The armed forces are set to see another policy change from departing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta this week. The Washington Post is reporting that the Pentagon will extend certain benefits to the spouses of gay and lesbian servicemembers.
Officials would not say exactly which benefits could be extended that would not be in violation of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. Benefits currently given to military spouses include access to base shopping facilities, on-base housing, and medical coverage under the military's TRICARE health program, among others.
The new guidelines are apparently in response to increased appeals for same-sex benefits.
In one such case in October of last year, Staff Sgt. Donna Johnson was one of three members of her unit killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. Since her spouse, Tracy Johnson, was not officially recognized by the military, she never received formal notification of death, the American flag that draped the coffin, or death benefits. They all went to the soldier's mother, according to NBC News.
“We were adults, big girls, and we knew what we were getting ourselves into," Tracy Johnson told NBC News. "But it doesn’t mean I have to stand idly by and see all this happen to somebody else who’s in a same-sex marriage (in the military).”
Many activists who have pushed for the policy change understand that most benefits will still remain unavailable as long as the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) remains in place.
The law barred federal recognition of any same-sex marriages, and said states would not be required to recognize them. After two appeals courts have struck down DOMA, the Supreme Court plans to hear oral arguments on the constitutionality of that law next month.
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