On Monday, June 29, VA announced that all spousal benefits would be extended to married same-sex couples. Previously, benefits available to opposite-sex spouses did not extend to same-sex couples in the VA system.
The announcement was made following the Friday, June 26, U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that all 50 states and U.S. territories must recognize same-sex marriages.
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Under the new policy, VA will not differentiate between same-sex and opposite-sex couples when determining eligibility for VA health care, pensions, and home loans.
Benefits now available to all spouses include access to survivor services and pensions; dependency and indemnity compensation; access to counseling services; education and training programs and scholarships; and home loans and housing-related assistance.
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In a statement, VA said the new ruling allows the department to “recognize the same-sex marriage of all veterans, where the veteran or the veteran’s spouse resided anywhere in the United States or its territories at the time of the marriage or at the time of application for benefits.”
Although the ruling sparked change for the VA, the DoD will not see any policy changes, because the DoD began recognizing same-sex marriages and extending benefits to active-duty military personnel in 2013.
