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Army.ca Staff
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=9ded69e6-cfa5-4a34-88ef-04201a2918f7&k=59629DND more than doubles funeral expense stipend for soldiers' families
Canadian Press
Published: Monday, June 18, 2007
OTTAWA (CP) - The Defence Department has more than doubled the funeral stipend given to the families of soldiers killed in the line of duty.
The new rate of $12,700 will apply to all service members killed since the country began its involvement in Afghanistan in October 2001. Last month, a controversy erupted in the House of Commons when it was revealed that some families had to pay out-of-pocket for some burial expenses.
A spokeswoman for Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor says the new death benefits program is also more flexible, picking up costs for things such as obituaries, flowers and receptions - items that until this point had not been covered.
Isabelle Bouchard says defence staff tried to model the new benefits package on what the RCMP provides for its for officers and their families.
The old military rate of $4675 had not been revised since 1999.
The death gratuity amount is made payable to survivors of the deceased in this order:
1. The member's lawful surviving spouse.
2. If there is no spouse - to the child or children of the member, regardless of age or marital status, in equal shares.
3. If none of the above - to the parents, or brothers and/or sisters, or any combination as designated by the deceased member.
4. Natural father or mother.
5. Father or mother through adoption, in equal shares.
6. Natural brothers and sisters.
7. Any person who acted as guardian for not less than one year at any time before the deceased member's entry into active service.
8. Brothers and sisters of half blood and those through adoption.
9. Surviving parents, in equal shares.
10. Surviving brothers and sisters, in equal shares.
The death gratuity is not paid to any other person when there are no survivors as listed above.
tomahawk6 said:This is how the uS pays its death gratuity which I think is what the CF should change to.
DexOlesa said:I'm going to agree with GClark. That $250k is to in theory, move them off base, get them a house wherever they move to, etc. as potentially the only bread winner is gone. So DEPENDANT family yes. Non Dependant family.......grey area.
Crantor said:In theory. But that isn't how it is being applied. What about service spouses? Or spouses that have gainful employment? I'm pretty sure they qualify. One rule should apply to all. The American rules shown above seem reasonable.
Crantor said:So is that the definition to which the benefit applies to? Household dependant? How about a single soldier taking care of an aging parent? Or a disabled brother?
I'm asking because I don't know. If it is defined as a household dependant ok. Or is it defined by what would be a legal dependant. for instance a child living fulltime with a parent who is divorced from a service member. But some people are reasoning that it is there to help spouses who may not have a job or the member was a the only bread winner. This isn't the case. Are there other factors that help determine this? Like overall combined salaries? Where they lived ie base versus their own house? Again I'm asking vecause I don't know.
But as I stated before, the american system of determining who qualifies seems pretty reasonable.
Crantor said:So is that the definition to which the benefit applies to? Household dependant? How about a single soldier taking care of an aging parent? Or a disabled brother?
I'm asking because I don't know. If it is defined as a household dependant ok. Or is it defined by what would be a legal dependant. for instance a child living fulltime with a parent who is divorced from a service member. But some people are reasoning that it is there to help spouses who may not have a job or the member was a the only bread winner. This isn't the case. Are there other factors that help determine this? Like overall combined salaries? Where they lived ie base versus their own house? Again I'm asking vecause I don't know.
But as I stated before, the american system of determining who qualifies seems pretty reasonable.
DexOlesa said:That $250k is to in theory, move them off base, ...