"G.I Fairness Bill" protects benefits for wounded Guard, Reserve members

Note: Things are getting better with this kind of proposed legislation, sponsored by enlightened veteran-oriented leaders. Until recent years, men and women like me from the Guard and Reserve were guaranteed financial disaster as regulations actually required injured Guard and Reserve vets to be removed from Active Duty and permitted only a base salary until injuries were healed...no other benefits. 

No family medical care, no nothing! The vet was allowed military care for the specific wartime injury, not other health issues which might arise during recovery. Retirement and promotion credit was refused during this period, and if some additional injury or illness were to develop the vet had no protection for those issues. And, once kicked off Active Duty Reservists and Guardsmen lost all vital state and federal protections otherwise provided while activated. 

Wyden G.I. fairness bill passed by Senate committee
Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and John Boozman, R-Ark., announced Wednesday that their bill to ensure wounded members of the Guard and Reserve will receive the GI Bill benefits they’ve earned passed the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee

The bipartisan GI Bill Fairness Act would ensure that servicemembers of the Guard or Reserve who are wounded in combat are eligible for the same GI Bill benefits as active-duty.

Currently, wounded Guard or Reserve members are often given orders under 10 USC 12301(h) for their recovery, treatment and rehabilitation.

Unfortunately, federal law does not recognize such orders as eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill education assistance, meaning that unlike other members of the military, these members of the Guard and Reserve actually lose benefits for being injured in the line of duty.

“There’s no reason that Guard and Reserve members who are wounded in battle shouldn’t receive the same benefits as other active duty members,” Wyden said. “Our bipartisan solution that passed the committee today will make sure these brave Americans get the benefits they’ve earned.”

"This is a step forward to ensuring equal treatment for our members of the Guard and Reserve who are injured during their service to our nation. I was proud to support this legislation in committee and will continue to encourage my colleagues to support this commonsense measure on the Senate floor,” Boozman, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said.