National Guard and Reserve: What Service Counts for VA Benefits
Drill weekends and one deployment can qualify you for some VA benefits. Which ones depends on the kind of orders you were on.
What it is
Guard and Reserve members can earn VA benefits, but not always the same ones as a veteran with full-time active duty. Each benefit has its own service test. VA has one page that shows the benefits by category of service.
How VA sorts Guard and Reserve service
On its Guard and Reserve page, VA says National Guard members performing active service paid by the Federal government "may qualify for many VA benefits," and that this "could be active duty under Title 10 or full-time National Guard duty under Title 32," including full-time Active Guard Reserve duty. For traditional service (one weekend a month and two weeks a year), VA says you "may be eligible for some VA benefits," and that more eligibility for education, insurance and home loans comes with Title 10 or Title 32 service. VA's page names the benefit groups for each category (education, home loans, disability compensation, pension) but this page does not copy that table. Check your own category on VA's page.
Disability compensation
VA says you must have served on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training. The law (38 U.S.C. 101) defines it this way:
- Active duty for training (for example, your two weeks a year and initial training): a disability from a disease or injury counts.
- Inactive duty training (drill weekends): the law lists injuries, and certain heart attack and stroke events.
The same law (38 U.S.C. 101(22) and (23)) counts National Guard full-time duty under certain sections of title 32 as active duty for training, and National Guard duty under certain title 32 sections as inactive duty training. VA's regulation, 38 CFR 3.6, says the same. This page did not read which title 32 sections those are; ask an accredited representative to check your orders against them. You still have to show the condition is linked to that service.
VA home loan
National Guard: at least 90 days of non-training active-duty Title 10 service; or at least 90 days of active duty including 30 consecutive days (VA says your DD214 must show a National Guard activation under 32 U.S.C. section 316, 502, 503, 504, or 505); or 6 creditable years in the Guard while still serving; or 6 creditable years and discharged honorably or placed on the retired list.
Reserve: at least 90 days of non-training active-duty service; or 6 creditable years in the Selected Reserve while still serving; or 6 years and discharged honorably or on the retired list.
The Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is the proof. VA says nearly 90 percent of VA-backed loans are made with no down payment.
VA home loan service tests
GI Bill education benefits
- Post-9/11 GI Bill: at least 90 days on active duty (all at once or with breaks) on or after 11 September 2001; or 30 continuous days and an honorable discharge with a service-connected disability; or a Purple Heart on or after 11 September 2001 with an honorable discharge. VA lists some periods as "non-qualifying." Two of them involve Guard Title 32 orders: VA does not count (1) a call to full-time service by the President in response to a national emergency, supported by federal funds, that was not under section 502(f) of title 32, and (2) full-time National Guard service for a purpose other than to organize, administer, recruit, instruct, or train under section 502(f) of title 32. VA also does not count initial training under 10 U.S.C. 12103(d) when you enlisted. Read the full list on VA's page against your orders.
- Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606): a 6-year service obligation in the Selected Reserve, plus finishing initial active duty for training and staying in good standing.
Traps to avoid
- Drill weekends alone often do not meet the 90-day tests. Add up any Title 10 orders, such as a deployment.
- Your DD214 or orders must show the type of service. For the National Guard home loan 30-day test, VA says the DD214 must show a 32 U.S.C. 316, 502, 503, 504, or 505 activation. Ask your unit for copies before you leave.
- Do not assume a "no." A different benefit may use a different test. Check each one.
Free help
Find an accredited representative (free if it is a Veterans Service Organization representative).
Where to call and where to go
Phone
- VA benefits hotline, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET: 1-800-827-1000 (TTY: 711). Source: VA regional benefit office page and va.gov/contact-us
- VA GI Bill hotline, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central, Monday to Friday: 888-442-4551. Source: VA GI Bill contact page
- VA home loan help line, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET: 877-827-3702. Source: VA Home Loans contact page
- Veterans Crisis Line, 24/7: 988, then select 1. Source: Helpful VA phone numbers
Official pages