Via the NYT is a story on the “military death gratuity: For Families of Fallen Soldiers, the 2nd Knock Brings $12,000
The military death gratuity, the Defense Department calls it. It is a one-time payment of $12,000 to the survivors of military men and women killed in the line of duty.[…]
The idea behind the check […] dates to Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. Some senators who took the floor in the debate before the gratuity was approved in 1908 had fought in the Civil War.
The money - six months’ pay at first, only a few hundred dollars in those days - was meant to help grieving families cover expenses in an era when life insurance for soldiers was all but unavailable. Underwriters considered a military career too risky.
The “death gratuity” is in the news because US Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) is pushing to increase the amount to $100,000. I support in principle the idea of raising the amount, although am agnostic on what the exact amount ought to be. Even with insurance and other benefits that exist now, but did not exist when the policy was created, it seems the least that the government can do for a family who has suffered a loss is make sure that they have ready cash to deal with whatever immediate expenses they may have–even if it something as seemingly mundane as getting the proper clothing for the funeral or providing transportation for family to attend, and all the other expenses that emerge during life’s crises.
However, for goodness’ sake, call it something other than a “gratuity"–that sounds like the soldier’s family is getting a tip as the result of a death.