Welcome to 2020 everyone! We at the national office hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season and are looking forward to another huge year. A couple of HUGE wins happened at the buzzer just before congress recessed for the holidays.
The 2020 NDAA
Many people were skeptical that The House and Senate could get a bipartisan budget passed but hey miracles do happen. Here is a quick rundown of some of the highlights for the National Guard.
- A 3.1% Pay Raise
- TRS for Mil Techs (Effective 2030)
- 12304b early retirement credit is retroactive to 2012
- GI Bill transferability will no longer have a maximum years of service limit
- Military student identifier for RC children
- Repeal SBP/DIC offset by 2023
- Paid family leave for federal employees
- Establish US Space Force with a JCS seat
- Single standard record of service (the DD214) will include Guard and Reserve service
- No involuntary ANG Mil Tech conversions to AGR
- No subjective upgrades to USR
- Report on incentives for AGR/Mil Tech
- Report on paying BAH vs OHA in territories
- Plan on phase out of burn pit usage
The Southwest Border Mission
Back in October, we had the honor of testifying before Congress about how members of the Guard were not receiving credit towards eligibility for educational benefits and how no matter the duty status if troops are performing the same duties they should receive the same benefits. Well, only a little over a month later the Secretary of Defense sent a letter instructing the Secretaries of the Army and Air Force to ensure eligibility as well as, “take necessary actions to ensure that members of the National Guard affected by this determination have a record of their eligibility for any associated entitlements or benefits, consistent with any implementation guidance issued by the USD.” This means that those who serve on the Southwest Border Mission will receive credit towards eligibility for the GI Bill retro to February 2019.
State Presidents/Legislative Workshops and Storm the Hill Event
The annual EANGUS State Presidents/Legislative Workshops and Storm the Hill Event will be held on February 9-11, 2020. We welcome members of the state association and members nationwide in Washington, D.C., to help kick-off the EANGUS National Office advocacy efforts for the 116th Congress. The EANGUS National Office staff will host guest speakers, panel discussions, breakout sessions, and receptions during the workshop.
