Military update: Death-benefits plan advances

Stars and Stripes ^ | April 21, 2005 | Tom Philpott,

[Former Military Chick]

The Senate approved an amendment from Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., that rejects Bush administration plans to establish a two-tiered military death gratuity and to limit retroactive payment of $238,000 in enhanced death benefits only to families of members who die in combat assignments.

The Kerry amendment, approved by voice vote April 13, would allow higher retroactive death payments for an additional 3,000 families, those who lost loved ones to noncombat-related accidents or illnesses since Oct. 7, 2001, the start of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

The death benefit initiatives are part of the fiscal 2005 wartime emergency supplemental appropriations bill (HR 1268) nearing final passage.

The House passed its version March 16. It would raise the current $12,400 lump-sum death gratuity for next-of-kin to $100,000 and apply the increase retroactively to most active-duty deaths since fall of 2001.

It also would raise maximum coverage under Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance from $250,000 to $400,000. That increase too would be paid retroactively for military deaths since Oct. 7, 2001, and also tied to “performance of duty,” a term left to Defense officials to interpret.

The Senate bill proposed identical increases but, as the administration recommended, it would restrict retroactive payments, and future payment of the $100,000 death gratuity, to deaths resulting from wounds, injuries or illnesses tied to combat or to service in a combat zone.

Military leaders and service associations urged the Senate to join the House in voting for a single death gratuity. But in a “statement of administration policy” last month, the Office of Management and Budget urged the House instead to get behind “the President’s version” of the death gratuity “which specially honors those servicemembers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the Global War on Terrorism.”

The House plan, OMB said, would cost up to $500 million more than the administration’s death benefit package.

A Republican motion to table Kerry’s amendment before it came to a vote lost 75-25, and 27 Republicans sided with Kerry.

The Senate also approved a second Kerry amendment to allow survivors of servicemembers killed in action to stay in government quarters for up to a year, versus only 180 days under current law. Some of the services have been allowing survivors longer stays in base quarters.

[Aetius]

With the way that even a GOP-controlled Congress spends money like there is no tomorrow, Bush and Congress really shouldn't allow themselves to appear stingy with regards to benefits for our military. If anyone deserves more, its the armed forces.

The GOP should be out in front on this, not only because its right, but also to deny to the likes of Kerry a chance to try and boost his standing with the military/veterans, and thus with middle-America in the hopes of another run for the White House. Does anyone doubt that is front and center in Kerry's mind?

[Txsleuth]

You know this was totally political---Kerry spoke on the Senate floor today and talked about 3-4 different subjects and you could tell he was trying out his 2008 campaign speech....

What legislation had Kerry ever presented that came with a risk? He KNOWS that an emergency supplemental bill for military in Iraq and Afghaninstan is gonna pass, so he isn't taking any risk and gets to ACT like he's all for the vet. GAG ME

[12 Gauge Mossberg]

Kerry actually did some work?

[armymarinemom]

Kerry is up to something. He has been asking for hard luck stories from the families of our deployed troops. When he spoke about our military during the presidential campaign he always made them out as mindless children who had been misguided into serving our country. It's hard for me to even consider him and advocate to my sons when he always seem to use them as examples of victims.