Supporting Gold Star Spouses and Gold Star Parents

It is our obligation to help support the families of veterans, particularly the families of those veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our country. 

In January 2003, I joined with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas to introduce legislation providing that the remarriage of a surviving spouse of a deceased veteran (“Gold Star spouse”) after age 55 would not result in the termination of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). DIC is the financial benefit relied upon by spouses of military personnel who died during active duty or from a service-related cause.  Under previous federal law, those who remarried lost all DIC benefits.  Every other federal annuity program allows widows who received compensation to remarry after the age of 57 and retain their benefits. This legislation received strong support from the Gold Star Wives of America. In late 2003, a revised version of this legislation was enacted as part of a larger package, providing that qualifying spouses who remarry after age 57 will continue to receive DIC.

I am also proud to have worked in the 108 th Congress with the Gold Star Mothers to introduce the Gold Star Parents Annuity Act to provide for the payment of a monthly stipend to the surviving parents of members of the Armed Forces who die during a period of war.

In May 2006, I was honored to be chosen by the Gold Star Wives for a National Appreciation Award.