and a smart investment in future leaders of our military and of their communities,” he said.