Military Benefits

The Disgrace of War Widows Fighting for Benefits

Bob Geiger | Posted 04.30.2012

Bob Geiger

At issue is a parsing of government programs that essentially eliminates one survivor's benefit for another. To civilians, this is analogous to someone telling us that we can have a deceased spouse's retirement money or life insurance -- but not both.

Veterans and Service Member Benefits -- A Deal's a Deal

Laurence J. Kotlikoff | Posted 04.02.2012

Laurence J. Kotlikoff

We promise to provide the veterans and active service members with the full set of benefits available at the time they signed up. That set of implicit, but sacred, promises is now being threatened.

Lincoln, Obama, and Military Benefits for Same-Sex Couples

Ian Moss | Posted 04.23.2012

Ian Moss

President Barack Obama's admiration for Abraham Lincoln is well known. He even calls Lincoln his "favorite president." Both were confronted with the greatest civil rights issue of their generation. For Obama, it is gay rights and for Lincoln, it was the institution of slavery.

Obama Administration Makes Stunning Announcement On Gay Rights

Posted 02.18.2012

The Obama Administration will no longer defend legislation in court banning same-sex couples from receiving military and veterans benefits. In a le...

Gay Military Spouse Speaks Out On His Husband Getting Booed At GOP Debate

The Huffington Post | Luke Johnson | Posted 12.27.2011

Josh Snyder, the husband of the gay soldier booed at a September Republican presidential debate, appeared on MSNBC Thursday to discuss the incident an...

Lawmakers May Be Willing To Slash Military Benefits

AP | By DONNA CASSATA | Posted 12.22.2011

WASHINGTON -- The government's promise of lifetime health care for the military's men and women is suddenly a little less sacrosanct as Congress looks...

Andrea Stone

Same-Sex Married Troops Ready To Sue Over Military Benefits

HuffingtonPost.com | Andrea Stone | Posted 12.16.2011

LAS VEGAS -- The gay advocacy group that successfully lobbied to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy plans to file a lawsuit in feder...

Andrea Stone

Gay Troops, Included But Not Equal

HuffingtonPost.com | Andrea Stone | Posted 12.15.2011

LAS VEGAS -- Amid the joy of meeting in public for the first time and with the novelty of the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" receding, active-duty ...

After Don't Ask, Don't Tell: The Meaning of Repeal to America

Nathaniel Frank | Posted 11.20.2011

Nathaniel Frank

"Don't ask, don't tell" -- the policy and even the mere phrase -- says much about who we are as Americans. What we do in its wake will help shape what it means to be an American in the twenty-first century -- well beyond the rise and fall of this bizarre and convoluted law.

Don't Play Wall Street Roulette With Military Retirement

Richard Allen Smith | Posted 10.18.2011

Richard Allen Smith

All careers aren't created equal. Yes, civilians work longer to get to retirement. But civilians also aren't spending multiple years away from their families getting shot at.

In Military, Married Gay Couples Won't Get Benefts

AP | By JULIE WATSON | Posted 09.16.2011

SAN DIEGO -- Gay service members from Army soldiers to Air Force officers are planning to celebrate the official end of the military's 17-year policy ...

Cleaning for Heroes -- A Clean Home for Every Veteran

Torrey Shannon | Posted 05.25.2011

Torrey Shannon

The residual effect of providing free household services to veterans allows them more time to focus on their healing, family bonding, community involvement and productivity.

Dead Soldiers' Parents Sue Insurers Over Benefits

AP | STEPHANIE REITZ | Posted 05.25.2011

The parents of six deceased U.S. soldiers are suing Prudential Financial, saying it paid paltry interest on military life insurance benefits while kee...

Partner Benefits For Gay Troops: Issue Complicates 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal

AP | KIMBERLY HEFLING | Posted 05.25.2011

WASHINGTON — If gay service members are allowed to serve openly, the military will face another tough question: Should gay partners be entitled ...

VA Won't Pay Benefits To Marine Whose Injuries Came From Smallpox Vaccine

McClatchy Newspapers | David Goldstein | Posted 05.25.2011

It wasn't a bullet or roadside bomb that felled Lance Cpl. Josef Lopez three years ago after nine days in Iraq. It was an injection into his arm befo...