I was married to a lieutenant colonel in the Marines for about 15 years. We divorced before he passed away, but I was married to him for over 10 years. He was just starting to receive Agent Orange benefits when he passed away about a year ago. He served in Vietnam and had a full military career. So, I’m wondering if I’m entitled to any of his military pension since he was a career Marine. Anyone know what I should do in this situation?
Sorry to hear about your loss. From what I know, if you were already divorced at the time of his passing, you wouldn’t be entitled to his military pension. It usually ends with the service member’s death unless there’s specific insurance for it.
@Peyton
Yeah, I think that’s the case. I know some pensions have insurance to keep payments going to dependents, but only if it’s mentioned in the divorce decree. Did yours say anything about that?
Lane said:
@Peyton
Yeah, I think that’s the case. I know some pensions have insurance to keep payments going to dependents, but only if it’s mentioned in the divorce decree. Did yours say anything about that?
Exactly. And if it wasn’t in the divorce papers, then there’s not much that can be done. It’s unfortunate, but if you didn’t have the pension insured, it’s over after his death.
Sorry to hear. It sounds like the pension situation might be complicated since you were married for so long but were divorced at the time he passed. If you were married at the time of his death, you might have been eligible for some VA benefits, though.
@Vesper
Yeah, the VA does have a program for widows of veterans who pass away from Agent Orange-related illnesses, but they require you to be married at the time of their death to qualify for that.
@Vesper
Oh wow, I didn’t know that about the VA benefits. So, since you were divorced before he passed, you’re not eligible for that either?
That’s a tough situation. I don’t know much about military pensions, but from what I’ve heard, once a service member passes, the pension stops unless there’s specific language in the divorce agreement or insurance in place.
@Parker
Thanks, yeah. It seems like I missed out on both the pension and the VA benefits because we were divorced by the time he passed.
That’s really unfortunate. I think the only thing you could have been entitled to would be a share of the pension if you were still married at the time of his death, but it sounds like there was no insurance either.
@Vega
Yeah, looks like that’s the case. It’s hard when things like this fall through the cracks after a divorce.
Hey, I’m sorry you’re dealing with all of this. I know it might not help much, but at least you were able to get some clarity on the situation. That can make things a little easier to manage moving forward.
@Zion
Thanks, I appreciate that. It’s been tough, but I guess it’s good to have the facts now, even if they’re not what I hoped for.