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Tweak GI Bill for reservists

Having seen Congress overhaul active-duty GI Bill benefits, military advocates are now gearing up to get Congress to fix the reserve GI Bill, too.

The value of those benefits, embodied in the Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve, has eroded steadily since 1985, when the benefits were worth almost half of what active-duty troops received.

By the time the new Post-9/11 GI Bill launches next summer, monthly benefits for the typical drilling reservist will sink to just 13 percent of active-duty benefits.

The solution isn’t to create a new parallel benefit, however. Rather, it is in adjusting the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Congress has opened that door by granting National Guard and reserve members 40 percent of Post-9/11 active-duty benefits after a mobilization of just 90 days; that percentage increases until reservists reach three cumulative years of active-duty service, at which point they qualify for 100 percent of active-duty benefits.

Here’s a novel proposal: Give reservists a benefit proportional to their service. Once drilling reservists have completed a full “good year” of reserve service — meaning they have completed 48 weekend drills and two weeks of annual training — they should qualify for 17 percent of the full Post-9/11 GI Bill rate. After that, they would have to be mobilized to earn additional benefits.

This would initially boost the monthly payment for reservists from $329 to $450, while still offering the chance to earn greater benefits over time, based on active service. As with the active-duty plan, amounts would adjust from there based on the annual growth in maximum tuition rates in each state.

This system is fair and rewards reservists on a par with their service and their active-duty counterparts. It’s worth a look.