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2005.01.16

More HEROES Act News Coverage

I'm gradually finding a little more coverage of the HEROES Act announcement in the traditional news media, but still not nearly as much as there should be.

From the Hampton Roads, VA, Daily Press:

Military Update: Death benefits could jump by $238,000
By Tom Philpott

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and Defense Department officials have negotiated a proposed increase in military death benefits that would boost by $238,000 payments to survivors of service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The higher payments would be made retroactive to the start of the war in Afghanistan, in the fall of 2001. They would help service families who have lost loved ones in combat, as well as those who will in the future.

The proposal has two main features. Designated beneficiaries or next of kin of service members killed in war would get an additional payment of $150,000 under the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance, whether or not they had SGLI coverage.

Also, the lump-sum military death gratuity, now $12,420, would be raised to $100,000 - but only for deaths resulting from combat.

[Read the rest here. A slightly different version of the same column is also posted here.]

For the sake of completeness, I'll also mention this www.military.com article, which seems to be derived entirely from Senator Lieberman's press release and doesn't really add anything new to the discussion.

Posted by Bill Faith on January 16, 2005 at 11:10 PM in Brianna | Permalink

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There are several Senate and House bills, currently being considered, that would increase the military death gratuity to $100,000 and the SGLI to 400,00. The bills are authorizing a $238,000 retroactive payment to those service members who have died "IN COMBAT as of Oct 7, 2001. The Democrats, during a recent Armed Services Committee hearing, have strongly suggested that the legislation not be limited to only those in combat zones but include all who wear the uniform and died as of Oct 7, 2001. The President at one time was to include this in his budget but did not, and I assume will put it in a supplemental. His budget also limited the legislation to those who died in a combat zone. My question: How can this distinction be made? Are not all who wear the uniform combating the GWOT in some manner irrespective of where they are providing that support? In an organization that is built on cohesion and team work no one should be made to feel that their life is less valuable than another’s. A surviving spouse certainly cannot make the distinction. This is a well deserved and long overdue piece of legislation. However, it needs to be broader. It needs to include all who wear a uniform. gd Although I support the increase the HEROS act calls for and believe it is long overdue; I simply cannot understand the distinction between a soldier dying in theater as opposed to a soldier dying at Camp Shelby, or Ft Wainwright in preparation to deploy to theater. All have given thier life in support of the GWOT. There should be absolutely no distiction and the new legislation should apply to anyone who wears a uniform and makes the ultimate sacrafice. Your site is Fantastic. You are a Great American gd US Army , Retired

Posted by: Gene Douglas | Mar 14, 2005 3:17:44 PM

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