DD214 Form Update
On June 24, 2020, The Senate Armed Services Committee passed favorably S. 4049, the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) out of Committee for consideration before the U.S. Senate. The EANGUS National Office Staff worked in coordination with staffers from the National Guard Association of the U.S. (NGAUS) and Reserve Officers Association (ROA) to include Section 518, Certificate of release or discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214) in the Committee Report (S. Rept. 116-236). In Section 518, SASC recommends DOD designate DD214 as the Certificate of Military Service. The provision would also amend section 569 of last year’s NDAA (Public Law 116-92) to require the Certificate of Military Service to be a standard total force record of military service for all members of the Armed Forces that summarizes the record of service for each member, and would require that the Certificate of Military Service be provided to members of the Reserve Components of the Armed Forces at appropriate times throughout a Servicemember’s career. SASC including this report language is a huge win for the National Guard. We are one step closer to a comprehensive document tracking total force military service and associated benefits.
HASC-passed NDAA
On July 1, 2020, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) unanimously passed H.R. 6395 out of committee for consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives. Congress will recess for two weeks, and the House of Representatives is expected to consider and pass the bill before August Recess. Included in the committee-passed legislation is a three percent pay increase for Servicemembers and a mandate to remove Confederate names from military installations. These two issues mirror language in the Senate’s NDAA. HASC adopted a provision to enable the National Guard to provide unfunded requirements (UFR) lists. It also adopted an amendment offered by Rep. Trent Kelly to increase hazardous duty pay by $25 per month. Finally, the committee included a provision, Taking Care of Pregnant Service Members. It would establish a 5-year pilot program to temporarily issue maternity uniforms to pregnant service members at no cost to the Servicemember.
