Published July 2004 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd Equal Benefits for the Guard and Reserve
The country's National Guard and Reserves have become more than a source of manpower during times of crisis. Members of the reserve components have become an indispensable tool to carry out military operations overseas and homeland security missions at home. They deserve the same benefits that are provided to all members of the military. The men and women of the National Guard and Reserves place their lives on the line just like the men and women of the Active Duty forces. Bullets and bombs make no distinction. Yet, for too long, the military health care system has made a distinction. The National Guard and Reserves were not given access to the same health care as the regular military. That is why I am working with a bipartisan group of Senators to help America's citizen-soldiers receive better health care benefits. As the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, I helped to shepherd legislation through the Senate to fund Guard and Reserve health benefits, including a temporary expansion of the TRICARE military health care program to members of the Guard and Reserves -- regardless of their activation status. This is the first time that the Senate has appropriated funds to provide TRICARE for Guardsmen and Reservists, even when they are not serving on active duty, and, frankly, it is a step that is long overdue. This should not be a question of if we should provide this benefit. These men and women have earned it. The burdens being placed on our Guardsmen and Reservists and their families are heavy, particularly today with extended tours of duty for hundreds of thousands of citizen-soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other military operations around the world. Those burdens should not include trying to figure out how to pay for health care. Under the legislation I supported, members of the National Guard and Reserves are eligible to enroll in TRICARE for a modest annual premium regardless of their deployment status. Premiums are about $530 per year for individual coverage and $1,860 per year for families. It is expected that the benefit will help to improve the quality of life for more than 300,000 Guard members, Reservists, and their family members. More information about TRICARE is available by writing to the TRICARE Management Activity, 1640 I E. Centretech Pkwy., Aurora, CO 80011-9043. Additional material is available from the TRICARE Internet site (www.tricare.osd.mil). July 21, 2004