National Guard Looks Out for Members’ Benefits During Pandemic
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory
President Donald Trump’s decision to greenlight 31-day orders for Guard personnel combating the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial to getting them benefits on par with their Active-duty counterparts, Maj. Gen. Dawne Deskins, director of manpower and personnel for the National Guard Bureau Joint Staff, said April 16. And while she acknowledged that off-duty Guard personnel whose drilling and pay have been postponed by the pandemic are worried about implications for their Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance and TRICARE Reserve Select health insurance plans, Deskins said their SGLI will be safe, and that NGB has stepped in to prevent them from losing TRS coverage due to COVID-19-related pay interruptions.
