Reservists, guardsmen get extended per diem Published May 9, 2003 WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Air reserve component officials at the Pentagon are reminding reservists and Air National guardsmen that those called to active duty to support Operation Iraqi Freedom will receive per diem consistent with periods established for other recent conflicts.Reservists and guardsmen ordered to support major military operations are normally entitled to receive per diem for up to 730 days at one location, according to the officials.The two-year entitlement, originally designed for operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom, also applies to OIF. The officials were concerned that reservists and guardsmen would confuse an earlier change to active-duty entitlements -- establishing group waivers to receive entitlements beyond 179 days -- to mean they would not receive per diem for current contingency operations.Per diem entitlements under the two-year authority are not taxable and cannot be arbitrarily reduced, according to the officials. Per diem is not payable to people in a commuting status.In addition, dependents of airmen who are ordered to duty for 31 consecutive days are eligible for enrollment in Tricare Prime, the officials said. This is a change to the previous policy requiring 179 days of continuous active duty for enrollment.