Following Push from Senator Murray, VA Expands Benefits for Same-Sex Spouses

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, released the following statement applauding the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) decision to close the gap in benefits for certain same-sex veteran spouses and ensure they have access to the full and complete spousal benefits they are owed.

The decision comes after Senator Murray led 40 of her Democratic colleagues in urging VA Secretary Denis McDonough to address discriminatory VA practices preventing surviving loved ones from getting complete access to VA benefits they deserve.

"Today, after I led my colleagues in urging action, VA took a major step in the right direction by ensuring more same-sex veteran couples can get benefits they are owed for their service and sacrifice to our country. It's unacceptable to me that surviving partners of veterans have been denied the VA care, benefits, and services they deserve because they did not have the right to marry.

"I've been fighting for years to tear down barriers like these for our veterans, and I'm glad VA took this important step--but our work is not done. I am going to continue pushing for justice for all the same-sex families who are still being denied the same full and complete benefits opposite-sex couples receive today."

Senator Murray has been pushing VA to expand survivor benefits to same-sex couples for years, and helped a surviving spouse of a gay veteran living in Washington state become the first beneficiary of VA survivor benefits for a same-sex spouse in 2015. In addition to writing to VA about this issue, Senator Murray also led a letter with Senator Wyden (D-OR) to Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service Charles Rettig calling on the Biden Administration to revise current guidance that has led to members of the LGBT community being denied pension survivor benefits after losing their life partner. That request is still under review with the agency.

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