So you're an Army spouse. Your significant other is deployed in a combat zone - let's say it's Afghanistan. You're worried every day about your spouse's safety and well-being. A deep sense of relief sets in when you hear from him or her, knowing that s/he is ok.
One day, though, you don't hear from your spouse when you expect to. The knot in your stomach sets in - you feel nauseated and worried. The minutes turn to hours, the hours to days, and then the knock at the door that you dreaded - your spouse has been killed in action.
This is undeniably a terrible time for any military spouse, parent or family member. But now imagine if this tragedy befalls you during a government shutdown. Imagine further that you have limited means financially. You couldn't afford a funeral for your spouse without the military's death benefit. Only during the shutdown, the death benefit won't be paid.
So just go on and the dig the hole yourself.
((more))
The above scenario just became very real for every military family member with a loved one who is deployed (and even not deployed - this applies to military accidents as well). If a service member dies in the line of duty during the shutdown, the death benefit will not be paid to the family. It's unclear at this point whether or not it could be provided retroactively.
I don't have a link-able source to cite. I heard this from Barbara Starr on CNN literally minutes ago on the air. Below is a live transcription (by me) of what she said:
KAYE: ...get straight to Barbara Starr at the Pentagon who has some breaking news on military death. Barbara, what can you tell us?
STARR: Well Randy, this is all about if the shutdown happens. A background briefing is going on at this hour just down the hall from where we are. Senior Pentagon officials briefing the news media on what will happen to the US Military and one very surprising new detail: if there is a government shutdown and the money is not available to be spent, one of the things that will be stopped - the $100,000 death benefit for families of the fallen.
Under the life insurance plan of the US Military, Randy, there's a death benefit that's paid to anybody - to their family members - to those who lose their lives in the line of duty. If the government shuts down, we now are told that that death benefit will not be paid until Congress starts up funding again. This senior Pentagon officials say [sic] in a very quiet voice to reporters a few minutes ago - 'this could lead to families having real problems in meeting the funeral expenses of those who perished'.
They process about 100 to 150 death benefit claims a month. It's for those who lose their lives in the war, who lose their lives in military accidents, that sort of thing. Very tragic implications here. They're going to try to start it up again as soon as Congress appropriates the money. He said they're even trying to look at private aid societies to see if they can get some money flowing to the families of the fallen if this in fact happens, Randy.
My emphasis added.
Private aid societies. I actually have a great deal of faith that private charities will step in and help these families in a time of deep personal anguish to give their loved one a respectful service and burial and keep the family afloat as they pick up the pieces.
But honoring a military death shouldn't be the province of charity.
This has all come down to legalizing dirty air and the War against Women. The impact on real peoples' lives, apparently, doesn't have any bearing.
Next time some Republican tries to wrap himself in the flag, remind him that a military family couldn't afford a flag when Republicans shut it all down.
[UPDATE] ABC News has picked up the wire story. It's the bare basics, though, and doesn't reference the fact that military families will have a difficult time paying for funerals during a shutdown.