That should have been done long ago. Why did they wait? .
On Fri, Jun 28, 2013 at 4:54 PM, Bruce Sorge <[email protected]> wrote: > > Meanwhile, the military is already putting the wheels in motion to fully > recognize same sex legally married couples as legitimate couples, which > includes all of the benefits bestowed on heterosexual married couples. > And sorry for the long post, but it's on the military times website, and > you have to be an active subscriber to see the story, so I am > cutting/pasting it here. > > Same-sex marriage: 18 questions answered > What changes are coming for housing, health care and more > > > A 5-4 Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage has handed the military > a new challenge: updating hundreds of benefits and programs to recognize > same-sex couples while also figuring out how to pay what could be billions > in extra costs. > > The Defense Department has been preparing for this expansion since > Congress voted in 2010 to repeal the Clinton-era dont ask, dont tell > policy that allowed gays to serve in the military only if they remained > closeted. > > Defense officials say they are ready and willing to move forward, but are > not yet prepared to announce just when same-sex couples will get the > housing, health, compensation and support benefits that will grant them > equal benefits. > > Allyson Robinson, an Army veteran and executive director of Outserve/SLDN, > a group that has helped thousands of gay service members, said providing > full military and veterans benefits to same-sex couples is the logical next > step after DoD dropped its ban on open service by gays in 2011. > > The law, she said, is clear. > > This is now an implementation issue, she said. > > What this all means for you: > > Q. What did the court ruling actually do? > > A. The 5-4 ruling came in a suit on behalf of a New York woman, Edith > Windsor, who was denied an estate tax exemption provided to surviving > spouses after the 2009 death of her same-sex spouse, Thea Spyer, because > the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 defined marriage as only between a man > and a woman. > > Under DOMA, same-sex married couples have their lives burdened, by reason > of government decree, in visible and public ways. The principal purpose is > to impose inequality, not for other reasons like governmental efficiency, > the courts majority opinion stated. > > The ruling strikes down DOMAs definition of marriage as unconstitutional, > leaving state laws to determine what constitutes a marriage within their > borders and what marriages from outside the state are recognized. > > Q. When will the changes take effect? > > A. Unclear, but defense officials intend to move quickly. Shortly after > the ruling was announced, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said DoD will move > very swiftly, expeditiously. ... We are now, of course, exploring all the > pieces, but make no mistake: It will be a decision implemented in every > way, as it should be. > > Q. Will the transition be complicated? > > A. It could be. Complex questions are in play; thousands of laws and > policies may need to be changed. > > John Mahoney, a Washington, D.C., attorney specializing in government > personnel issues, said it is clear what the government needs to do but > not how to get there. What needs to be worked out is how two soldiers > married in New York, where same-sex marriage is legal, will be treated if > they are in a Southern state where it is illegal. We expect that state to > recognize a legal marriage, but this could be complicated. > > Hagel acknowledged that complexity. When asked if he could guarantee that > same-sex military couples assigned in states where gay marriage is not > legal would receive the same benefits as same-sex couples assigned to > states where they can get married, he said he didnt know, and added that > this is one of the questions under review by Pentagon lawyers. > > Lawmakers are also tackling that issue. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., is > sponsoring a bill that would specifically redefine marriage in federal law > for military and veterans benefits to include legally married same-sex > couples. > > The legislation, S 373, may be useful to the Pentagon if defense officials > discover that changes in law are required to fully implement equal > benefits. A companion bill in the House is sponsored by Rep. Adam Smith, > D-Wash., ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. > > Q. How many same-sex married couples are in the military? > > A. Unknown. DoD estimates there are 18,000, but has no idea how many of > them are legally married, or may now seek to legally marry in the wake of > the Supreme Court ruling. > > Q. Will an influx of spouses squeeze access to any benefits? > > A. Possibly in a few cases, although such impact likely would be minor. > > For example, the My Career Advancement Accounts, or MyCAA, program > provides a defined pot of money each year for job training and education > for spouses. Once that money is spoken for, the program takes no more > applicants until the next year. > > Q. When will same-sex spouses be eligible for military ID cards? > > A. Even before the Supreme Court ruling, DoD already had decided to start > issuing IDs cards to legal spouses and domestic partners starting on Sept. > 1. An ID card is the gateway to dozens of fringe benefits for spouses; for > example, it grants access to military installations and all the on-base > community and family support programs, which a same sex-spouse now cannot > access without an escort. > > Q. How will the policy on housing allowance be adjusted? > > A. A service member receiving basic allowance for housing to live off base > will be eligible to receive this tax-free allowance at the higher > with-dependents rate if they are legally married to someone of the same > sex. But if that couple has children, the service member may already be > receiving the with dependents rate. > > On average, the difference between married and single housing allowance > rates is about $206 a month for officers in paygrades O-5 and below and > $248 a month for enlisted members. > > Q. Will same-sex couples be eligible for military family housing? > > A. Yes. But one question to be resolved involves housing assignments to > privatized quarters in states where same-sex marriage is not recognized and > where the land on which the privatized housing sits was conveyed by DoD to > the management company which means the housing technically is not on > federal property. Defense policy clearly governs housing assignments, but > this issue will require further study. > > Q. Will the military make any special accommodations in housing > assignments? > > A. The housing issue could be one of the the biggest cultural changes for > military families, as some may not want to live beside gay couples for > religious or personal reasons. But they are unlikely to have a choice. The > military already has strict rules about not tolerating discrimination on > the basis of sexual orientation and is expected to do the same for family > housing. > > The services do not move or assign people based on religion or race and > are unlikely to make an exception for sexual orientation. > > Q. What does this change mean for health care for same-sex spouses? > > A. The military health care system is one of the lowest-cost health plans > in the nation for beneficiaries, so one of the biggest financial gains for > same-sex couples will be coverage for spouses, both through on-base care > and access to Tricare. Actual savings will depend on what type of health > coverage, if any, the spouse currently has. > > On average, people with employer-provided health insurance policies in the > private sector will pay $2,385 in premiums and $2,429 in out-of-pocket > costs in 2013, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. > > An active-duty spouse using Tricare Prime generally pays no premiums, no > co-payments for office visits and no deductibles for health care. They may > pay nominal fees for incidentals and drug co-payments at retail pharmacies. > > Tricare Standard has no premiums and charges minimal annual deductibles. > It charges a 20 percent copay for office visits and emergency care, and > co-payments when using retail pharmacies. > > Q. Will same-sex couples get better travel benefits? > > A. Yes. On permanent change-of-station moves, same-sex spouses would > receive travel and transportation allowances, and the couple would be able > to ship more household goods at government expense. > > Q. What about command-sponsored overseas assignments? > > A. Same-sex spouses will be able to join their service members on > command-sponsored overseas assignments. Previously, a member married to > someone of the same sex would be sent on an unaccompanied tour, sometimes > shorter than an accompanied tour in that area. > > Stephen Peters, president of the American Military Partner Association, > cited command sponsorship as one of the three biggest new benefits for > same-sex couples, along with health care and housing allowances. > > Q. Will same-sex spouses be able to shop in commissaries and exchanges? > > A. Yes. Shopping privileges in on-base stores will become available, as > well as use of recreation facilities; family support centers, which offer a > variety of activities, relocation assistance, employment services and > counseling; and legal aid. > > Q. What education benefits will same-sex spouses qualify for? > > A. They will be eligible for transferred Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits if the > service member qualifies to share benefits, and also will be eligible for > military spouse tuition assistance designed to help spouses acquire > portable job skills. > > The tuition assistance program, Military Spouse Career Advancement > Accounts, or MyCAA, can provide up to $4,000, limited to $2,000 a year, for > some training. Junior officers and junior enlisted members are eligible. > > Q. Will same-sex spouses be allowed to be listed as official next-of-kin? > > A. Yes. They will be the ones to receive official notification of casualty > to their military spouse. In addition, if a service member is hospitalized, > a same-sex spouse will receive travel and transportation allowances to join > the member. > > Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a disabled Iraq War veteran, said the the > Supreme Court decision made her think about what it means to be a military > couple. > > While I was recovering at Walter Reed after being shot down in Iraq, my > husband Bryan was at my bedside every day, she said, referring to her > recovery in 2004 after a rocket-propelled grenade struck her helicopter. I > support the freedom to marry because everyone deserves the same level of > access, support and love. > > If a member dies on active duty, the spouse also will receive allowances > to attend the burial and memorial services. > > Same-sex spouses will be eligible to serve as designated caretakers of > severely wounded troops or veterans, under programs that provide training, > benefits and even pay under some circumstances. > > Q. What death benefits will same-sex spouses qualify for? > > A. Theyll be eligible for a wide range of benefits, including receiving > their service members final paychecks and personal belongings and being > the one who decides how to dispose of remains. If a service member is > eligible for burial in a veterans cemetery, a same-sex spouse could also be > buried there. > > The militarys $100,000 death gratuity for active-duty deaths, as well > as Servicemembers Group Life Insurance payouts of up to $400,000, already > are available to same-sex spouses. Service members may designate any > individual to receive those payments. > > For same-sex retiree couples, spouses will be eligible to participate in > the voluntary Survivor Benefit Plan, in which retirees pay monthly premiums > in return for the government paying annual annuities to their designated > survivors after the retiree dies. > > Q. How will dual-service same-sex couples be affected? > > A. They will be covered by the same policies as other dual-service > couples. This includes exemptions from serving simultaneously in hostile > fire areas or combat zones, and consideration in reassignments to try and > station both members in the same location. > > Q. How much will all this cost DoD? > > A. Defense officials do not know how much it will cost to provide full > benefits to same-sex spouses, but any increase would create problems at a > time when growth in military spending has slowed and the threat of more > across-the-board budget cuts remains. > > However, just extending military health care coverage to 18,000 new > same-sex spouses would cost $63 million a year, using the Pentagons > estimate that the militarys annual cost to provide health care averages > about $3,500 per person. And that does not include the cost of covering an > untold number of same-sex spouses of military retirees, who will also be > eligible for military health care. > > There would be added costs from paying higher housing allowances to > same-sex couples and providing travel allowances during duty-station moves, > and from increased use of fringe benefits because of more people using > community and family support facilities. > > Staff writers Karen Jowers and Patricia > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:365048 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
