BATTALION CAREER COUNSELOR

SSG MCCLURE, JEFFERY

3380 S. WALNUT STREET
O r g a n i z a t i o n

BLOOMINGTON, IN 47401
812-332-4491 EXT 85069

2nd Battalion 150th Field Artillery Retention Newsletter

Soldiers in six month ETS window WHY GO TO COLLEGE????

Average Salary Statistics from the Department of Labor
High School Diploma $28,000, Bachelor’s Degree $45,000,
DL0 SPCM WALTON CODY LAWRENCE 2/16/2010
Master’s Degree $63,450.
DL4 SPCM KILBURN WILLIAM CURTIS 2/23/2010 The more College you have the more money you will make.
DL6 SGT5 CALDWELL CALEB RICHARD 2/25/2010
DL6 SPCM MUSIC SHANE ANTHONY 2/25/2010 NATIONAL GUARD SUPPLEMENTAL GRANT: NGSG
DL6 SPCM ANGELILLIS PAUL EDWARD 3/11/2010 Pays up to 100% tuition assistance to state supported schools for
DL4 SPCM MCKIBBEN CHRISTOPHER DUSTIN 3/16/2010 a first Associate or Bachelor Degree.
DL8 SPCM ZACHARY NATHAN EARL 3/17/2010
NOTE: No summer tuition and fees will be covered.
DLK PFC3 BRANNEMAN SAMUEL LEE 3/24/2010
NATIONAL GUARD EXTENSION SCHOLARSHIP
DL6 SPCM FRENCH CLIFTON YORK 3/29/2010
(NGES): NGES began May 3, 2007 and is similar to the Na-
DL4 SPCM HAYMAN JEFFERY DEAN 3/4/2010 tional Guard Supplemental Grant (NGSG) except NGES is for
DL4 SPCM BRAUN RODNEY STEVEN 3/7/2010 eligible Soldiers who leave the Guard with an honorable dis-
DL4 SGT5 SOWERS JEREMIAH DANIEL 4/2/2010 charge. Former Guard members have only one year from the
DL2 SPCM FRYE DUSTIN SCOTT 4/22/2010 date of discharge to apply.
DLK SPCM SORRELS JOSHUA LESTER 4/25/2010
DL8 SGT5 JOHNSON KEITH ROBERT 4/28/2010
FEDERAL TUITION ASSISTANCE (FTA) Soldiers may use
FTA to receive ONE degree/ credential from EACH of the fol-
DL6 SSG6 MANOR ROBBIE GENE 4/3/2010
lowing levels. Secondary School Diploma, i.e. HS or GED, Cer-
DL0 SGT5 SCHORLING KEVIN JOHN 5/15/2010
tificate , Associate, Baccalaureate, Master’s or First Professional
DLK SFC7 MCGLOTHLIN DONALD WYATT 5/28/2010 Degree
DL2 SGT5 BEDRAVA STEVEN MAXEINER 5/3/2010 Researching MGIB
DL2 SPCM JOHNSON RICKY LEE 5/9/2010 1. Go to http://www.gibill.va.gov/
DL2 SGT5 KELLER RANDALL AUSTIN 6/16/2010 2. Education Benefits on the left side of the website will let you
DL6 SSG6 SCHULTZ ERIC MICHAEL 6/19/2010 check for current rates, forms, how to apply, and other MGIB
DLK SGT5 SPROWL NICHOLAUS JAMES FRAN 6/30/2010
information.
3. Go to http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp
DL2 SPCM SPARKS RICKIE LEE 7/14/2010
4. Find out what you qualify for. Start VONAPP to have help
DLK SFC7 CREAMER ROBERT RAY JR 7/16/2010
from VA for what you qualify for.
DL6 SPCM MERRITT SCOTT ROBERT 7/2/2010
DL0 SFC7 HALES ADRIAN REESE 7/24/2010 Military Transcript Websites
DL6 SPCM LONEY PATRICK DOUGLAS 7/7/2010 Army – AARTS (866) 297-4427 or (913) 684-3269
DLK SGT5 COTE ANDREW JOSEPH 7/8/2010 https://aarts.army.mil/
DLK SPCM EVANS KYLE ANDREW 7/8/2010
DL6 SSG6 BERKSHIRE KENNETH HESS 7/9/2010
ARNG Education Support Center: National level agency for
education benefits for Soldiers of the Army National Guard,
their dependents, and civilian employees of the Guard. Their
Every soldier is valuable to our Battalion, If you
subject matter experts are available to help you maximize your
see any of these soldiers above walking around
education benefits Monday thru Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
your halls stop them and encourage them to Re-
CST
enlist in to the 2nd Battalion 150th Field Artillery.
Website: https://esc.pec.ngb.army.mil/

Army National Guard Education Support Center

esc@pec.ngb.army.mil
PG 1 *Why should I go to College
PG2 *Career Center Information
PG3 *Tricare (TRS) *What’s in it for me
 2nd Battalion 150th Field Artillery Retention Newsletter PAGE 2

Indiana Army National Guard Career Center

345 West Division St.
Remington, IN 47977

Your one-stop career enhancement shop

Get answers to your questions by
attending the free courses offered
at the Career Center:

Retiree Benefits
Education Assistance
Enlisted Promotion System
Military Credit Evaluation
Survivor Benefits
Individual Counseling

Talk with your Unit Career Counselor about Attending

Attend the Career Center in split-train status.

Contact your Battalion Career Counselor to
reserve a seat and request travel orders. Indiana Army National
Guard
TY 2010 Training Dates Career Center
345 West Division St.
Remington, IN 47977
24-25 Oct 09
7-8 Nov 09 (219) 261-2147 x 8152
or
N/A Dec 09 (800) 237-2850 x 8152
30-31 Jan 10
SFC Tague x 17
27-28 Feb 10
27-28 Mar 10 SGM (R) Hancock x 18
24-25 Apr 10 SSG Lauderdale x 19
22-23 May 10
26-27 Jun 10
17-18 Jul 10
28-29 Aug 10
25-26 Sep 10
 2nd Battalion 150th Field Artillery Retention Newsletter PAGE 3
TRICARE Eligibility:
-Have up-to-date info in DEERS and possess a valid ID card.
-Retirees, their spouses, and eligible children
-Un-remarried former spouse and eligible children of retired
service members who have died
-A spouse and unmarried children of National Guard members
who die as a result of a line of duty condition may be eligible for
health care.
TRICARE Reserve Select: TRS was established April 26, 2005
by the National Defense Authorization Act. TRS is a premium-
based healthcare plan that qualified National Guard members
may purchase. TRS, which requires a monthly premium, offers
coverage similar to TRICARE Standard and Extra.
TRS Monthly Premiums: Member-Only: $49.62// Member-
and-Family: $197.65
*These costs became effective 1 January 2010
TRS Annual Deductible
Sponsor's rank is E-4 and below:
Individual: $50
Family: $100
Sponsor's rank is E-5 and above:
Individual: $150
Family: $300
Catastrophic Cap = $1,000 per fiscal year*
TRS Enrollment:
Step 1: Qualify
To qualify, you must be a member of the Selected Reserve
of the Ready Reserve, and you cannot be eligible for or en-
rolled in the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB)
program (as defined in Chapter 89 of Title 5 U.S.C) or cur-
rently covered under FEHB, either under your own eligibil-
ity or through a family member. Follow these steps to qual-
ify for TRS: Log on to the www.tricare.mil Follow the in-
structions. Print and sign the TRS Request Form (DD Form
2896-1)
Step 2: Purchase
Mail or fax your completed TRS Request Form along with
the first month's premium payment to your regional contrac-
tor within the specified deadline.
Your monthly premium amount is based on the type of cov-
erage you select. TRS offers two types of coverage: TRS
Member-Only or TRS Member-and-Family coverage.
What’s in it for me! Why should I extend?
SSG McClure will tell you why.
SPOUSE BENEFITS: Your spouse is eligible for assis-
tance through the Army National Guard Education Sup-
port Center, to include: educational counseling, credit
evaluation and college degree planning. The State of
Indiana, also provides FREE CLEP testing (College
Level Examination Program) to spouses of National
Guard soldiers through the
Education Services Office located at Fort Harrison.
Service members’ Group Life Insurance: Your de-
pendent children are automatically covered for $10,000
as long as you have $50,000 worth of coverage on your-
self.
The Tricare Dental Plan is also available to your
family!
TAX BREAK: Because your in the Indiana Army Na-
tional Guard and pay Indiana income tax, You may de-
duct up to $5,000 on your state taxes!
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
Home Loan Guaranty: VA home loan guaranties are
issued to help eligible service members, veterans, re-
servists and unmarried surviving spouses obtain homes,
condominiums, residential cooperative housing units,
and manufactured homes, and to refinance loans. For
additional information or to obtain VA loan guaranty
forms, visit http://www.homeloans.va.gov/.
Have unlimited access to any military exchange or
commissary.
Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery: Any Hoo-
sier eligible to be buried in a national cemetery
may be buried here. Spouse of eligible veteran will
also be eligible.
 2nd Battalion 150th Field Artillery Retention Newsletter PAGE 4
4 Great Myths
Concerning National Guardsmen
and VA Disability Compensation:
MYTH: A service member cannot collect VA Disability Compen-
sation while in the National Guard.
FACT: True, a service member cannot receive “concurrent” pay and
benefits from the military and VA Disability Compensation for the
same day. Once a year, the VA will request information (VA Form
21-8951-2) from the service member to report the number of days
served in the past year. The service member must elect which pay to
waive, drill pay or disability compensation. A typical service member
will have 63 days of service a year assuming 48 UTA's and 15 days
of A.T. The VA would simply withhold 63 days of drill pay or VA
benefits, depending on the service member’s waiver selection.
MYTH: A service member with VA Disability Compensation
must be discharged. (sometimes this is heard with, a 30% rat-
ing)
FACT: Although there is something in the enlistment contract about
30% that does not apply to you because you are not enlisting! The
percentage of disability compensation from the VA does not affect
your membership in the National Guard. However, you must pass
the physical examination for the NG – “fitness for duty exam or abil-
ity to perform your duty” – this is what will determine if you are retain-
able. And always record accurate information on the Periodic Health
Assessment (PHA). There is a block that asks if you are receiving
disability compensation from Social Security, VA, Workers Comp,
etc. These are government documents and to give an untrue answer
is deemed as committing fraud.
MYTH: An enlistee cannot have any VA Disability Compensa-
tion to be eligible to enlist.
FACT: In accordance with NGR 600-200, Table 2-1, an enlistee
must not have more than a "30% disability" to meet enlistment crite-
ria. NGR 600-200, table 2-1 clearly states that a 30% or greater
Physical Exam Board rating is not waiver able. A PEB is a military
service designation, not a VA disability rating. The two are very dif-
ferent items and are not interchangeable.
MYTH: The VA Passes Disability Compensation information to
the military.
FACT: There is no passing "sharing" of personal medical informa-
tion at any level between the VA and the military. The VA information
must come from the service member. Of course, the service member
must identify any medical conditions on the Periodic Health Assess-
ment (PHA) that has nothing to do with VA compensation or ratings.
This information is very important. It is widely believed and reported
there are many reserve component service members who have not
applied for their rightful and justified VA Disability Compensation
because someone has misinformed them it may adversely affect
their military career, they’re not eligible or they simply are not author-
ized to file a claim with the VA due to their membership in the Na-
tional Guard.
If you have any questions contact:
Your local County Veterans Service Officer
Roger D. Peterman, Indiana Transitions Assistance Advisor
2002 South Holt Road, Indianapolis, IN 46241
Telephone: 317-247-3300 ext 4020 or Cell: 317-752-7145
VA/Military Pay Dual Compensation Infor-
mation Sheet
You may be a member of the National Guard
and collect Veterans Administration compen-
sation benefits; however, you cannot collect
VA compensation for the same number of
days that you receive military pay. This in-
cludes IDT, AT, ADSW, RMA's, etc. (10 USC
12316 and 38 USC 5304(c)).
A National Guard service member may elect to
keep the training pay received from the military
service department. However, to be legally
entitled to keep the training pay, VA benefits
must be waived for a number of days equal to
the number of days for which training pay is
received. In most instances, it will be to the
soldiers’ advantage to waive VA benefits and
keep training pay.
Most traditional National Guard members will
be paid for approximately 63 training days dur-
ing a fiscal year. This normally consists of 48
armory drills or Unit Training Assemblies
(UTA) and 15 days of annual training (AT).
If VA benefits are waived to receive National
Guard training pay, the VA will adjust the VA
award to withhold future benefits for the same
total number of days waived and at the
monthly rate in effect for the fiscal year for
which training pay was received. The normal
VA rate will be restored when a sufficient num-
ber of days’ benefits have been withheld.
The VA should send a VA Form 21-8951, No-
tice of Waiver of VA Compensation or Pension
to Receive Military Pay and Allowance, to the
service member annually for verification of
military pay received for the previous fiscal
year and to calculate withholding of future
compensation. The service member is re-
quired to complete the VA Form 21-8951 with
his unit commander or full-time representative
and return to the VA within 60 days.
If the VA does not contact the veteran, it is
recommended that the veteran contact his or
her regional VA office. Be aware that even
though the VA may not contact the veteran on
an annual basis, a debt to the federal govern-
ment will continue to be incurred. This debt will
most probably be eliminated through withhold-
ing of future VA compensation, not through
recovery of compensation already paid.