CONCORD, N.H. — U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has reintroduced legislation to extend veterans benefits to same-sex spouses and their families regardless of where they live.
The Charlie Morgan Military Spouses Equal Treatment Act is named after a New Hampshire National Guard officer who died in 2013 after a battle with breast cancer.
After her death, Morgan’s wife and daughter initially were ineligible to receive certain survivor benefits until the Supreme Court ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional.
Get the Daily Brief
The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you:
Families in states where same-sex marriages are not recognized remain ineligible for certain Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, however.
Shaheen, a Democrat elected to a second term in November, says her legislation would address this lingering inequality. She says no one who has served in uniform should be denied the benefits they’ve earned.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
