FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2021
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) applauded the signing of a memorandum by the Office of the Secretary of Defense that enables members of the Guard and Reserve to concurrently use Federal Tuition Assistance and GI Bill benefits to fund their education, similar to active duty servicemembers. This process was initiated in August, following efforts led by Boozman and U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) to ensure Guard and Reserve servicemembers receive the full education benefits to which they are entitled. Boozman also recently joined a bipartisan group of senators in urging Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to take the final steps in restoring these benefits.
The policy change will achieve the goals of the Montgomery GI Bill Parity Act, bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Boozman.
“The men and women who serve in our nation’s uniform deserve the benefits they have earned without strings attached. This announcement by Secretary Austin will remove unnecessary barriers to education benefits for Guard and Reserve members,” Boozman said.
“This is tremendous news for our Guard and Reserve members, who will now have access to the full education benefits that they have earned,” said Hoeven. “We need well-educated servicemembers to ensure our nation can continue to keep pace with our adversaries. Allowing concurrent use of federal tuition assistance and GI Bill benefits will do just that for our Guard and Reserve components, who play an important role in supporting the high-tech operations of today’s military and defending against ever more advanced threats. We appreciate Secretary Austin for working with us on this priority.”