That does sound very fishy... I hope some penny-pinching bureaucrat bean-counter in DOD gets pinched for this.
the program they’re speaking of is the Chapter 1607 REAP program (Reserve Educational Assistance Program), a relatively new DOD program for guard/reserve called to active duty in response to war, etc...for full time entitlement, i.e. 12 semester credit hours in a full term, usually 16 weeks or thereabouts, with 90 days+ service in theater is $440.40; 1 year+ is $660.60; 2 years+ is $880.80...so 729 days is indeed one day short of the requirement to receive the 2 year+ benefit...this is no accident...
But I am very skeptical that orders were written for 729 days. Typically, we have seen Reserve/Guard call-ups for 12 to 15 months, and then there are the extensions that are issued due to necessity. But initial orders for 22 months - doesn’t seem correct.
Now - in the reserve world, there is careful attention to ensuring that no Reservist accumulates 18 years of active service, since that would automatically allow the member to stay on active duty for another 2 years, and then start drawing an immediate retirement, instead of a retirement that starts at age 60. To prevent this from happening, no further active duty orders are issued to someone who gets 16 years of active duty “on the books.” (In my 30 years of active/reserve time, I had about 10 years of active duty time ...). This policy is enacted by Congressional Mandate!!
So I would want to see if there were, in fact, actual orders for 729 days, vs. much shorter call-up orders, and then additional accumulated time. Note also - the DoD/Pentagon has to operate by Congressional mandates, and the DoD can’t go about issuing orders that kick in additional benefits if Congress has issued mandates that the DoD can’t do so ....so ultimately, I suspect the root of the problem will be Congressional mandates, not heartless/unfeeling Pentagon people.
Mike