National Guard

Military Discounts to Use When Visiting State Parks

01/25/2018 By Veronica Jorden

When most of us think about the great outdoors, we immediately think of camping, hiking, hunting and maybe even whitewater rafting.

One of the best places to do all of these great outdoorsy things is at national parks, but what if you don’t want to trek all the way to a national park? While places like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone are worth the hike, chances are you don’t have to take a road trip to explore all of the wonders that mother nature has to offer.

Your next great camping trip might just be up the road at any one of the more than 10,000 state parks.

Every state in the union, from Florida to Alaska and Maine to Hawaii has their fair share of gorgeous state parks. Encompassing more than 18 million acres, state parks have something to offer everyone. Whether you’re a ski fanatic, a hobby fisherman or just want to find a quiet place to commune with nature, chances there’s a state park that offers the perfect day off.

And many state parks offer military and veteran discounts.

Most state parks offer day and annual passes, as well as licenses for fishing, hunting and boating. Some require special passes depending on the activities you plan on engaging in at the park (i.e., primitive camping or RV stays).

And almost every park we researched offered a free annual pass for wounded warrior residents of the state, though the percentage of disability required for the annual pass varied by state.

Military Discounts to Use When Visiting State Parks

Did you know that West Virginia state parks offer a 10% military discount? Plan your next hiking adventure at Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia.

For the rest of us, active duty and veterans, the military discounts vary by state and often are offered at each individual park and for limited time periods or only to residents of that state. When in doubt, contact the individual park.

Here are 4 states we found that offer discounts at their state parks:

Georgia State Parks

Georgia offers dozens of state parks, including Fort Yargo, with its 260-acre lake, multiple RV sites and even lakefront yurts for a little weekend glamping. Active duty and retired military — who are Georgia residents — are entitled to a 25% discount on the daily or annual parks pass. A current military or retiree ID must be shown at time of purchase.

Florida State Parks

With over 150 state parks to choose from, if you crave the sun, you’ll find it here. Florida’s state parks include miles of beaches and all kinds of interesting trails including the Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad trail, with options for hiking, biking and even horseback riding. Active duty military, National Guard and reservists and retirees can received a 25% discount on all Florida state park entrance fees.

However the passes cannot be purchased online.

Maryland State Parks

Maryland culture has long revolved around the water. Dozens of Maryland state parks offer the chance to experience a landscape rich with marine wildlife and ocean views, including Janes Island State Park where visitors can fish and crab to their heart’s content. With a valid military ID all Maryland state park daily fees are waived. Find out more about this park and many others at Maryland.gov.

West Virginia State Parks

With over 50 state parks, West Virginia is a camping and hunting enthusiast paradise. Included in its many offerings is Seneca State Forest, home to rivers, lakes, miles of trails and its famous 65-foot fire tower that offers an incredible bird’s-eye view of the lush forest and woodland.

Best of all, all West Virginia state parks and services offer active duty and veteran personnel a 10% discount.

Looking for another state or a specific state park? Find links to it all by visiting www.stateparks.org.

Have you sign up for Military Shoppers Travel and Rewards community? It’s a free way to save money on your next family vacation.

Should Service Members Be Required to Buy into Their Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefit?

06/19/2017 By Kimber Green

House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Phil Roe, R-Tenn., introduced the idea of changing the GI Bill to have service members buy into the benefit. This quickly became a debated topic with strong opinions on both sides.

Later, a meeting was scheduled to hear points from multiple interested parties, but that was quickly called off as well. Finally, last month 35 veterans groups were able to peacefully discuss changes to the GI Bill.

At the conclusion of that meeting, the groups were able to agree on 4 key changes to the GI Bill but could not agree on how to fund them.

Currently, the Post-9/11 GI Bill is a free benefit to service members that meet certain criteria. There is no fee to participate in the program. The GI Bill is estimated to cost the government about $100 billion over the next 10 years.

Should Service Members Be Required to Buy into Their Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefit?

New service members may be required to pay into the GI Bill if proposed changes occur. Four changes are being considered, but funding for them may come from service members directly.

The idea introduced is that new service members would have to buy into the GI Bill benefit if they wanted to have access to it. This fee would only apply to service members that enter the military after a set point, not current or former service members.

The GI Bill tax is proposed to be $100 a month for the first 2 years of service. While that might not sound like a lot of money to those in Washington, it is substantial to lower enlisted men and women. Once the $2,400 has been paid over that period of time, service members would be eligible to use the GI Bill. The government estimates that this buy-in fee would bring in $3.1 billion over 10 years.

The money taken in from this GI Bill tax would be used to finance adding other groups of service members and their families that do not, under the current GI Bill, qualify for the program. Adding these groups to the GI Bill benefit is what all parties can agree on, but funding it through this tax is not.

As it stands, the groups agreed on 4 changes to the GI Bill.

The first is permitting National Guard and Reservists who deployed under Title 10, Section 12304b and should of qualified for benefits, but didn’t, to be eligible for the GI Bill. Roughly 4,700 service members fall under this category.

The second thing they agreed on is to broaden the eligibility for the Yellow Ribbon Program to include surviving spouses as well as children of service members that were killed while serving their county. The Yellow Ribbon Program provides extra money to put toward education, which allows recipients to attend schools or take classes that would otherwise cost more than the GI Bill would cover.

The third thing all parties could agree on was to give full GI Bill benefits to every Purple Heart recipient. Sadly, every Purple Heart recipient does not currently qualify for these benefits. As it stands, the service member must be medically retired from the military if they don’t have 36 months of active duty. There are about 1,500 Purple Heart recipients who do not meet these qualifications.

Finally, those at the meeting agreed that there should be assistance for students when a school they are attending closes. Under the current GI Bill, if a school closes its doors before you graduate, you simply lose the money that the GI Bill benefit paid to the school. You don’t get to start over at a new school with new money.

Thousands of veterans were hit hard when ITT Tech closed last year. They weren’t able to recoup any of the money or even transfer credits.

These 4 changes to the GI Bill are great improvements. The only problem is how to fund them. The VFW strongly disagrees with charging service members for the GI Bill but other groups, particularly the Student Veterans of America, are for it.

What do you think of this proposal to have service members buy into their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits?

Military Discounts for When Your Service Member Is Deployed

11/28/2016 By Kimber Green

Have you looked into military discounts and freebies for deployment items? I love free and discounted things. As yet another deployment looms shortly ahead for my service member, I, at least, have some of these military discounts to look forward to.

Here is a list of 11 military discounts and freebies you should consider while your spouse is deployed.

Create a Free Welcome Home Sign with Build a Sign

Build a Sign offers the option of 1 free welcome home vinyl banner, jumbo card or yard sign to present to your loved one at the end of their deployment. You only have to pay for shipping.

They suggest ordering 8 weeks before you need it, but you can choose a quicker shipping option. Expedited shipping costs more.

Free Lawn Care and Snow Removal for Military Spouses

Project EverGreen offers free lawn and landscape services and snow and ice removal for military spouses while their service member is on deployment.

I signed up for this service when my husband deployed after moving to an area where it snows. Being from the South, I’ve never shoveled snow. I was relieved to find local people and lawn care companies registered with the EverGreen Project to help me while my service member was on deployment.

Smile for a Free Family Portrait with HeartsApart

HeartsApart.org brings photographers from around the country together to provide service members with photography sessions, free of charge, with their families prior to deployment. The service member receives a portrait that is printed on a waterproof bi-folded card that can fit in his or her uniform pocket. Their family receives a DVD with the photos from the entire session with reproduction rights.

The program has recently increased to provide photos of newborn babies that are born when their father is on deployment.

Operation Love Reunited Captures Your Homecoming Kiss

Operation Love Reunited offers free photo sessions for military families worldwide when the service member will be on deployment for 4 months or more. Options include pre-deployment and mid-deployment sessions, homecoming photos and fallen loved ones sessions.

Two photo sessions are allowed per deployment. Pre-deployment photo sessions require the service member to be photographed in uniform. Fifteen prints will be shipped directly overseas.

Homecoming photos are taken at the time the military spouse and service member are reunited to capture the raw emotion of being reunited. Fifteen photos will be provided digitally.

Daddy Dolls Offers Comfort to Military Children During Deployments

Daddy Dolls started as comfort pillows for children with fathers on deployment. The front of the pillow is a picture of the service member. What makes Daddy Dolls unique is that the pillow is shaped like a person and the photo is full size to the pillow.

Many of my friends had them for their children and recommended Daddy Dolls to me. I bought one for our son during the last deployment and he has carried it all over town with him.

While there isn’t a specific military discount for these now, you can find discount codes online. They have also expanded their product selection and now offer items with similar sentiment.

Record a Bedtime Story with A Story Before Bed

A Story Before Bed is a wonderful website that allows deployed, or soon to be deployed, service members record a children’s book online with audio and video for free. A wonderful element to this is children can listen to the recording repeatedly on iPad, iPhone, Mac or PC.

Our Military Kids Pays Activity Costs for National Guard Children

This is a nonprofit organization that helps children between kindergarten and 12th grade that have at least one parent in the National Guard and Reserves on deployment. They offer grants to cover the cost of activities that could help children facing stress while their parent is away. The grants cover the cost of athletic fees, fine arts and tutoring programs. It is not available to children of active-duty parents.

Ask for a Military Discount on Your Auto Insurance

Active-duty service members can receive military discounts on auto insurance during deployment. USAA offers up to 60 percent off auto insurance if you choose to store your vehicle during deployment.

GEICO offers up to 15 percent military discount. Check with your insurance carrier to see if it offers a military discount during your service member’s deployment.

Interest Rates May Be Lowered to 6 Percent

Under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, you can request all interest rates and fees that you have paid on credit cards, mortgages, student loans and other loans be lowered to 6 percent per year.

Freeze Your Service Member’s Cell Phone Account

Many cell phone companies will lover your bill or even freeze your account for the period that a service member is deployed and not using the phone. Under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, those with at least 90-day orders to an area that does not have cell phone service can cancel their contract without penalty.

Ask Your Bank to Waive Fees

Many banks will lower or even completely waive fees while on deployment. USAA does not charge fees on credit card balance transfers or on convenience checks. Check with your bank to see if they will lower the APR on transactions.

Did we miss any military discounts on deployment items? Please tell us in the comments section.

On-Site Sales Available to National Guard, Reserve

11/18/2016 By Meg Flanagan

The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) recently announced that commissaries around the world are offering special benefits for National Guard and Reserve troops. These service members and their families, can take advantage of on-site and online sales through the holiday season. Sites run coast to coast within the United States, with 1 overseas location in Camp Fuji, Japan.

Essentially, this sales program for National Guard and Reserve is like a case lot sale.

Locations that don’t have a commissary will have special short-term sales. These sales will run through both Thanksgiving and the December holidays. While the items at each location may vary, families will be sure to find pantry and holiday favorites. Some of the featured items include: ham, canned fruits and veggies, turkey and snack items.

All eligible commissary beneficiaries can take advantage of this opportunity to stock up on pantry staples and special holiday foods!

However, this program is only being offered at specific locations and on a set number of dates. For information about each site, check out that commissary’s website or contact them via email or phone.

Pre-plan, Pre-order and Pre-pay for Your Holiday Meals

Some of these special sales are offering online pre-orders! That means your family can pick out your grocery items in advance, guaranteeing you that special treat you crave. You will pay for your groceries with a credit card when you place your order.

This online service has the potential to help military families with their holiday budgets. By pre-ordering and pre-paying for your holiday feast, you can get your budget ready for the holiday expenses early. Plus, you won’t be shocked by the cost of your feast!

Take Advantage of Your Commissary Benefits

For most active duty troops, using the commissary benefit is as easy as pie. With the local commissary minutes away from where you work, active duty families can snag cheaper groceries on a regular basis.

For National Guard or Reserve families, it can be harder to access this benefit. There are Guard and Reserve troops in every city and town nationwide. A fully functional base may be hours away!

When going to the grocery store is a full-day event, families might not use the commissary often. By bringing the commissary closer to home, National Guard and Reserve families can exercise their benefits more easily.

This can help trim the bottom line during the holidays too. The cost differences between shopping “out in town” at the local markets and the commissary can be as high as 40 percent! Those precious dollars could mean a huge budget difference for many military families.

On-Site Sales Aren’t Only for Guard and Reserve

Any authorized beneficiary can take advantage of this great offer! From active duty to retired, if you can shop at a commissary you can go to these on-site sales. This will help active duty service members at recruiting stations or located away from a major installation.

Retirees will also be able to come out and purchase their holiday feasts closer to their location.

DeCA May Gain New Customers

By bringing the commissary closer to Guard and Reserve service members, DeCA is spreading some holiday cheer and goodwill.

This shows a real effort by the agency to help all beneficiaries, in all locations.

Reduced hours and required furloughs have been hard for the last few years. For some families, that might have been a turn-off to shopping there.

This program will help to show a friendlier side to the commissary. With special events closer to home, more Guard and Reserve families are likely to shop there. These on-site sales extend the commissary benefits to more families and creates a positive feeling about DeCA with them.

What do you think of this pre-order, pre-pay program for National Guard and Reserve?

Repay Your Enlistment Bonus? No Way!

11/11/2016 By Michelle Volkmann

Enlistment bonuses are the pot of gold in military life. Not everyone gets them. If your solider is offered one, count yourself lucky and take it. Don’t ask any questions. Just take that money and use it to pay off your debts or buy a house.

That’s the opinion among many service members when it comes to an enlistment bonus. It’s free money. Take it or leave it. But it would be smarter to take the enlistment bonus.

Enlistment bonuses are the pot of gold. You are lucky if you find one.

That’s why when the Los Angeles Times reported that nearly 10,000 soldiers with the California Guard were ordered to repay their enlistment bonuses, many like myself were thinking “repay? no way.”

Here’s what happened.

During the no-end-in-sight wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in the mid-2000s, the Defense Department struggled to retain service members and meet recruiting numbers. To combat this shortfall, cash incentives, similar to a sign-on bonus in the civilian sector, were given to service members.

But not every service member. Only soldiers with certain assignments – for example, intelligence, civil affairs and some noncommissioned officer posts – were supposed to get bonuses, according to the Los Angeles Times’ article.

But an investigation, which was triggered by a whistleblower, found that California Guard officials mismanaged their enlistment bonus funds. They gave enlistment bonuses to soldiers who didn’t qualify for them.

This investigation lead to an audit of the enlistment bonuses given to California Guard soldiers. This audit lead to nearly 10,000 soldiers being notified that they needed to pay back their bonuses. They didn’t have a choice. They were ordered to pay back this money.

It wasn’t their fault that this money was mismanaged. They didn’t do anything wrong. Yet, they were ordered to pay back their enlistment bonuses.

Many did. They refinanced their homes or took a second job so that they could pay back the thousands that they now owed the federal government.

Many tried to fight the order to repay. They filed appeals and got nowhere until the Los Angeles Times’ article went viral.

Only then did something happened for these veterans.

Rep. Duncan Hunter called the repayment demand a “boneheaded” move. President Obama ordered the Defense Department to “speed up a review of its attempt to recoup enlistment bonuses from National Guard members and to ensure that the Pentagon doesn’t ‘nickel and dime‘ them,” according to the Washington Times.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the Pentagon to halt its attempts to reclaim these enlistment bonus. He also promised to resolve all the cases by July 1, 2017.

“While some soldiers knew or should have known they were ineligible for benefits they were claiming, many others did not,” Carter said in a statement.

What happens next?

More investigating.

More number-crunching.

More hand-wringing.

Do I believe that thousands of soldiers will be allowed to keep their enlistment bonuses that on paper they didn’t earn because of the fraudulent actions of a few?

Honestly I don’t.

Enlistment bonuses are the pot of gold. You are lucky if you find one.

What happens if you stumble upon one by mistake?

You don’t get to keep it.

Now it’s your turn: What do you think of this enlistment bonus scandal and repayment order to thousands of California Guard soldiers?

First of Its Kind Military Family Support Center Opens in Georgia

06/06/2016 By Kimber Green

It has been two and a half years in the making, but the Military Family Support Center in Cobb County, Ga., opened its doors last month.

This is the first public-private partnership like this in the United States. It is a combined effort created with the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce, the Defense Commissary Agency, the Georgia Department of Defense and Dobbins Air Reserve Base and its joint partners to bring commissary benefits to military families.

There are more than 50,000 veterans living in Cobb County. The Military Family Support Center will provide retired veterans, active duty and their families access to a military benefit that many who live close to a commissary take for granted.

Though this Military Family Support Center is not a commissary – it will act as a pop-up commissary.

Its doors will open 3 days a month providing roughly 1,000 items such as: fresh meat, fresh produce, chilled and frozen items along with dry goods.

There is a large population of National Guard and Reserve members for which this Military Family Support Center was designed for, but anyone who has commissary privileges may shop at there as long as they show a military ID card.

It is a long drive to the nearest commissary, so bringing a similar commissary benefit close to home for so many people is a welcome sight. The Military Family Support Center is located just outside of Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Ga.

The commissary offers items at cost plus 5 percent, which can save a family on average 30 percent or more over shopping at a civilian grocery store.

For those living in Cobb County however, it isn’t convenient to make a full day trip to a commissary. The closest commissary is at Fort Benning, which is 130 miles from Marietta.

Though the Military Family Support Center will only be open 3 days a month, it is a benefit many will welcome.

This is the first Military Family Support Center served by the Defense Commissary Agency. The land it sits on is leased by the Cobb Chamber and its partners and the Guard/Reserve on-site sales are run by the commissary.

The groups have come together to bring back the commissary benefit to the greater Atlanta area. Fort Gillem and Fort McPherson did at one time have full commissaries, but both posts were closed as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.

The Military Family Support Center will offer more than just great grocery savings one weekend a month. There will also be other services available at that time. While these services may change, the Military Support Center has scheduled things such as the WellStar physicians and their medical professionals to come out and perform health screenings and offer consultations. The Georgia Department of Driver Services will be available in their mobile unit for any Georgia license holders that need to renew or replace their ID. The Georgia Veterans Administration is also expected to be available to answer general VA questions. More services may be available in the future as well.

If you are in the area, mark your calendars for the following dates the Military Family Support Center will have on-site sales:

June 16-18
July 14-16
August 18-20
September 15-17
October 20-22
November 17-19
December 15-17

This off-base commissary’s operating hours are Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. once a month.

What do you think of this idea of a military family support center or pop-up commissary? Do you think DeCA should open similar centers in other parts of the United States?

Guard, Reservists Can Shop at Commissary On-Site Sales This Summer

06/15/2015 By Michelle Volkmann

One of the challenges of National Guard life is not living near a military commissary.

Since November 2003, members of the Guard and Reserve–including the Ready Reserve, Selected Reserve, Individual Ready Reserve, Inactive National Guard, Guard and Reserve retirees and their authorized family members–have had unlimited access to commissaries.

But just because they have the access, doesn’t mean they are always able to use it. Some Guard and Reserve families are not able to use this benefit because of the location of commissaries in relation to where they live.

That’s why DeCA created the Guard/Reserve On-site Sales Program. The Guard/Reserve On-site Sales Program provides the commissary benefit to National Guard and Reserve members and their families that live in areas that are not close to an existing commissary store.

We bring the benefit directly to you at these sales which provide patrons savings of 30% or more; the same as active duty military and their families who shop the commissaries on a regular basis.

—Commissaries.com

How does it work?

National Guard or Reserve units with at least 150 members stationed in an area can have a on-site sale, if the host commissary agrees. The host commissary selects the items for the sale. In some cases, patrons may pre-order products and then pay for those items at the on-site sale.

How can my unit get an on-site sale?

Contact your unit representative. This person can request the on-site sale through the nearest commissary. In the past, the commissary has brought the items to a warehouse for sale on a weekend.

Here is the 2015 schedule for on-site sales:

June 19-20

205th Engineer Batallion

1025th Eng CO Vertical

1320 N. Columbia St

Covington, LA 70433

June 26-27

HQ 1015 Maintenance Co

5015 N 34th St, Bldg 900

Forest Park, GA 30297-5122

1072nd Transportation PLS

Hammer Field Armory

5575 E. Airways Blvd

Fresno, CA 93727

July 9-11

482nd Fighter Wing

Homestead ARB, Bldg 920

Homestead, FL 33030

July 12-13

222nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Battalion

1065 N Airport Lane

Cedar City, UT 84721-8410

Sept. 11-12

308th Medical Logistics Co

3323 Deseret Drive

St George, UT 84790

These commissary on-site sales are not only for Guard and Reserve members. Any authorized shopper can buy items at an on-site sale.

For more information about the Guard/Reserve On-site Sales Program visit commissaries.com. Check it often because additional sale dates are regularly added to the schedule.

No Longer Active: 5 Tips for the Transition from Active Duty to National Guard Family

05/15/2015 By Julie Provost

It’s been almost a year since my husband ended his time as an active duty soldier. The very next day he joined the National Guard. Going to the Guard wasn’t an easy decision to make but it is what we felt was best at the time.

Since we did not move away from the Army post we had been living at, we have not experienced some of the things others do such as not having a supportive military community nearby. We still shop at the commissary, attend military family events and I have a lot of military spouse friends in the area.

The last year has been a bit difficult as we get used to our new role in the U.S. military. Being a part of the National Guard has a few things in common with being active duty but there are also a lot of differences and the transition can be a bit overwhelming.

5 Tips for the Transition from Active Duty to National Guard

When transitioning from active duty to the National Guard, you need to know how your new insurance works and which doctors take the new insurance.

Here are 5 tips for a better transition based on my own experiences with my husband:

1. Save money. You are going to need extra money during this time. You might need the money to move but you also will need it to fill in any pay gaps. If your service member is going to take time off between the Army and his civilian job, you need to prepare for that. You do have to wait a little longer than normal for their last active duty paycheck. Keep that in mind as you are making plans. You don’t want to get yourselves in a difficult situation because of lack of funds.

2. Learn about insurance. One of the hardest parts of the transition was changing our insurance. If you decide to buy your insurance through the Guard, which will be about $200 a month for a family, you will also have to pay more at appointments. If you were on Tricare Prime, this will be a shock. After years of not having to pay anything when I took my kids to the doctor, I got a bill. That was hard to get used to. You need to know how your new insurance works and which doctors take the new insurance. My doctor does not take Tricare Reserve Select so I had to find a new doctor.

3. Have a plan A, plan B and a plan C. Sometimes your plans won’t work out. You need to have backup plans. You might think a certain job is going to be right for your family and then you realize that the job really isn’t. Finding your new normal can be a bit difficult. Your spouse might have trouble adjusting to a different type of job. Give yourself some time to work things out. It takes a while to get into a new groove.

Reach out to other National Guard spouses during the transition.

4. Connect with others. Finding other Guard spouses to talk to was very helpful. I had a few questions that I knew they would know the answers to. If you really don’t know anyone else in the Guard you can always look for an online group. Finding these people can be a great way to make some new friends for your new stage of life.

5. Except a change of identity. Sometimes it won’t even feel like you are a military family anymore. This can be hard since that used to be such a big part of your life. He will live a civilian life when he does not have his Guard duties. Then, he will put on his uniform to get ready to go to drill and you will be reminded that he is very much a part of the military. It is a strange feeling after active duty life.