Senator Patty Murray (above) is the Chair of the Senate Budget Committee and serves on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Her office issued the following:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Murray Press Office
Friday, June 20, 2014 (202)
224-2834
LGBT/VETERANS: Murray Statement on LGBT Benefits Expansion
Despite expansion, gaps still remain for those seeking Social Security benefits
Murray’s
SAME Act named by administration as legislative fix
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), author of the
Social Security and Marriage Equality (SAME) Act, released the following statement after the Obama administration
announced the expansion
of several federal benefits and obligations to married, same-sex
couples. The announcement comes after the Department of Justice
completed their year-long review of
potential legal barriers to these benefits after the Supreme Court
struck down Section 3 of the
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
However,
the report indicates that obstacles still remain for certain couples
seeking benefits from the Veterans or Social Security Administration.
In a memo to President
Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder noted the need for Congress to pass
Senator Murray’s
SAME Act in order to extend full Social Security benefits to married, same-sex couples.
“As we near the one-year anniversary of the historic Supreme Court ruling striking down
DOMA,
today’s news is one of relief and celebration for many of the
committed, same-sex couples across America whose lives have been put on
hold waiting for this report. These
couples, many of them our nation’s heroes, will no longer have to face
uncertainty while caring for or mourning the loss of a loved one.
“However,
I am disappointed there are still many couples seeking Social Security
benefits who will continue to be viewed as second-class citizens in the
eyes of the
law. Your zip code should not determine whether or not your family will
have the means to survive after the death of a spouse, and it shouldn’t
prevent your family from getting the benefits you have earned.
“While I believe the administration had the ability to include these benefits in today’s announcement, my
SAME Act
now provides a legislative roadmap to finally provide these benefits to
all couples, regardless of where they live. This seemingly subjective
denial spousal benefit
claims places an economic and emotional burden on the families of
legally married same-sex couples, and it is inconsistent with the
practice of other federal departments and agencies.
“In
the coming days I will be working with my colleagues in the House and
the Senate to get this job done. I also urge the administration to
continue holding the applications
of those who have applied for Social Security benefits until Congress
or the courts act to fix this unfortunate gap in benefits.”
In May, Senators Murray and Mark Udall (D-CO)
introduced the SAME Act to amend the Social Security Act
in order to provide full benefits to married, same-sex couples
regardless of where they live. Eligibility for spousal benefits provided
under the
Social Security Act are determined by a place of residence
standard. This standard has resulted in applications for Social Security
benefits for legally married same-sex spouses living in states that do
not recognize same-sex marriage being placed on
hold. Representative Ron Kind (D-WI) introduced the companion
legislation in the House of Representatives.
In March of last year, Senator Murray, a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee,
led a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki
calling for an expedited waiver process granting same-sex veterans and
their spouses burial rights in national cemeteries. Today’s announcement
also included directive that the VA Acting
Secretary will
“exercise his broad statutory discretion in the area of burial benefits
to designate any individual in a committed relationship for burial in a
national cemetery, which will allow for the inclusion of same-sex
spouses where the domicile provision would otherwise govern.”
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Meghan Roh
Press Secretary | New Media Director
Office of U.S. Senator Patty Murray
Mobile: (202) 365-1235
Office: (202) 224-2834
