The war in Iraq has taken its toll on recruiting efforts by the military. The Army and National Guard have been trying to bolster their numbers by offering great incentives and bonuses, including extending big bonuses to currently enlisted soldiers to get them to stay. The Marines also recently upped their bonus structure to help keep from losing their most experienced soldiers.
Many US states have stepped up to offer other perks to enlisted soldiers. A renewed sense of patriotism has spurred interested in making sure our military remains at full strength. States are offering some nice perks to active duty personnel and their families to help boost morale and take care of our soldiers while they are keeping our country safe. Some of the perks include tax breaks, free child care, life insurance policies, and even hunting licenses. Since 2002, the number of such laws has more than quadrupled -- from five in 2002 to 11 in 2003 to 22 in 2004.
Recently, New Mexico bought each of the state's National Guard members $250,000 in life insurance and 22 other states have called to get information and are considering similar benefits. Among them: New York, which has introduced a bill that would provide a $1 million death payout to survivors of those who die on active duty.
Other Interesting Perks:
Louisiana offers discount car insurance through tax credits.
New York provides burial allowances.
Kentucky stopped charging members of its National Guard fees for birth or death certificates.
South Dakota allows the children of active military personnel licenses to hunt deer and antelope.
California has created the Helping Heroes Child Care Program, which provides free child care for families with a parent deployed to Iraq. But it is contingent on congressional approval of a child care program.
At least 19 states have introduced or passed bills establishing relief funds for military families to help with things like housing or medical expenses, or provide grants for retraining and college tuition.
Recent legislation has also setup programs to help pay the difference between the what reserve members got paid at work and what they get paid when they are called up. The government is splitting the difference with employers so if the difference in pay was $200 then the government pays $100 and the employer pays $100. But this isn't effective everywhere and there are no rules to enforce it.
In April, residents of Rhode Island will be able to check a box on their tax returns to donate part of their money to help the state's National Guard and Reserve families.
The lists go on. There is no doubt that now, more than ever, that states are willing to help reward the brave soldiers who are fighting for their country. These perks are small in contrast to the dangerous job they are doing but even a little bit goes a long way.
