KINGSTON - U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer says troops in the military reserves and National Guard are no longer part-time soldiers and deserve the same compensation as active-duty forces.
Schumer, D-N.Y, told a crowd of about a dozen people, including reporters, at American Legion Post 150 in Kingston on Monday that he will introduce a bill after the Senate returns to session next week to bring benefits for troops in the reserves and National Guard in line with those of active-duty soldiers.
Schumer said the roles of these groups have changed and that they are shouldering much of the burden in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 500,000 Guard members and reservists have served in active duty since Sept. 11, 2001, and about 88,500 are currently deployed, he said.
"They got shot with the same bullets that the enemy shoots," Schumer said. "Yet when they come back home, the benefits are totally different."
For instance, Schumer said a reserve soldier attending school receives a stipend of only $297 per month, while an active duty soldier receives $1,097. Also, he said, 18 percent of disability claims filed by Guard members and reservists are denied compared to only 8 percent filed by active-duty soldiers. These discrepancies aren't a conscious effort to slight reservists, but an indication that the job of a National Guard members or reservist has changed, the senator said.
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