Call to Action
Support Our National Guard Act
EANGUS members, please contact your Congressional delegations and ask for cosponsorship of H.R. 6967 and S. 3713. These bills would require the Secretary of Defense to provide to certain members of the National Guard serving on active service in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) the transitional health benefits provided to members of the Reserve Component separating from active duty. Representatives Joe Cunningham and Steven Palazzo introduced H.R. 6967 the, “Support our National Guard Act” to provide members of the National Guardsmen and their families with six months of TRICARE medical coverage following federal Title 32 active duty statuses. Senators Joe Manchin and Joni Ernst introduced its counterpart language, S. 3713.
“Our National Guard men and women have been called upon, once again, by the nation’s leadership to help combat the novel coronavirus pandemic in America. The risks are great; so are the hazards. By definition, Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay is a monetary incentive for volunteers who perform hazardous duty based upon the inherent dangers of that duty and the risks of physical injury. EANGUS agrees with Senator Joni Ernst that the duty our National Guard members are performing embodies that risk, and should receive Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay for COVID-19 response duty,” said Sergeant Major (retired) Frank Yoakum, Executive Director of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States.