Since 09-04-05
New Website for
War Widows and Survivors Gets Praise
Since 09-04-05
From:
Waspscpo@aol.com [mailto:Waspscpo@aol.com]
Sent: Sunday, September 04, 2005 6:10 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: New Website for War Widows and Survivors Gets Praise
http://www.senate.gov/~veterans/index.cfm?FuseAction=Newsroom.PressReleases&id=171
New Website for War Widows and Survivors Gets Praise
August 29, 2005
Contact: Jeff Schrade (202)224-9093
Washington, DC) A new website for surviving spouses and dependents of military
personnel who died while in the service of their nation has been launched by the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It is located at
http://www.vba.va.gov/Survivors and its development has earned the praise of
the man who called for its creation.
"In February I asked VA officials to do a better job of informing survivors
about the benefits they have coming and I am extremely pleased that this new
‘one stop’ website is now up and running. Is it perfect? No. But it is an
important first step in the right direction and I expect this new website to
improve over time and get updated regularly," said Senator Larry Craig, chairman
of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
"Benefits are of little use if survivors don’t know about them, so I hope this
new website helps as those left behind cope with the loss of a loved one, killed
in the service of a grateful nation." At a committee hearing in February,
Tiffany Petty, a 25-year-old mother of two from Craig’s home state of Idaho,
told the committee about the difficulty she had receiving clear information
about the benefits and help she and her children could receive, after her
husband Jerrick was killed in Iraq.
At the same hearing, Jennifer McCollum, a 31-year-old woman from Jacksonville,
Florida, told the committee that help from the government agencies "seems to be
the exception, rather than the rule." Her son was born several months after her
husband was killed in a military plane crash in Pakistan. According to
calculations run by the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, a surviving
spouse and two children of an enlisted service member killed while serving in
the military could receive over $600,000 in benefits.
The money would break down as follows: Social Security Death Benefit:
One time payment $255
Department of Defense Death Gratuity
One time payment
$100,000 Department of Defense Burial Allowance
One time payment
$6,900 Department of Defense Housing Allowance
One time payment
$7,626 VA Burial Allowance
One time payment $2,000
Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance
One time payment
$400,000 Social Security Survivors Benefits
Recurring monthly payment $1,773 DoD Survivors Benefit
Plan
Recurring monthly payment $786 VA Dependency and Indemnity
Compensation
Recurring monthly payment $1,737 DoD TRICARE Prime (Health
Insurance)
Yearly benefit expressed as cash
equivalent
$12,000 VA Dependents’ Educational Assistance
Total Assistance Per Family $108,405
Total Benefits
$641,482
New Website for War Widows and Survivors Gets Praise
Jeff Schrade, Communications Director
U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho), Chairman
412 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Direct: 202-224-9093 Cell: 202-680-9552 Fax: 202-228-5655
http://veterans.senate.gov
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Contributed,
YNCS Don Harribine, USN(ret)