[martin14]

Unicornlord Unicornlord:

Postings are getting longer and longer, I do not know many people that are moved every three years. To serve is a choice, this is simple greed, when I was deployed single I told my mom I got insurance out in case something happened. She was mortified, she did not want any money from my death. Spouses and children need the money to start thier loves over. Mommy and Daddy to not need to profit from their son's or daughter's death.

Thats not exactly the issue here.

The issue is.. is it fair for the CF to offer a benefit to soldiers who are married,

and to deny this benefit to soldiers who aren't ?


Discrimination based simply on marital status.



Of course it isn't, so something will have to be done.

[Guy_Fawkes]

I dont know the whole argument seems a little silly, its like someone who has a job complaining because they dont get to collect EI. The money is there so a family missing a parent can get back on its feet and not have to have the additional burden of financial issues plaguing them.

[Wullu]

The purpose of this payout is to help the surviving spouse and children stay afloat until they can get on thier feet after the loss of a bread winner, not as a windfall for the parents or siblings of a single serving member such as myself.

Not only no, but HELL no!!

[andyt]

Wullu Wullu:

The purpose of this payout is to help the surviving spouse and children stay afloat until they can get on thier feet after the loss of a bread winner, not as a windfall for the parents or siblings of a single serving member such as myself.

Not only no, but HELL no!!

In that case don't make the criterion marriage, but children. A surviving spouse who has no kids should be able to get on their feet pretty quickly, in fact likely already are - doubt if the 50's picture of the little woman waiting for her hero to return while sitting at home eating bon bons is applicable to most modern military families.

What about divorced soldiers with child support - what does the current policy say about that?

[EyeBrock]

If a soldier is worth a dollar amount on his or her death, that amount should not change because he/she is married or single.

[Guy_Fawkes]

I dont think the dollar amount was put on the soldier, but on the inconvience of his death. It can be more inconvient for a married soldier to die over a soldier with no dependants.

[EyeBrock]

It can be GF. I just remember my time in the Regs. The married guys getting more allowances than us singlies was always a bone of contention.

A life is a life. There shouldn't be a seperate scale for two guys killed in the same IED explosion or fire fight. It's just not equitable.

[MAC1767]

Unicornlord Unicornlord:

Postings are getting longer and longer, I do not know many people that are moved every three years. To serve is a choice, this is simple greed, when I was deployed single I told my mom I got insurance out in case something happened. She was mortified, she did not want any money from my death. Spouses and children need the money to start thier loves over. Mommy and Daddy to not need to profit from their son's or daughter's death.

well said

[Guy_Fawkes]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

It can be GF. I just remember my time in the Regs. The married guys getting more allowances than us singlies was always a bone of contention.

A life is a life. There shouldn't be a seperate scale for two guys killed in the same IED explosion or fire fight. It's just not equitable.

If he was that close to her that he wanted to give her $250,000 he could have filed for common law status or marries her.

I stand by my previous statment of a financial plan for the money must be in place for it to be handed out (with restictions on using it for entertainment), that way it could be given to anyone.

You want to give it to your kid sis, fine. It gets locked in a RESP and will only cover expenses for education. Oh you dropped out and didnt finish, back to the government it goes.

You want to give it to your wife, cool. It is treated like a disability pension and she gets a % of it on the 1st and 15th of the month until its all gone. Change your mind and want to put the kids through collage, sweet. You have $X left lets put that in a RESP for you.

[andyt]

Guy_Fawkes Guy_Fawkes:

I stand by my previous statment of a financial plan for the money must be in place for it to be handed out (with restictions on using it for entertainment), that way it could be given to anyone.

You want to give it to your kid sis, fine. It gets locked in a RESP and will only cover expenses for education. Oh you dropped out and didnt finish, back to the government it goes.

You want to give it to your wife, cool. It is treated like a disability pension and she gets a % of it on the 1st and 15th of the month until its all gone. Change your mind and want to put the kids through collage, sweet. You have $X left lets put that in a RESP for you.

I think it would be very hard to monitor restrictions like that, and once you give people money it's hard to get it back. What is the surviving spouse (why is it always a wife?) wants to use that money to start a business?

As I say, make it like a life insurance policy. Let the soldier designate who the money goes to. Or make it for soldiers with dependent children only.

What happens with soldiers who are gravely wounded with a family to support? Presumably they are taken care of somehow? Why not just give the same deal to dependents of soldiers that are killed?