Soliders told 'bring own insurance'

[philw]

Australian soldiers headed to Afghanistan told to take out life insurance
Defence Department issues letters to troops
Told to take out additional accident insurance
"Basic cover less than a night on the town"
AUSSIE Diggers being deployed to Afghanistan are being warned by the Defence Department to pay for extra life insurance because existing compensation has been deemed "inadequate".

A day after 600 troops from Townsville left for the warzone, The Courier-Mail has revealed hundreds of soldiers have been issued with letters from the department advising of the need for "appropriate insurance".

"The additional accident insurance cost for basic cover is less than a night out on the town for a few beers with your mates each month," the letter reads.

The soldiers are required to sign the letter, either agreeing or disagreeing to take out the policy, before their deployment.

Those who decline to take out the policy are informed that in the event of injury or death their families will be advised they chose not to take out the extra cover.

A brochure provided by AIG Australia, which is offering the policy, shows the cost of the top cover is about $100 a month.

A high-ranking soldier who spoke to The Courier-Mail said troops being sent to Afghanistan had been given the forms to sign along with standard deployment paperwork.

The source said many of the soldiers who had received the letter were disgusted.

"It's ridiculous," the soldier said. "While the family is mourning and upset they're going to tell them you didn't care about them enough to take out this extra insurance.

"If it's that important, the Army should be paying for it."

In the letter, the department admits existing support mechanisms in place for soldiers and their families have been found "not to be sufficient, especially by those who have experienced a loss in recent years".

War widow Naomi Nary, whose SAS officer husband David was killed in Kuwait in 2005, said compensation was inadequate.

"It doesn't allow the families to move on in a way that is consistent with what they had before the death of their husband," Mrs Nary said.

She said the department had an obligation to inform soldiers about their entitlements but to be "railroaded" into taking out extra cover was wrong.

"The way they're going about it is emotional manipulation," Mrs Nary said.

A review of the current military compensation arrangements was announced last month by Veterans' Affairs Minister Alan Griffin.

Under legislation introduced in 2004, compensation for partners of soldiers killed in the line of duty was increased to a death benefit of up to $118,362 plus a war widow's pension for life or an age-based lump sum equivalent of up to $507,967.

War widows are also eligible for free lifetime health care, educational allowances for dependent children and military superannuation.

Under the additional cover being offered by AIG, soldiers' families would get another $250,000 upon their death - providing they pay the premium of about $100 a month.

Online calculators indicate a 30-year-old person with two young children and a $200,000 mortgage would require more than $2.7 million in insurance.

what's next,   bring your own guns and ammo

[Big Frank]

If their pay is anything like ours $100 a month is a lot.

[runstowin]

There is money for everything, accept to properly take care of people who put their lives on the line in a foreign country.

[MikeBjerum]

Can you get insurance that will cover in acts of war?  Every accident, disability or life policy I have seriously looked at does not pay in acts of war.

[Timothy]

Actually guys, the Aussies have it better than we do and it's only been increased recently.  Until a guy named Don Imus started hammering every politician that came on his radio show, the benefit for death while on active duty was about 20K.  One of our "dirty little secrets"....

From Navy Times...  http://www.navytimes.com/benefits/family_resources/online_hbml06_payandbenefits_otherbenefits1/

In most circumstances, surviving family members are entitled to the death gratuity regardless of whether the death occurred in the line of duty. The death gratuity for all deaths is now $100,000, retroactive to Oct. 7, 2001, the start of military operations in Afghanistan.

The Defense Department also reimburses burial expenses up to a maximum of $7,700. A family may be paid up to $4,850 for interment in a private cemetery after the remains have been consigned to a funeral home ($7,700 if the family arranges preparation and casket); up to $3,450 for burial in a government cemetery after the remains have been sent to a funeral home ($6,200 when the family arranges preparation and casket); and up to $850 when the remains are directly sent to a government cemetery.

The Pentagon also reimburses families for the money they spend to transport remains to the final destination.


100 large for your life.....while I was on active duty in the 70's the number was 10 grand.....barely enough to ship my skinny ass home....

Update....until 2005, the death benefits for active duty personel was $12,420.00.....reprehensible!

[Sponsor]

[philw]

If their pay is anything like ours $100 a month is a lot.

About $240 a day on top of whatever pay grade theyre on.  when they are deployed  OS  I have been told

[1911 Junkie]

My brother was in the Army in '90-'94 (had to escape under Clintoon).

I thought he had $100k life insurance then. $50k dad, $50k mom, unless you're married.

[Timothy]

My brother was in the Army in '90-'94 (had to escape under Clintoon).

I thought he had $100k life insurance then. $50k dad, $50k mom, unless you're married.

Anything over the base benefit you have to pay for through Servicemans Group Life...SGLI.  I think I bought up to 20K so my parents didn't get stuck flying me back from Alaska or Iceland or some other remote part of the planet if something happened like  a beer can blew up and killed me....