Unbelievably, The men and women of the Air National Guard can not utilize Federal Tuition Assistance even while their brothers-and-sisters-in-arms in the Army National Guard and the Air Force Reserve can! This disparity in benefits needs to change now!
In order to be eligible for promotion to E-8 or E-9 in the Air National Guard, Servicemembers must attain at least an Associates degree. Currently, the Air National Guard does not budget accordingly to provide Federal Tuition Assistance (TA) to its members, forcing many enlisted Servicemembers to take out private loans or use their GI Bill to qualify for promotion to the most senior ranks.
The Veterans Education Project caught wind of the Air National Guard’s lack of funding earlier this year, and have been raising support on Capitol Hill to call upon the Air National Guard to reform their policies. Our National Guard Airmen deserve just as much support in their military and educational careers as the Soldiers they serve alongside in the Army National Guard, and we are doing our best to make sure that happens.
