Chairmen McHugh and Boozman assess
educational benefits for Selected Reserve
Washington , D.C. — Today, the Military
Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee and
the Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity held
a joint hearing to discuss expanded educational benefits for
members of the Selected Reserve.
Military Personnel Subcommittee Chairman John McHugh (R-N.Y.),
who opened the hearing, said, “Our discussion today is an
important step in the process of making improvements to the
education programs that serve our reserve forces. Reservists and
Guardsmen are performing important roles in the war on terror
and are making the same sacrifices as our active duty members.
There is no group that deserves a robust GI Bill more than the
members of the reserve components and the National Guard who
have so expertly and gallantly stepped up and confronted our
enemies across the globe.”
Representative John Boozman (R-Ark.), who chairs the
Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, also spoke about the
importance of holding the hearing today and the impact education
policies have on our overall national strategy. In opening
remarks, he said that “while benefits such as the GI Bill
directly benefit America’s active duty personnel and veterans,
such programs serve a larger national policy that both protects
us militarily and therefore improves the security of America.”
Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), testifying before the
subcommittees, said that when the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) was
signed into law, few members of the Selected Reserve were
mobilized. However, since September 11, 2001, “more than 500,000
members of the National Guard and Reserve have been called up
and more than 70,000 have pulled two or more tours of duty.”
Responding to a question posed by Chairman McHugh about the
importance of retention as an aspect of the MGIB, Lincoln
answered that she didn’t think retention was necessarily an
issue, but added, “I think the bottom line is fairness. There is
no reason why benefits should not be commensurate to the job
that they are doing.”
According to Michael Dominguez, Principle Deputy Under Secretary
of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, however, the educational
benefit has been an enormous retention tool. “The Montgomery GI
Bill for the Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) has been a very
effective recruiting and retention incentive.” He added, “We
have not identified any significant shortcomings in the
structure and utility of the MGIB-SR program. Until the joint
task force completes its report and presents its findings to the
DoD and Department of Veterans Affairs leadership, it is
premature for DoD to take a position on any changes to the
programs.”
Keith Wilson, director of education service at the Veterans
Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, lauded
the creation of the Reserve Educational Assistance Program
(REAP), enacted in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY
2005. Responding to questions, Wilson said that the two
subcommittees will be able to review the findings of the joint
VA and DoD GI Bill working group report which will be released
shortly.
Representing the Partnership for Veterans Education, retired
Navy Vice Admiral Norbert Ryan, Jr., national president of the
Military Officers Association of America, shared his support for
the REAP program. He suggested that Congress expand the benefits
for the Selected Reserve and address the benefits gap between
the active duty and Reserve program. “A new architecture is
needed to align the Montgomery GI Bill with the realities of the
Total Force policy in the 21st Century,” he said. He also
suggested that Reservists be allowed to retain their educational
benefits up to ten years after leaving service. “No volunteer
should be forced to stay in service in order to retain the
benefits under the GI Bill,” he said.
Subcommittee members said they would continue to focus on
benefits for military personnel and were receptive to improving
and expanding the Montgomery GI Bill for the Selected Reserve.
“Our nation is confronted with military, economic, and social
challenges and whatever path we choose must help our
servicemembers meet each of those whether during their military
service or as a civilian, just as their predecessors in the
Greatest Generation did. To do otherwise will be a disservice to
the nation,” said Chairman Boozman.
Please visit our website at http://veterans.house.gov