ARLINGTON, Va. - A new law was recently enacted that supplements the salary of National Guard members, who work for the federal government.
Federal employees who previously received pay cuts when they were mobilized will now receive salary supplements to make up the difference between their civilian and military paychecks. This supplement began with the March 15 pay period.
"The Department of Defense has always believed that the U. S. government should serve as a model employer for Guardsmen and Reservists," said Mr. David McGinnis, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs (ASD-RA). "Accordingly, we are pleased that the federal government has made this commitment across the board for all of its employees.
"By joining the ranks alongside many leading private sector employers, our government is helping to ensure that mobilized reserve component members never will need to worry about losing pay while they serve our nation."
For many years, large and small businesses around the country have made up the difference in pay for their deploying Guardsmen and reservists.
To determine the amount of these supplemental payments, the Office of Personnel Management will count locality pay and special rate supplements when determining employees' basic federal pay. They will also consider housing and subsistence allowances when determining basic military pay.
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve said about 20 percent of Guard and Reserve members are federal employees, but there is no way to determine how many will benefit from this new law.
In 2006, the Department of Defense started the Reserve Income Replacement Program, which is paid to eligible National Guard and reserve members mobilized for extended or frequent periods the difference between their monthly civilian pre-mobilization income and their current total monthly military compensation.
"RIRP is designed to assist those mobilized Guard and reserve members that are experiencing a loss of income while mobilized," Tom Bush, principal director of manpower and reserve affairs for ASD-RA, told American Forces Press Service.
To qualify for RIRP, servicemembers must be serving on active duty in an involuntary status and have completed 18 continuous months of involuntary active duty, have completed 24 cumulative months of involuntary active duty within the last 60 months, or be serving on involuntary active duty for a period of 180 days or more that starts within six months of separation from a previous period on involuntary active duty for at least 180 days.
Guard and reserve members serving on involuntary active duty and earning at least $50 less than their normal civilian income each month must verify eligibility for this benefit through their military service's personnel system, DoD officials said.
This new law will help to ensure that Soldiers and Airmen are financially secure when they deploy.
"If you're in a fire base in Afghanistan, the mission requires 100 percent focus," said John Goheen, spokesman for the National Guard Association of the United States, told the Federal Times. "But if your wife needs to get a job and leaves your kids at home, or if your son or daughter can't go to college any more, or [you worry about] making the rent or paying the mortgage, it's hard to keep focused."