Actual Amount Family of Killed US Soldiers Will Receive as Compensation Released Amidst Iran War
- Families of US soldiers killed during the Iran war were confirmed to have received a tax-free payment of $100,000 under the government’s death gratuity programme
- The payment was intended to provide immediate financial support to survivors before other benefits became available
- Officials stressed that the gratuity amount remained the same regardless of the cause of death
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The United States government confirmed that families of soldiers who died while serving during the Iran war are entitled to a special tax-free payment of $100,000 under the death gratuity programme.
This payment was designed to provide immediate financial support to survivors following the death of a service member.
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Officials explained that the gratuity is the same regardless of the cause of death. Its longstanding purpose had been to help families meet urgent financial needs before other survivor benefits became available.
Eligibility for death gratuity
The programme covered members of the Armed Forces who died while on active duty or in certain reserve statuses.
It also applied to deaths occurring during authorised travel to or from duty, inactive-duty training, or annual training duty lasting more than 13 days.
Additionally, applicants for membership in reserve officers’ training corps who died while attending or travelling to training were included.
The gratuity is also payable if a member died within 120 days of release from active duty, provided the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determined the death was linked to injury or disease incurred during service.
Designation of eligible survivors
Before May 25, 2007, the gratuity was distributed according to a strict hierarchy with limited opportunity for soldiers to designate beneficiaries.
However, since July 1, 2008, service members had been allowed to designate any person or persons to receive up to 100% of the payment in 10% increments.
Any remaining undesignated amount was distributed according to the following hierarchy:
• Surviving spouse
• Surviving children and descendants of deceased children
• Surviving parents
• Executor or administrator of the estate
• Other next of kin under the laws of domicile
Officials noted that if a spouse was bypassed in favour of another beneficiary, the military department is required to notify the spouse.
Parents recognised under the scheme included adoptive parents, but only one father and one mother were acknowledged, with preference given to those who had exercised a parental role before the soldier entered service.
Service members are able to update their DD Form 93, Record of Emergency Data, at any time to designate eligible survivors. If a designated beneficiary died before receiving the gratuity, the payment was passed to the next eligible survivor in the prescribed order.
Source: Getty Images
Amount Air India plane crash's only survivor will get as compensation
Legit.ng earlier reported that Air India announced on Saturday that it would provide an interim compensation of ₹25 lakh (approximately £21,000 or €24,500) to family of the 241 passengers who died in the Ahmedabad plane crash.
This compensation works out to over ₦43.5 million per recipient, with the only survivor, 40-year-old Ramesh Viswashkumar, also expected to receive the same amount from the airline.
Source: Legit.ng
