I was called to active duty with my National Guard unit following 9/11 and served approximately one year.  I'm noting that in the popular calculations for the sliding scale benefit on other sites National Guardsmen who were deployed are not listed as being eligible to receive the housing portion of the benefit.  Could you clear up the confusion? Are servicemembers who were deployed from the Reserves/National Guard eligible for the housing benefit?

-- Robert Lovely

The legislation mandates that troops must serve at least 90 days on active-duty for partial benefits, but it makes no distinction between full-time servicemembers and those only temporarily called up to active duty. So Guardsmen and reservists can receive the housing allowance (or whatever portion they are eligible for), but with the same restrictions that are on active-duty folks:

-- They must no longer be on active-duty or receiving any BAH;

-- They must be attending school full-time.

According to the VA, the idea behind those restrictions is to make sure recipients aren't double-dipping. If they're on active duty, they already receive a living allowance. If they're going to school part-time, they likely have a job or other source of income, and don't need the extra funds.

The same goes for the $1,000 books and supplies stipend -- qualified Guardsmen and reservists can receive them.