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2005.01.18 |
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A summary of the 2005 Sessions/Lieberman/Everett HEROES Act
Nowhere in all of the posts I've written or the news articles I've linked to is there any one place you can find out everything you should want to know about the HEROES Act. I'm going to my best to rectify that situation here, knowing my best won't be as good as I'd like it to be since I don't know everything I'd like to know either. Anything I state as fact here is based on something I've linked to in other posts. (There's a list of my related posts here.) I'll update and redate this post as I learn more. A summary of the bill The Honoring Every Requirement of Exemplary Service (HEROES) Act will be introduced in the Senate by Senators Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and in the House by Congressman Terry Everett (R-AL). The act would increase the lump-sum "gratuity" paid to the survivors of military personnel killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and future conflicts, from $12,400 to $100,000, retroactive to 1 October 2001. The benefit for deaths not resulting from combat would remain at $12,400. The Act would increase the maximum available SGLI (Servicemember's Group Life Insurance) coverage from $250,000 to $400,000, with the government paying the premiums for the first $150,000 for military personnel in a combat zone, retroactive to 1 October 2001. (KIAs who died with no SGLI coverage in effect would be deemed retroactively to have had $150,000 in coverage. The coverage for KIAs who had SGLI would increase retroactively by $150,000.) At current rates, monthly premiums for the added $150,000 in coverage would be $9.75. The $400,000 maximum coverage would cost $26 a month. While members serve in a combat area, premiums on the first $150,000 of SGLI coverage would be paid by the government, so a member who elected $400,000 maximum coverage would see premiums drop to $16.25. For the 2 percent of members who decline SGLI, $150,000 in coverage would take effect automatically while they served in a combat area, with the government picking up the cost. The legislation would index the death gratuity and life insurance benefit to the rate of annual pay raises. (My assumption at this point is that SGLI premiums would also be indexed.) The bill would modify SGLI to include a "no-surprises" feature, like one used with the military's Survivor Benefit Plan. Members who opt out of maximum coverage would need to show that their spouse or other beneficiary knew about the decision. The Defense Department estimates the cost of the legislation at about $460 million the first year, though that figure would be expected to drop by more than half in future years (after retroactive benefits are paid). Questions and room for improvement It isn't clear to me from anything I've been able to find whether deaths due to enemy action in an area not previously designated a "combat area" would qualify for the $100,000 lump-sum gratuity. For instance, what about a USS Cole type incident in a Philippine or Malaysian port? To me it seems obvious that any resulting deaths should be treated as "combat" deaths, but would they be? What about accidental deaths that wouldn't have occurred if the deceased hadn't been in the military, for instance deaths resulting from training accidents or loss of control of a tracked vehicle? What about other deaths that wouldn't have occurred if the deceased hadn't been in the service? (This one's personal. I saw a man with an undetected heart condition die from overexertion during Basic Training in 1970. Was Airman Valentine's death any less of a loss to his family because he died during PT as opposed to being shot?) What about the USS Cole? What about the Khobar Towers? What about Somalia? If it were up to me I'd make the HEROES Act retroactive at least to Operation Desert Storm. (If it were up to me I'd make it retroactive, indexed for inflation, to the Spanish-American war, but I'm willing to be realistic.) Why should you support the HEROES Act? Hawks: Support it because it's the right thing to do and it will make it easier to recruit good people for the war we're involved in now and any future conflicts. Doves: Support it because it's the right thing to do and it will make going to war more expensive, which might make the powers that be in Washington think a little harder before they do. [Click here for a complete list of my HEROES Act posts.] |
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Posted by Bill Faith on January 18, 2005 at 02:48 AM in Brianna | Permalink TrackBack Listed below are links to weblogs that reference A summary of the 2005 Sessions/Lieberman/Everett HEROES Act:
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