Rep. Mike Levin Reintroduces Bipartisan Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act
Washington, D.C. - Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49), alongside Rep. Trent Kelly (MS-01) and House Veterans Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39), reintroduced the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act of 2025 (H.R. 1423) to ensure National Guard and Reservist service members receive Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility for every day they spend in uniform. Yesterday, the House Veterans’ Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee held a legislative hearing on the bill.
Rep. Levin also introduced the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act in the 116th, 117th, and 118th Congresses and it passed the House in 2022 with bipartisan support. The bill ensures that Guard and Reservist members receive credit for every day they spend in uniform in a federal duty status under Titles 10 or 32 for GI Bill purposes. This means every day conducting operations, training, attending military schools, conducting weekend drill and annual training requirements, or responding to national disasters would count towards earning the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
“Every service member—whether active duty, National Guard, or Reserve—deserves full recognition for their service and sacrifice,” said Rep. Levin. “Our bill ensures that time spent in uniform counts toward earning crucial GI Bill benefits. National Guard and Reserve members step up at a moment’s notice to protect our communities, and they deserve the same educational opportunities as their active-duty counterparts. It’s time to deliver the benefits they’ve earned.”
The education benefits provided by the GI Bill date back to 1944. These benefits help service members transition back into civilian life and close the opportunity gap created by military service with their civilian peers. Reserve Component service members have seen training and deployment requirements go up significantly in the Post-9/11 era as the National Guard and Reserves have become an Operational Reserve, resulting in many more days away from home and family, while also impacting their civilian careers.
Congress has previously addressed GI Bill inequities between Active Duty and Reserve Component service members serving on 12304B duty status, as well as those activated by the federal government to serve on the southern border. It was glaringly obvious that those service members were doing the same job, enduring the same hardships, and taking the same risks as their active duty counterparts, yet they were not receiving the same benefits. The Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act of 2025 would universally address this inequity for all duty statuses.
Rep. Levin introduced the bill, alongside its Senate companion introduced by Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chair Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), on February 18th.
Co-Chair of the House of Representatives’ National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus, Representative Trent Kelly said, “The Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act represents a crucial step towards ensuring that VA education benefits align with the evolving nature of military service. This legislation ensures that all those in uniform, regardless of their duty status, have access to the education benefits they deserve.”
“I'm proud to partner with Representative Mike Levin in reintroducing this long-overdue step towards genuine equity between our nation's servicemembers,” said Ranking Member Takano. “Members of the Reserve Component have consistently supported our country through crises but have yet to receive proper benefits to reflect this work. Despite often working alongside Active Duty servicemembers, exercising the same responsibilities and taking on the same risks, Reserve Components benefits policy fails to reflect the shift from a Strategic Reserve to an Operational Reserve. This unfairly puts National Guard and Reserve Component servicemembers at a disadvantage when receiving benefits. By expanding eligibility for the educational assistance included in the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act of 2025 guarantees servicemembers receive credit and benefits for every day they spend in uniform.”
The Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act has the support of:
- The Veterans of Foreign Wars
- The American Legion
- Student Veterans of America
- National Guard Association of the United States
- The Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States
- The Reserve Organization of America
- The Military Officers Association of America
- The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
- Veteran Education Success
These Veteran Service Organizations provided the following statements:
“For years, the sacrifices of Guard and Reserve members have been overlooked in achieving GI Bill eligibility. The VFW strongly supports the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act of 2025 to allow these reserve component members to rightfully earn GI Bill benefits for their time served. They train alongside active duty service members, and are activated for natural disasters and border security more frequently. This bill would allow any day in uniform for which military pay is received to count toward Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility. The time is now for parity with all the armed forces in earning VA education benefits,” said Kristina Keenan, Deputy Legislative Director, Veterans of Foreign Wars.
“9/11 is a day that no one will forget, and one of the obscure events that happened that day is that the National Guard quietly but seamlessly transitioned from being a strategic reserve to an operational one. And since that day, missions have grown exponentially. The Guard has never said “no” to any mission, being always ready, always there. Their benefits, such as the GI Bill, have not grown in the same fashion. This legislation helps to right that shortfall by granting GI Bill parity for the Guard. Every day in uniform counts! It should count for educational benefits as well, including its retroactivity to 9/11. The Enlisted Association of the National Guard wholeheartedly supports this legislation and seeks for its swift passage,” said CSM (Retired) Robert “Bob” Sweeney, President, Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States.
"The Reserve Organization of America thanks Representatives Levin and Kelly for sponsoring the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act of 2025," said Matthew Schwartzman, ROA’s legislation and military policy director. "This legislation will ensure parity by allowing reserve component members to count all paid points days toward Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility, aligning them with their active-duty counterparts. Expanding these benefits will enhance recruiting, retention, and operational readiness, while supporting the education and career advancement of reservists. We strongly support this bill and urge its swift passage into law."
“We strongly support counting every day of military service towards earning education benefits, and we call on Congress to address this long overdue issue,” said William Hubbard, Vice President for Veterans & Military Policy at Veterans Education Success. “It's time to pass the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act without delay, and we applaud Ranking Member Mark Takano, Congressman Mike Levin, and Congressman Trent Kelly for championing this important legislation.”
“The GI Bill is a phenomenal draw to joining the military. We invest in our servicemembers because they invest in our nation’s freedom,” said retired Maj Gen. Francis M. McGinn, NGAUS president. “Each day in uniform should count towards accruing education benefits, including time spent away on drill weekends and annual training for the National Guard. This bill creates parity across the components and recognizes our Guardsmen and women for their valued contributions. We thank Representative Levin and Representative Kelly for their dedication to the Guard and for addressing this issue.”
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