Bootcamp · National Guard
Army or Air National Guard. Name the statute before you enroll.
Title 32, Title 10, or State Active Duty. Traditional drill buys TRS. Dual-status technicians sit on FEHB. State school money is not Chapter 1606. The COE has a Guard-only Title 32 path.
Federal Reserve is the other card. AGR / FTNGD do not buy TRS. State Active Duty is not TRICARE.
Still needed
Next official doors.
Check them off after you enroll on .gov / .mil. Ask TOP if the portal fights you.
DEERS and a working Login.gov
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Name the statute on the orders: Title 10, Title 32, or State Active Duty
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Dual-status technician: FEHB, not TRS
Do now
Keys
Do nowDEERS and a working Login.gov
BWE will not sell TRS to a dirty roster. Login.gov still works at the kitchen table when the CAC reader does not.
Keys
Do nowGap recutName the statute on the orders: Title 10, Title 32, or State Active Duty
Recut from TRICARE.mil and VA.gov: Title 10 is federalized. Title 32 is state control with federal pay. State Active Duty is usually state pay — not TRICARE, not a VA day, not myPay. The line on the order wins, not the Facebook group.
Healthcare
Do nowGap recutDual-status technician: FEHB, not TRS
Recut from TRICARE.mil: if you are eligible for or enrolled in FEHB, you do not qualify for TRS. That lockout is written through 1 January 2030. Do not tap FEHB in BWE if you are not a fed — it will lock the form. Technician benefits live on OPM / the Army Benefit Center, not milConnect.
Healthcare
Do nowTraditional Guard: buy TRICARE Reserve Select
Army National Guard and Air National Guard are Selected Reserve. Not automatic. milConnect → Benefits → BWE. 2026 published premium: $57.88 member / $286.66 family. Open Season is Prime/Select, not TRS. Skip this if you are AGR, FTNGD, or FEHB-eligible.
Healthcare
ClockGap recutOrders over 30 days are a different TRICARE door
Recut from TRICARE.mil: drill, AT, and orders of 30 days or less stay inactive — TRS if you bought it, plus line-of-duty care. More than 30 days of Title 10 or qualifying Title 32: personnel posts DEERS, you sit on active-duty TRICARE from day one. Deactivating is a 90-day qualifying life event. SAD usually never opens this door.
Healthcare
This monthGap recutLine of duty care on drill, AT, and Title 32
Recut from TRICARE.mil LOD: injury, illness, or disease incurred or aggravated on orders of 30 days or less — including travel to and from duty. Family does not get LOD. An approved LOD / Notice of Eligibility is how follow-on care is paid after the orders end. SAD injury is usually a state workers-comp question, not TRICARE.
Healthcare
This monthBuy TDP. TRS did not enroll your teeth.
United Concordia / TRICARE Dental Program. Separate portal, separate LES line. FEDVIP dental is the retiree product. AGR / FTNGD sponsors use the clinic / ADDP instead.
Healthcare
When you need itFEDVIP vision on BENEFEDS
Own open season. Not milConnect. Guard on TRS: vision yes, FEDVIP dental usually no.
Keys
Do nowGap recutPull the NGB-23 / RPAM — that is the points authority
Recut from public Guard records practice: NGB-23 is the Retirement Points Accounting Management statement. Army: IPPS-A. State RPAM still exists in some shops. Forty-nine is a fail. NPRC does not hold records of members still in the Guard.
Finance
Do nowAudit the 50-point year
Anniversary year, not 1 January. 15 membership + drill + AT. The NGB-23 / IPPS-A inquiry is the authority, not a spreadsheet.
Education
Do nowGap recutState Guard education office — tuition waiver is not FTA
Recut from National Guard Bureau education pages: federal tuition assistance is ArmyIgnitED (ARNG) or the Air Force TA door (ANG). State tuition waivers are a different pot, run by your state’s National Guard education office. Type the state plus nationalguard.mil. Confirm it is .mil. ARNG Education Support Center: 1-866-276-4338.
Education
This monthGap recutFederal TA vs Chapter 1606 vs the state waiver
Three pots. Do not burn Post-9/11 or 1606 on a class the state waiver or FTA would have paid. ArmyIgnitED first-time users still take the training. Air National Guard uses the Air Force TA portal, not ArmyIgnitED.
Education
This monthGap recutMontgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606)
Get the Notice of Basic Eligibility (DD 2384-1) from the unit, then file 22-1990. Six-year obligation, IADT complete, good standing. Recut from VA.gov. Not the same pot as Post-9/11 or the state waiver.
Education
When you need itGap recutPost-9/11 (Chapter 33) only if the orders actually qualify
Drill does not earn Chapter 33. Qualifying Title 10 days do. Limited Title 32 502(f) windows under a national emergency can count — confirm on VA.gov, not a group chat. Run the Comparison Tool before you spend either pot.
Housing
This monthGap recutVA home loan COE — Guard has a Title 32 path Reserve does not
Recut from VA.gov (last updated 12 Jun 2025): Guard qualifies with 90 days of non-training Title 10, or 90 days including 30 consecutive under 32 USC 316, 502, 503, 504, or 505, or six creditable years. SAD does not count. The COE application is the test.
Finance
This monthGap recutUSERRA for the civilian job
DOL VETS administers USERRA. It covers drill, AT, Title 10, and Title 32. State Active Duty coverage depends — confirm on DOL.gov and your state ESGR. ESGR mediates for free. They do not enforce the law.
Insurance
Do nowSGLI + FSGLI
Amount and beneficiary in milConnect. Spouse coverage is not max by default. SAD does not keep SGLI by itself.
Finance
Do nowGap recutmyPay for federal pay — SAD is often a state check
Title 10 and Title 32 federal pay: myPay. Direct deposit, W-4, SGLI premium, TSP. State Active Duty is usually the state comptroller. Do not wait for a DFAS LES that will never print.
Finance
This monthTSP on drill pay
BRS matching is not automatic if you never contribute. Even a small percent is an election on TSP.gov. Technician FERS/TSP is a different civilian account.
Finance
When you need itMilitary OneSource counseling
Free financial counseling, tax, the rest of the stack. 800-342-9647. Eligible Guard and family. Type the .mil URL yourself.
Healthcare
This monthGap recutTRICARE Pharmacy after you buy TRS
TRS did not create the Express Scripts account. Recut from TRICARE.mil Rx. Home delivery is usually cheaper than retail.
Housing
When you need itGap recutMilitary Child Care / fee assistance
Selected Reserve families can request care. Fee assistance is a separate path when the installation waitlist is full. Recut from Military OneSource.
Healthcare
When you need itGap recutVA health if you have qualifying active service
Drilling does not block 10-10EZ. Qualifying Title 10, certain Title 32, a service-connected claim, or other VA gates can open the clinic while you still drill. SAD does not. Recut from VA.gov.
Housing
When you need itGap recutYour state’s veteran / Guard benefits are a different stack
License plates, tuition, property tax, emergency relief. The state DVA page is not the TAG education office. Confirm both. I recut the doors, not the statutes.
Insurance
When you need itGap recutRC-SBP is a 90-day clock from the 20-year letter
The Notification of Eligibility is not a souvenir. Recut from DFAS: 90 days to elect on DD 2656-5. Do nothing with a spouse or child and Option C is automatic.
Education
When you need itGap recutFAFSA is a different pot from FTA, 1606, and the state waiver
studentaid.gov. Grants and loans do not spend GI Bill. File it even if you think the state waiver will cover the class.
Ask TOP
Point me at the enrollment door.
Say the product. I’ll match the recut walkthrough and the official site. Always enroll on .gov / .mil.
Prefer the full finder? Open Ask TOP.