Democrats Want to Extend Death Benefits
By Emily Beaver
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1-A plan to increase death payments for U.S. troops killed in combat should include all soldiers who die on active duty, not just those who die in “combat zones” designated by the Pentagon, Democrats argued Tuesday.
The Pentagon announced a plan Tuesday that would increase the payment to families of military personnel killed in combat, also known as “the death gratuity.”
Survivors of troops killed in combat currently receive a $12,420 death gratuity payment, and can receive up to $250,000 in life insurance payments. Department of Defense and Senate plans would increase the gratuity payment to $100,000 and life insurance payments to $400,000.
However, some Democrats, like Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, pointed out “a number of problems with the Pentagon plan” at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday.
The proposal is problematic because it would only cover military personnel killed in “hostile combat zones” determined by the Pentagon, Nelson said.
Sen. Carl Levine of Illinois, a ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said all troops killed in active duty should receive the benefits.
“We have to be careful about making a distinction about the type of service,” Levine said.
Defense officials questioned by members of the Armed Services Committee said they opposed making a distinction between hostile and non-hostile combat zones when providing benefits. However, budgeting money for death depends on the amount of hostility troops encounter in the future, said David Chu, Undersecretary of Defense.
According to figures released by the Pentagon yesterday, 1,415 service members were killed in Iraq. Of those deaths, 1,089 were a result of hostile actions.
“There is nothing we can do in a financial sense to replace a lost service member,” he said. “Retroactivity is diplomatic.”
The death gratuity was $3,000 during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, and was raised $12,000 in 2003. Several members of the Armed Services committee said the death gratuity payment was disproportionate to the payments awarded to the families of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which averaged $2.1 million.
“There was an imbalance there that was not acceptable,” said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut democrat.
Chu said the government already provides a number of services for the families of troops killed in combat, including a pension plan that provides “dollar for dollar what the military member was earning on active service.”
“The country wants to express thanks for the service and condolence for the loss,” he said.
