Widow of Marine killed in Iraq awarded $12,000 grant

[LauraK]

LOS ANGELES - The widow of a Marine who died in Iraq before he could meet his newborn son has been awarded a $12,000 grant that will help with the child's upbringing.

Jazty Gonzalez, 25, of Rialto, will receive money from the Fallen Patriot Fund, which was established by the Dallas-based Mark Cuban Foundation to assist families of U.S. troops who were killed or seriously injured in the war.

Cpl. Jorge Gonzalez was killed March 23 near Nasiriyah, less than three weeks after the birth of his son, Alonso. Gonzalez, 20, was assigned to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
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http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/6260720.htm

[revcarol]

1. So Sad. $6,000 military insurance, and then $12,000 from this fund.

I bet she is grateful though.A year's living expenses.

[saigon68]

2. SEE WHAT THEY GOT AT KANTOR FITZGERALD

The Feds kicked in up to $4.3 million $$$ a piece plus

That's $4,300,000.00 for some young stock brokers who were at their computers on Sept 11 trading Junk Bonds.

The deceased veteran always gets the shaft. But from Chimpy and his bunch only $6000.00 and approximately $1200.00 a month from the VA as a surviving widow.

And so it goes in the great democracy.

I'm sure the veterans in this country are about to put up a stink with this treatment.

[saigon68]

3. P.S. Thanks Mark Cuban

N/T

[shanti]

8. what does mark cuban have to do with this?

please explain.

[saigon68]

11. Mark Cuban

He's one of those internet Billionaires. I think he used to own Alta-Vista

He owns the Dallas Mavericks. He also contributes a lot of money to charity.
Apparnetly he decided to help a few military orphans whose fathers were killed in CHIMPY and WOLFIES WAR!!!! by setting up a foundation.

see Link: http://www.fallenpatriotfund.org/

Its legitimate

[trapper914]

12. Cuban is the father of internet streaming

He made a few billion by selling broadcast.com to Yahoo before the dot com bubble burst, then bought the NBA Dallas Mavericks. I'm a long suffering fan, and he was instrumental in turning them around. A marketing genius, with a "regular guy" personality...I'm proud he's doing something for the families of the fallen.

[saigon68]

13. For Sure n/t

[atreides1]

4. SGLI

What happened to his SGLI(Servicemans Group Life Insurance). When I was on active duty we were covered by SGLI, and the options were to
divide up the insurance money by percentages, or to give all of it to a single beneficiary. This insurance was an additional amount to the
death benefit. Currently my wife who is active duty USAF has a SGLI
worth $100,000, if she dies on active duty I would get that money as well as the initial death benefit.

[Mithras61]

5. You better read the insurance contract...

the SGLI the was available to me in '79 disallowed payouts for deaths in conjunction with hostile military actions (wars). It only paid if you died of non-action related causes (e.g. - automobile accident, training exercise, etc.).

[atreides1]

7. ???

The current SGLI has no "combat clause". I served from 1978-1991 and
for the entire 13 years I don't remember seeing a combat clause, and
we were required to review our personnel records annually. I believe
me I made sure I read everything that I had to sign.

[Mithras61]

9. Interesting...

I caught the "combat clause" during my in-processing in Milwaukee and asked about it then, and was told it was a standard part of the SGLI. I also reviewed several non-government issue insurance policies, and was told by the agents that "the government doesn't cover you in combat, so why should we?" I don't have a copy of the SGLI documents handy (I don't usually keep anything beyond its useful life), so cannot confirm my recolections, though.

[saigon68]

6. SGLI

I'm sure he got something.

When I was in the service it was $10,000.00. If you wanted to pay another $10.00 per quarter they gave you another $10,000.00

Thanks to your wife for serving.
$100,000.00 is only 2 or 2 1/2 years salary for a teacher, aide or other public service professional depending on area

but in todays world those at the trade center didn't need ANY INSURANCE.

[quarbis]

10. Latest SGLI coverage

SGLI Benefit Increased to $200,000 (Corrected Version of



By Master Sgt. Stephen Barrett, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- The starting benefit for
Servicemen's Group Life Insurance increases from $100,000 to
$200,000 beginning April 1.
The change will affect all members on active duty or in the
qualified Reserve or the National Guard.
Thomas Tower, with DoD's Office of Compensation, said
service members can still opt for the level of coverage they
wish. "They can decrease the amount of coverage in $10,000
increments," said Tower. "They can even decline the coverage
entirely. But the starting point is now $200,000."
Service members with less than $200,000 of coverage who
don't want the automatic increase must file a SGLI Form 8286 in
early April. This will keep their insurance level the same and
avoid an automatic increase in their premiums.
Tower said DoD increased the starting benefit to properly
cover all service members, even while attending basic training,
and compensate families at the maximum level in case of an early
training accident. Currently, recruits start at $100,000, then
get the option of increasing the benefit shortly after reporting
for duty.
"If service members were to die before they could complete
the insurance paperwork, they wouldn't get the full
amount," said Tower. "When a person dies and the benefit is only
$100,000, the family is often uncomfortable with this result. By
changing this, families will know that they're getting the
maximum amount allowable unless the member, not the government,
chose another level of coverage."
The $200,000 benefit first became available in November
1992. Service members paying $9 a month for $100,000 Servicemen's
Group Life Insurance coverage could double their benefit for an
$18 deduction. Since 1992, nearly 70 percent of active duty
forces and over half of the reserve component opted for the
increased benefit.
Tower said the majority of $200,000 takers are married
service members wishing the added coverage to take care of their
families.
He added single service members often don't want or need
the additional coverage, although many of them do take the
maximum. "Not everybody is going to want the full amount," said
Tower, "and SGLI insurance is designed for people to set up their
own coverage based on their needs."
Still, Tower urged service members not to decrease their
current benefits too much. "Once you've decreased the benefit,
then decide later to increase the amount, you may have problems
getting the extra coverage," said Tower. He said the insurance
company handling Servicemen's Group Life Insurance requires a
certificate of good health endorsed by the service member's
commander before increasing the benefit. Such applications are
subject to acceptance by the insurance company.
He said service members still wishing to decrease their
benefit can complete and return an SGLI Form 8286 at their
service personnel office. (3/25/96: 96144)

[Saintgermane]

14. SGLI covers combat deaths.

I am a serving army captain of 19 years, and I can assure you, SGLI covers all deaths in the military, except in rare cases where misconduct can be proved (DUI, suicide), and even then is most often paid to avoid the legal hassle of a court fight.

The 6,000 death benefit is a benefit paid upon the death of service member to aid in funeral expenses, travel expenses, etc.

Finally, widows receive a monthly stipend (can't recall the exact amount, and thi may apply to enlisted only) of some several hundred dollars, payable until re-marriage, or maturity of all surviving children.

saint