Briefing explains who pays when Vermont calls up the National Guard and where construction and benefits costs fall

Guard staff told legislators that funding responsibilities depend on the Guards duty status and the mission's legal basis.

A presenter said federal Title 10 missions are paid by the federal government, while state active duty is a Vermont expense. Title 32 funding varies by mission: some training and drill pay is federally funded, while state-response missions can be a state expense. The speaker cautioned that states often pay initially for deployments and then seek FEMA or federal reimbursements, which can be delayed or vary by incident.

On construction and infrastructure, the presenter said "it's supposed to be 75/25" when discussing typical federal/state cost-sharing for Guard facilities. He added some exceptions exist where the federal government will pay 100% or the state has paid more than 25% for certain buildings.

The briefing covered mutual aid through Emergency Management Assistance Compacts (EMACs): states agree ahead of time to share resources and the receiving state is generally expected to reimburse expenses, though federal reimbursement or accounting adjustments sometimes follow disasters.

Staff also described recruitment and personnel investments included in the appropriations presentation: tuition benefits usable at Vermont colleges and a Joint Enlistment Incentive that provides a recruitment bonus for members who bring in additional recruits. Presenters said those items are included in the budget presentation and have not required large appropriation increases in recent years.

Presenters closed by noting future briefings will examine funding and construction in more detail and invited written questions through legislative contacts.