Scanlon Votes to Ensure National Guard and Reserve Members Receive Equal Access to GI Benefits
Washington, D.C. ,
January 19, 2022
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) voted last week for the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act, which takes a strong step toward ensuring equal access to GI Bill benefits. This bill ensures that members of the National Guard and Reserve, who often serve side-by-side with their Active Duty counterparts yet do not currently receive the same access to vital GI Bill benefits, are honored with the benefits they have earned and deserve. “Every day, we rely on our National Guard and Reserve servicemembers to help keep us safe — in the face of natural disasters, disease, civil unrest, and foreign threats. Every day that they serve in uniform should count toward their benefits,” said Rep. Scanlon. “But, right now, National Guard and Reserve members do not have equal access to GI benefits — despite often doing the same jobs and incurring the same risks as people on Active Duty. This legislation will ensure all servicemembers, regardless of duty status, are able to access benefits that they have earned.” Since the September 11th attacks, our valiant National Guard members and Reservists have become even more integral to America’s national security strategy. Increasingly, these servicemembers are seeing heavier training schedules and more frequent deployments. Reserve troops often serve side-by-side with their Active Duty counterparts, and communities across the country have relied on National Guard deployments during the COVID-19 pandemic to help fight the deadly virus. However, current law falls short of ensuring National Guard members and Reservists accrue the vital education benefits they have earned for their increased workload. The Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act closes eligibility gaps in the Post-9/11 GI Bill to ensure members of the National Guard and Reserve have access to benefits that reflect their contributions to our national security. “Our veterans deserve the strong and unwavering support of Congress,” Rep. Scanlon continued. “With this legislation, the House has taken another important step to make sure our nation honors all servicemembers with the benefits they were promised and rightfully deserve. Every day spent in uniform should count.” ### |
