- Contact the Committee

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the Committee. It is a pleasure to appear before you today to discuss educational benefits for members of the Selected Reserve.

I wish to begin by thanking you for inviting me here today. The Coast Guard Reserve pioneered the full integration of Selected Reservists into Active Component units during the mid-1990s. We are always eager to explore means to achieve full parity and seamless transitions between the Active and Reserve Components.

As has been stated by the other Reserve Component Chiefs today, we believe educational benefits such as the Montgomery GI Bill, authorized by Chapter 30 of Title 38, and the Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR), authorized under Chapter 1606 of Title 10, are important components in recruiting and retaining Coast Guard Active Duty and Reserve personnel. We also believe the Tuition Assistance Program, authorized by Title 10, Section 2007, is another valuable tool for recruiting and retaining the talent we need for the 21st century.

During fiscal year 2005, 4,514 Coast Guard members – Active Duty, Reserve and veterans – benefited from the Montgomery GI Bill for Active Duty (Chapter 30) claims. During fiscal year 2005, approximately 155 Reservists benefited from MGIB-SR by participating in vocational, undergraduate and graduate programs, utilizing $707,853 towards tuition fees. Fiscal year 2005 utilization compared with $786,913 in fiscal year 2004 and $717,855 in fiscal year 2003.

At the end of January 2006, we began aggressively marketing the benefits available to mobilized Reservists under the Reserve Education Assistance Program, or (REAP), authorized under Chapter 1607 of Title 10. Currently approximately 3,600 Selected Reservists are authorized to take advantage of REAP benefits as a result of being mobilized in excess of 90 days. To date, we have received 30 queries about this program from our members, and we anticipate a dramatic increase in utilization as knowledge of this program continues to permeate to those eligible reservists. Although the policy and announcement of the program were not distributed until after the start of the 2006 spring academic term, we expect to see payments increase because service members are authorized to submit their claims at any time during the semester, just as with the Chapter 30 and MGIB-SR. This program is still in its early stages and we are confident that participation will increase through our ongoing communications efforts.

The Coast Guard’s Tuition Assistance program, which provides a maximum of $4,500 per year to individual Active Duty and Selected Reserve members, also remains a popular program. In fiscal year 2005, Coast Guard Selected Reservists utilized $2.8 million in benefits, up from $2.3 million in fiscal year 2004 and $1.6 million in fiscal year 2003. Among our Active Duty force, Tuition Assistance utilization totaled $10.7 million in fiscal year 2005, $9.9 million in fiscal year 2004 and $7.2 million in fiscal year 2003.

The Coast Guard Recruiting Command, which is responsible for recruitment of all Active Duty and Reserve members (fiscal year 2006 goals: 1,390 Selected Reservists and 3,800 Active Duty), indicates that educational benefits are among the top reasons individuals join the Coast Guard and affiliate with the Coast Guard Reserve. For instance, the fact that Selected Reserve members are not required to pay into the MGIB-SR is a plus, according to the Recruiting Command. The non-taxable status of the payments, and the ability of members to combine MGIB-SR with Tuition Assistance, is also cited as an accessions draw.

We are maintaining our funded Selected Reserve end-strength of 8,100. We believe educational assistance programs help explain why Coast Guard Selected Reserve retention remains at historically high, pre-911 levels, currently 87.4 percent, despite very heavy utilization of our force for Maritime Homeland Security and National Defense missions. The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Reserve, who spends much of his time visiting units and their crews, is convinced that educational benefits are particularly useful in first-term retention of enlisted members.

Like the other reserve components, we are looking forward to seeing the results of the joint Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs working group that is examining the possibility of a “Total Force” education benefit that would combine the best features of existing programs to better serve the men and women of the Coast Guard and the other military services. Clearly, our paramount concern is that there would be no reduction in the quality of service our members receive, particularly ease of access and timely receipt of benefits. Also, we would want to ensure that the data systems are in place at the Department of Veterans Affairs to accommodate any new program.

To conclude, as one of the seven Reserve Components, the Coast Guard Reserve values its longstanding partnership with the Department of Defense components in defending America at home and abroad, and is eager to maintain parity of benefits for the men and women who serve so well, which is why I am happy to join my colleagues before this committee. Thank you once again for the opportunity to testify before you today. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.