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Being part of the Arizona Army National Guard opens the door to a world-wide support system established for all military service members. Many of these benefits are only available to members of the U.S. armed forces. As part of the Arizona Army National Guard, you qualify for these benefits and much more:
Money
Skills
Money for College
Education
MWR(Moral, Welfare and Recreation)
PX(Post Exchange)
Commissary
Family Support
Legal
Medical & Dental
Space Available Travel
Transient Billeting
Military Recreational Facilities
VA Home Loans
Life Insurance
ESAR(Every Soldier a Recruiter)
GRAP(Guard Recruiting Assistance Program)
Military Clothing Store
Officer/NCO Club
Retention of Commission
Get paid WHILE you train. The Arizona Army National Guard provides you with state-of-the art instruction and skills that you can not get anywhere else. All this as you receive a part-time or full-time paycheck!
The Arizona Army National Guard has some of the best training available anywhere. Not only does the Guard utilize all of the regular Army schools, but many members of the Arizona Army National Guard are professional instructors/leaders in their civilian jobs, giving each Soldier an opportunity to learn from the best. These skills are what employers look for and set you apart from the rest of the workforce. With the Arizona Army National Guard YOU CAN stand out and be the best!
100% Federal Tuition Assistance
The Army National Guard funds up to 100% of tuition costs and fees, not to exceed $250 per semester hour and will be limited to $4500 per person per fiscal year. Consult your local recruiter for the policy for the current fiscal year. Federal Tuition Assistance may be used in addition to the Montgomery G.I. Bill, Army National Guard G.I. Bill Kicker, Active Duty Montgomery G.I. Bill and Pell Grants.
Arizona Education Priority Reimbursement
The State Education Priority Reimbursement equals the amount expended for tuition and fees related to the class, not to exceed $250 per semester hour with an annual cap of $6,500 per state fiscal year (July 1 - June 30).
Montgomery G.I. Bill, Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR)
The Army National Guard offers the Montgomery G.I. Bill, Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR), a tuition assistance program to help with college expenses.
This benefit pays you a stipend, up to $309 a month (for full-time enrollment), while attending college (or other approved technical school). Over a period of 36 months, you can receive up to $11,124. The Montgomery G.I. Bill, Selected Reserve may be used in addition to the 100% Federal Tuition Assistance Program and the Army National Guard G.I. Bill Kicker. Prior service members may also be entitled to the MGIB-SR.
Montgomery G.I. Bill, Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) Kicker
The Army National Guard (MGIB-SR) Kicker pays up to an additional $350 a month while attending college (or other approved technical school). Paid as a stipend, this incentive pays up to $12,600 over a period of 36 months.
Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP)
The Student Loan Repayment Program will pay up to $20,000 to those who have an existing student loan obligation at the time of enlistment in the Army National Guard. In addition, current Army National Guard members who extend their enlistment contract for a minimum period of six years are also eligible for this program if they meet certain requirements.
Members can use the Student Loan Repayment Program, in addition to tuition assistance, the Montgomery G.I. Bill, Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR), and the MGIB-SR Kicker; i.e. get student loans for living expenses, travel expenses, etc. and then have the ARNG pay off these loans through the SLRP. Thus, use all four programs. The SLRP is one of the least used benefits, yet one of the easiest to qualify for and receive.
Healthcare Professional Loan Repayment
Healthcare professionals may be eligible for up to $50,000 in healthcare professional loan repayment. Many specialties are eligible for repayment, including dentists, clinical psychologists, and optometrists. Eligibility requirements for loan repayment vary.
Continuing Medical Education
Healthcare professionals are eligible for one Continuing Medical Education (CME) each year—up to $2,500 (within the continental U.S.).
Free testing & certificates
As a member of the Arizona Army National Guard, you are eligible to pursue college and university independent study courses through Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support (DANTES) at no cost. The following academic testing programs are available through DANTES:
General Educational Development (GED) Testing Service
General Educational Development (GED) Plus Program
American College Testing (ACT®) Assessment® Program
SAT® (formerly Scholastic Assessment Test)
College Level Examination Program® (CLEP®)
DANTES Subject Standardized Test (DSST)
Excelsior College Examinations (ECE)
Graduate Management Admissions Test® (GMAT®)
Graduate Record Examination® (GRE®)
Certification Testing
The PRAXIS Series™ Tests (Teacher Licensing)
Troops-to-Teachers
Spouses-to-Teachers
The Army National Guard Education Support Center
The Education Support Center is a valuable tool for all Guard Soldiers.
Distance education alternatives to classrooms are also available in the Army National Guard.
The center provides automated degree planning, military credit evaluations, and college credit assessments.
Click here to download a PDF of the Army National Guard Benefits Guide.
Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation Program
Army MWR exists because the U.S. Army is committed to the well-being of the community of people who serve and stand ready to defend the nation.
Army MWR is a comprehensive network of support and leisure services designed to enhance the lives of Soldiers (Active, Reserve, and Guard), their families, civilian employees, military retirees and other eligible participants. Over 37,000 MWR employees worldwide strive to deliver the highest quality programs and services at each installation -- from family, child and youth programs to recreation, sports, entertainment, travel and leisure activities.
Their mission is to serve the needs, interests and responsibilities of each individual in the Army community for as long as they are associated with the Army, no matter where they are.
MWR contributes to the Army’s strength and readiness by offering services that reduce stress, build skills and self-confidence and foster strong esprit de corps. MWR is proof of the Army’s commitment to caring for the people who serve and stand ready to defend the nation.
The PX (Post Exchange) is your own on-post superstore. The PX has everything you would find at your local department, drug, and variety retailers. There are several advantages to shopping at the PX. PX’s are only found on military installations and are tax-exempt, meaning all your purchases from laundry soap to big screen TV’s and computers are sales tax-free. Another benefit of shopping at the PX is military exclusives. Many big name manufacturers offer special packages or items exclusively to the military shopping community. The PX is one of the many privileges citizens get to enjoy as Soldiers!
The Commissary is not just another grocery store; it is exclusively for military members and their dependants. The Commissary is found on most military bases, carries all the brands you look for PLUS items typically cost 30%-40% less than off-post grocery stores. Add all that with no sales tax, and you have an outstanding military benefit that can affect your monthly budget in a positive way!
The Arizona Army National Guard knows the important role families play in a Soldier’s life. There are specific departments within the Guard whose sole mission is to take care of a Soldier’s family, such as the Family Resource Center. There are many programs setup to include family members in taking care of a Soldier, but also that will directly benefit members of a Soldier’s family as well. From complete health care and well-being to discounts and tuition assistance, the Soldier’s family becomes part of the Arizona Army National Guard family.
Every Army post has a Legal Assistance Center that provides free walk-in services. The attorneys on staff offer advice on personal legal matters; review legal documents such as contracts and leases; and prepare wills, correspondence and other legal documents. Legal Assistance Centers also operate tax centers, with free income tax preparation and electronic filing for National Guard Soldiers, dependants, and military retirees.
Keeping Soldiers healthy is mission critical and the Arizona Army National Guard has several programs in place to achieve this. Medical and dental care is offered to all Soldiers who drill one weekend a month, two weeks a year. The Guard has setup a program with Tri-West to offer Guard member’s low-cost coverage outside of their normal duty if they are not covered elsewhere. This coverage is available to Guard member’s family as well. There are many opportunities for Arizona Army National Guard Soldiers and their families to receive free health coverage as well through AGR and ADSW programs.
A Retirement Plan You Can Bank On
When you're young, "retirement" sounds like a foreign word. You can't relate to it. It's eons away.
But retirement's not just rocking chairs and knitting any more. These days it means travel, vacations, golf, parties—things we'd do more of now, if we had the time. Many say the golden years are the best days of their life.
To ensure that fabulous lifestyle, along with good health and day-to-day necessities, you need financial security. That's where the Arizona Army National Guard comes in: with a retirement plan that delivers a lucrative return on a simple, worthwhile investment.
The Bottom Line
So what's the plan? It's pretty simple. Assuming you complete a standard part-time term in the Guard, at age 60 you could be eligible to begin receiving monthly checks in the amount of about $1,653, for a total payout thereafter of $287,803.* A "standard part-time term" is serving one weekend per month plus an additional 15 days per year, for 20 years.
If you've had a civilian profession along with your Guard career, you'll still receive those and any other retirement funds you may have coming as well. So you can see how it all adds up.
Your part-time service in the National Guard is like money in the bank.
Fly For Free
As a member of the Army National Guard, you are eligible to travel free on military aircrafts when space is available. You can fly within and between the Continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Traveling anytime soon? Hawaii? A family theme park? As a member of the Arizona Army National Guard you will qualify to use on-post military temporary housing on across the globe! This is a great benefit no matter where you are going. Locations start at as little as $10 per night!
Off the post from coast to coast the Army’s leisure travel program offers MWR customers endless travel and vacation opportunities at competitive prices. Information, Ticketing and Reservation (ITR) offices provide assistance with vacation planning, hotel reservations, and ticket sales for national and regional attractions – theme parks, sporting events, historic/cultural sites, museums, theaters, special events and more.
Tickets to attractions like Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Sea World, Universal Studios or Busch Gardens are just a few of the ways local ticket offices pass savings on to MWR customers. Other discounts are available for hotels and timeshare properties at vacation destinations throughout the U.S. including Branson, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, New York, Orlando, Pigeon Forge, and more!
Army National Guard members may be eligible for a minimum down payment loan, offered by the Veterans Administration, to make buying a home more affordable. VA loans are available for home purchases and refinances. A VA loan eliminates the homebuyer's need to make a down payment and purchase private mortgage insurance for homes up to $359,650. Qualified veterans need to obtain a certificate of eligibility from the VA, or your lender may be able to obtain one for you online. Members with six or more years of Guard service, or those with 90 days of continuous federal active duty service (Title 10), are eligible for the "VA Home Loan Insurance Program".
VA guaranteed loans are made by private lenders, such as banks, savings & loans, or mortgage companies to eligible veterans for the purchase of a home, which must be for their own personal occupancy. To obtain a loan, a veteran must apply to a lender. If the loan is approved, the VA will guarantee a portion of it to the lender. This guaranty protects the lender against loss up to the amount guaranteed and allows a veteran to obtain favorable financing terms.
Life insurance plans are available for Army National Guard members and their families, through inexpensive insurance programs geared towards their needs.
The insurance plan offered to Guard members is the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI), which provides coverage for a Guard member 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It costs approximately $16.25 per month for $250,000 of insurance with smaller amounts of coverage available. Coverage is available through age 60, upon receipt of your first retirement check, or 120 days after a Soldiers ETS.
Family coverage is available through Family Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (FSGLI). This program is available to the spouses and dependent children of members insured under the SGLI program. FSGLI provides up to a maximum of $100,000 of insurance coverage for spouses, not to exceed the SGLI amount of the insured member. It also provides $10,000 for dependent children. Spousal coverage is issued in increments of $10,000. Coverage costs vary among plans.
Every Soldier A Recruiter
Every Soldier a Recruiter (ESAR) is the pilot referral bonus program of the Active, Reserve and National Guard components of the Army that provides select Soldiers and retired members of the U.S. Military the opportunity to assist with recruiting efforts, and rewards those efforts with referral bonuses up to $1,000.
ESAR was established to instill in all Soldiers and leaders that Every Soldier is a Recruiter. ESAR is open to individuals in the ARNG (SELRES), including AGR Soldiers on Active Duty, Military Technicians (MILTECHs) and Active Duty for Special Work (ADSW) personnel. ESAR is also open to Soldiers of the USAR and Active Army and retired members of the U.S. Military.
Guard Recruiting Assistance Program
To maintain today's readiness and strength requirements while preparing for tomorrow's challenges, the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program promotes strength from within by recognizing and rewarding those who help the ARNG achieve its goals.
Guard Recruiting Assistants can earn additional income assisting ARNG recruiting efforts by identifying well-qualified men and women for service in the ARNG. RAs earn $2,000 for each new recruit who enlists and reports to Basic Training or for each prior service member who affiliates with a unit for four months.
Guard Recruiting Assistants are embedded in their respective communities and are uniquely positioned to identify potential Soldiers in the people they already know. It's the effective way to promote strength from within.
Military Clothing and Sales are on-post stores that sell official issue military clothing and gear, service-inspired item such as Army t-shirts, memorabilia, and other unique items. As a member of the Arizona Army National Guard, you will have access to these great stores world-wide.
The Guard trains hard and builds camaraderie even harder. Being part of the Arizona Army National Guard makes you part of an extended family and gives you access to the Officer or NCO clubs world-wide. These are great places to meet with friends locally or me new ones abroad and share your times of service, values, and esprit-de-corps.
For those members who are looking to continue their military service as an Officer or a Warrant Officer, the Arizona Army National Guard allows you to retain your earned Federal commission. This allows you to maintain your rank and retirement goals.
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