95 Letters

[ChkHandleDn]

For all of you that fly on IDTs.  Please send to your representatives.

 

From the website, 95Letters

 

"Consider two Air Force majors...one is a reservist and each has 18 years of service.  Both perish when their aircraft crashes on Tuesday while the reservist is on active duty (AD) status.  The family of each pilot receives monthly survivor benefit payments of $2,908.  Now…the same aircraft crashes on Wednesday while the reservist is on inactive duty training (IDT) status.  The active duty family receives monthly payments of $2,908 while the IDT family receives $969. 

Also, the AD family is eligible for other survivor benefits not afforded the IDT family to include:
  1) Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance
  2) Annuity calculations with a disability rating as total
  3) The choice to extend SBP eligibility directly to dependent children

In January 2012, 95 letters were sent to the surviving spouses and directly to the children of deceased guardsmen and reservists across the DoD stating a “significant error” was made when accounting for their loved one's administrative duty status at the time of death.

As a result, survivor benefit payments the families had counted on for years were drastically lowered and in many cases stopped altogether.

In light of these letters many are learning for the first time of the ongoing disparities in survivor benefits for the family of a member who dies on “Active Duty” status versus a member on “Inactive Duty Training" status even when both occur "in the line of duty". 

H.R. 1770 was introduced into the 113th Congress by Congressman Jason Chaffetz (UT - 3rd) on 26 April 2013 to end these inequalities for the families of our military members who made the ultimate sacrifice.  It was re-introduced into the 114th Congress on 28 April 2015 as H.R. 2053.

Now...we need your help to get as many congressional co-sponsors as possible!!

For more information see the "Advocates" and "Key Documents" tabs on this website."

 

---

 

Take the following action:

1) Use the "Contact Your Representative" tab and urge your Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 2053.

2) Use the "Contact Your Senators" tab to contact your Senators.  We don't yet have a Senate version of the bill, so for now 
     our goal is to spread awareness about the issue and urge support of H.R. 2053.

3) Utilize all your social media avenues (Facebook, etc.) to get the word out.

4) Encourage your family and friends to do the same.