With Honor Action proudly endorses H.R. 6976 — the Duty Status Reform Act, led by For Country Caucus members Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-CA), a Navy veteran, and Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI), a Marine Corps veteran.
“When our Reservists step up, whether overseas or in their own communities, they are doing dangerous and essential work. The Duty Status Reform Act is about fairness, consistency, and making sure every reservist is treated equally when they answer the call,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor. “With Honor is proud to endorse the Duty Status Reform Act, which ensures that Reservists don’t lose pay, healthcare access, or benefits simply because of the technical duty status they’re placed in while responding to disasters or serving their country. We thank For Country Caucus members Reps. Cisneros and Bergman for leading this bill and advocating for our Reserve Component.”
Duty status is the official category that describes what kind of military service someone is performing at a given time. It determines who they report to (state or federal government), how they’re paid, and what benefits and legal protections apply. For active duty service members, their duty status is straightforward: they serve full-time for the federal government.
The bill would clarify the Duty Status system by reducing the number of statuses from roughly 30 different statuses under 20 different titles of federal law, to four duty statuses. Under the new duty status construct, service members carrying out assignments within the same category will receive the same pay and benefits package.