Seniors who are military widows should check status

Seniors who are military widows

should check status

To the editor:
Are you a 100 percent VA disabled married veteran? Do you and your wife understand what her benefits will be if she is widowed? Are you a woman who was married to a 100 percent VA disabled veteran when he died? Did you lose your benefits due to remarriage? Because laws have changed over the years veterans and their widows should get current on their benefits. Please contact me at 207-284-8147 or by e-mail at: drummin@maine.rr.com. I am not a benefits advisor but can direct you to the people who will be able to help you. Maine Veteran Services has seven Field Offices to serve all 16 counties, which can represent you in submitting a claim with the VA.

The gold star symbolizes that a family member has died of service-connected cause while the blue star symbolizes that a family member is currently serving. No longer must a death be war related to qualify a widow for gold star status and benefits. Women who are gold star wives were married to someone when he died of service connected illness or injury — meaning he had a 100 percent total and permanent disability rating with the VA and died from that cause, was killed in action or died while on active duty. If he had a 100 percent service connected disability rating with the VA but died of another non-service related cause his widow may still qualify for benefits if they were married for the specified number of years while he was totally and permanently disabled.
Those whose husbands died while on active duty or had retired from the military will receive medical coverage under Tricare which is paid by the Department of Defense. Other gold star widows would receive coverage under ChampVA paid from the budget of the Veterans Administration. Once a gold star wife goes on Medicare her military health benefits will become secondary. She may not need to purchase a Medicare supplement or drug plan. The law used to say that if a widow receiving compensation from the VA remarried she would never regain her benefits. The law now says that if a woman is over 57 years of age she can remarry and keep (some) benefits. Another change says that if a remarried gold star widow is alone again due to death, divorce, or annulment the widow may qualify to be reinstated on Dependent’s Indemnity Compensation and health care.. If she was on Tricare, she would be switched to ChampVA health coverage and may not need to purchase a Medicare supplement or drug plan.
All Vietnam veterans are encouraged to have a body scan at the VA facility. Because additional illnesses have been added to the Agent Orange presumptive list of illnesses I advise Vietnam veterans to get a determination of their health status. Widows of a Vietnam veteran should confirm that the cause of their husband’s death has not been added to that list. Sometimes the rating is awarded posthumously.
If you lost your spouse on active duty are you receiving all your benefits? If your spouse was a retiree did the benefits get switched over to you? For information about any survivor issue or to verify that your information is up to date, please contact Mary O’Mara, coordinator of the Survivor Outreach Service office in Augusta at 207-430-5930.