The U.S. Senate yesterday failed to pass legislation that would have granted equal veteran’s benefits to married same-sex couples and their children.
The bill would have provided equal benefits to same-sex married couples regardless of where they live, as long as their marriages had been performed where they were legal. Currently, however, veteran’s benefits are based on the state of residence, so veterans in states without marriage equality may find themselves without benefits.
That’s what happened to Melissa Perkins-Fercha, a disabled Iraqi War vet and a lesbian mom, who is being denied benefits for her wife and daughter because they live in Texas, although they were married in Washington.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) had proposed the bill as an amendment to the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, but it failed, 53-42. She called the result “tremendously disappointing,” and noted in a statement, “The impact of this discrimination is real. Monthly benefits are less; spouses and children are not eligible for medical care at the VA; and families are not eligible for the same death benefits.”
If the U.S. Supreme Court rules this month that denying marriage equality is unconstitutional, the vote won’t matter, and veterans in same-sex marriages will get equal benefits. That’s hardly a certain outcome, though. Regardless, it seems mean spirited, close minded, and unpatriotic to say that some of those willing to give their lives for our country should be denied the same benefits for their families as others.