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Added Benefits
Spouses and children of Michigan National Guardsmen can now receive financial help to go to college or trade schools through the Michigan National Guard State Tuition Assistance Program, which previously was only open to those in uniform.
Once the program is operational, the Maryland state government will reimburse monthly premiums for its Guardsmen due to the TRICARE Reserve Select health-care plan and the TRICARE Dental Program in the first effort of its kind nationwide.
Both are among new state benefits that governors recently signed into law. Other new state programs include exempting the pay Indiana Guardsmen receive for their service from state tax and a new state tuition-assistance program for South Dakota Guardsmen.
Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, the adjutant general of Michigan and a member of the NGAUS board of directors, says such efforts reflect state lawmakers’ gratitude for what the Guard does for the state and nation.
State lawmakers are also aware of the current tough recruiting environment and want to make Guard service more attractive, he says.
“Less than 1% of Americans serve in the military at any given time,” Rogers says. “I believe a benefit for them is a benefit for our nation.”
MINGSTAP, the Michigan Guard tuition assistance program, has been around since its creation in 2014. It’s generous; it currently pays up to $6,000 a year for training, certificate or master’s degree programs and up to $14,400 a year for associate and baccalaureate degree programs at any public or private college or vocational, technical or trade school in the state.
It’s also popular; more than 6,000 Guardsmen have used the program since its inception, according to Rogers.
Now, Michigan Guard family members are eligible. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed Michigan House Bill 4199, which expands MINGSTAP’s reach, into law May 20 in front of Guardsmen and state lawmakers at the National Guard Association of Michigan annual conference in Detroit. The law also increased program funding from $10 million to $15 million a year.
“The program offers members of the Guard tuition assistance, so they can pursue higher education or skills training at a lower cost,” Whitmer said at the ceremony. “But we know that next to every member of the Guard is a family: an invaluable support system that makes countless sacrifices.”
The legislation was introduced by state Rep. Jennifer Conlin, whose district includes Ann Arbor, the home of the University of Michigan. A freshman lawmaker, it was her first piece of legislation. HB 4199 easily cleared the House in March and the state Senate in April.
“I think it’s really an investment in the future of our military families to provide this,” says Conlin, the chair of the Michigan House’s Military, Veterans, and Homeland Security Committee. “These families are critical to the infrastructure of all our local communities. It’s such small thanks compared to what they do for us.”
Michigan Guard family members are already planning on using MINGSTAP.
One is Emily McMillan, whose husband, Jessie, is a staff sergeant in D Company, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment. She is a kindergarten teacher seeking a masters in reading and literacy K-12 from Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Jessie is also in a master’s program at the school.
“This bill is helpful for my education and my family’s finances because it allows us to complete and pay for our graduate degrees without tapping our savings,” Emily McMillan says. “These degrees will help us advance in our careers and increase our earning potential.”
In Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore signed the Health Care for Heroes Act of 2023 into law May 12 in a hangar at Martin State Air National Guard Base just outside Baltimore.
It establishes the TRICARE Premium Reimbursement Program within the Maryland Military Department, which will reimburse Maryland Guardsmen who use TRS and/or the TRICARE Dental Program up to $60 a month.
This $60 is enough to cover the monthly premiums for the two programs.
The program was part of the first-year governor’s legislative package. NGAUS, which strongly supports providing medical coverage to every Guard soldier and airmen to bolster medical readiness, testified before the Maryland General Assembly in support of the bill.
“When I learned that our National Guard members experienced challenges in paying for TRICARE Reserve Select premiums, I knew we could and must do better,” says Moore, who spent several years as an Army Reserve officer, including a deployment to Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division.
“After we passed the Health Care for Heroes Act of 2023 by bipartisan vote in the Maryland General Assembly this year,” he adds, “the team at the Maryland Military Department immediately set to work crafting this first-in-the-nation reimbursement program.”
A lot has been asked of my soldiers and the entire whole organization over the past few years, so this will definitely help.
—Capt. Michael Fedner, the commander of the Maryland Army National Guard's 231st Chemical Company
Capt. Michael Fedner, the commander of Maryland’s 231st Chemical Company, says the law demonstrates the state’s commitment to Guardsmen. He has about 25 soldiers currently using or planning to use TRICARE programs.
“This legislation provides another avenue of support for our soldiers and their families,” Fedner says. “A lot has been asked of my soldiers and the entire whole organization over the past few years, so this will definitely help.”
“The Maryland Military Department is eager to get this program up and running to take care of our soldiers, airmen and their families,” says Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, the adjutant general of Maryland.
July 1, the start of the new fiscal year in most states, also marked the date a new Guard benefit took effect in South Dakota. Gov. Kristi Noem signed South Dakota House Bill 1039 into law in March; the measure reimburses South Dakota Guardsmen for 100% of their tuition at in-state colleges.
“This bill provides SD Guardsmen the freedom to choose a school based on the educational benefits provided instead of cost,” says Chief Warrant Officer 2 Brayden Nelson, a member of the 109th Engineer Brigade. “It gives recruiters the tools to offer a fully paid for college education to prospective recruits, something that didn’t exist before.”
Since July 1, military personnel living in Indiana — including Guardsmen — are exempt from paying state income taxes. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Indiana House Bill 1034 into law in May.
This follows a 2019 Indiana law mandating that all the state’s retired military income be tax-exempt. The Hoosier State is among 28 states that exempt military service income, according to published reports.
Rogers says new state benefits help ensure the Guard has the forces necessary to meet their obligations, both at home and abroad.
“I cherish and value everybody who is willing to raise their right hand and swear the oath to our Constitution at the state level and federal level,” he says.
The author can be reached at [email protected].
TOP PHOTO: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (seated) and State Rep. Jennifer Conlin hold the newly signed legislation that extends eligibility for the Michigan National Guard Tuition Assistance Program to family members. Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, the adjutant general of Michigan, stands far left (in glasses and a suit). (Courtesy of Michigan National Guard)
