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washingtonscene

VA Revises Benefits Policy Benefits for same-sex couples

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are streamlined after ruling. T

he VA now will provide ben- efits to same-sex couples, following the Supreme Court’s de-

cision on same-sex marriage. For the first time, same-sex couples will become eligible to receive survivors’ benefits, home loans, and other benefits from the VA. DoD began providing benefits to active duty same-sex couples in 2013. The VA’s rule change now provides a continuum of benefits for all military families. Prior to the court’s ruling, the VA only

provided benefits to same-sex couples who both married and resided in a state where same-sex marriage was legal. This resulted in vast discrepancies in the delivery of ben- efits to veterans. In one case, an Iraq war veteran was denied the dependent rate for VA ben- efits because she traveled to Washing- ton, where her spouse’s parents reside, to be married. However, the VA did not acknowledge the marriage because she resided in Texas, a state that did not rec- ognize same-sex marriages. Earlier this year, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen

(D-N.H.) introduced legislation to force the VA to provide benefits to same-sex couples living in states that did not recognize same- sex unions. The Senate ultimately rejected her proposal.

In a letter to VA Secretary Robert

McDonald, Shaheen wrote, “This clear inequity has not only been an affront to thousands of men and women who have served our nation faithfully in uniform, it has also offended the basic principles of equality and fairness that are the founda- tion of our legal system.”

36 MILITARY OFFICER SEPTEMBER 2015 Col. Mike Hayden, USAF (Ret), MOAA

director of Government Relations, says, “It makes little sense that a couple could be eli- gible for benefits on active duty, only to be denied earned benefits after taking off the uniform. The VA’s ruling helps standard- ize the delivery of benefits for veterans and their families across the country.”

Top Docs Reject T

TRICARE Choice Surgeons general speak out against privatizing TRICARE.

he military’s top doctors told lawmakers they do not support proposals to privatize TRICARE.

In congressional testimony, senior military medical leaders addressed health care reforms recommended by the Military Compensation and Retirement Moderniza- tion Commission (MCRMC). The report, released earlier this year, recommended privatizing TRICARE and creating a new Joint Readiness Command. Although the surgeons general all ex-

pressed appreciation for the time and effort put forward by the MCRMC, they were unanimous in rejecting the TRICARE privatization proposal. They cited several reasons for rejecting the proposal, including increased costs and the negative impact to readiness training. Under the MCRMC proposal, known as TRICARE Choice, millions of TRICARE beneficiaries would move to commercial, private-sector health plans. The plans, administered by the Office of Personnel Management, would be similar to those offered to federal civilians. According to the MCRMC, TRICARE Choice would give servicemembers and their families more choices in health care coverage. However, the commission says military

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