Posted on: Monday, February 7, 2005

MILITARY UPDATE

By Tom Philpott

The vice chiefs of the armed forces gave a frosty reception to a plan that would raise the military's $12,400 death gratuity to $100,000 but only for survivors of service members who die in combat areas.

In testimony Feb. 1 before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the second-highest ranking officers of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps united behind higher death benefits but opposed a move to create a kind of two-tiered payment.

Testifying alongside the vice chiefs was Dr. David Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, who, along with Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), had devised the plan.

"I firmly believe that we would do great harm to our servicemen and women were we to make such distinctions in one's service," said Gen. William L. Nyland, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps.

It would be wrong, Nyland suggested, to pay more to a family because their service member died in Iraq instead of while training for war or in an accident resulting from "a late night at the club, trying to come to grips with what he may have seen over there."

Sessions' HEROES (Honoring Every Requirement Of Exemplary Service) Act of 2005 would raise maximum coverage under Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance by $150,000, to $400,000, and the government would pay premiums on that additional coverage to all members assigned to combat areas.

Also, the $12,400 death gratuity would jump to $100,000, but only for deaths that occur in combat areas.

The changes would be retroactive to October 2001 to help survivors of 1,500 service members who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq. It would raise their death benefit package by $238,000.

But higher pay, said Adm. John B. Nathman, vice chief of naval operations, "shouldn't be just for those in designated geographic areas."

Gen. Richard A. Cody, Army vice chief of staff, told senators that the issue is "service to this country. We need to be very, very careful about making this $100,000 decision based upon what action was performed."

Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley noted that some training "is as lethal as actual combat." Moseley added, "I believe a death is a death."

Chu defended restricting the $100,000 payments to families of members who die in Iraq and Afghanistan. Overall, he testified, families whose loved ones die on active duty receive "generally good benefits.

Besides a death gratuity and SGLI, they qualify for one or more monthly cash benefits, either from the Defense Department, the VA or Social Security.

They also receive up to $6,900 in funeral cost reimbursements. They can stay in base housing up to six months, receive up to three years of military health benefits, use base shopping and recreation facilities and get up to 45 months of VA education benefits, Chu said.

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