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Log inForgotten war widow broke
Re: Forgotten war widow broke
Trev h. on Sun Sep 27, 2009 6:33 pm
Minister 'sorry' about war widow case
From: AAP September 27, 2009 4:44PM
THE Federal Government has ordered a review into the case of Breeanna Till, who says she is being unfairly treated after the death of her soldier husband.
Ms Till, whose husband Sergeant Brett Till was killed in Afghanistan on March 19, says what the Government is giving her is the same as a single mother on the dole.
She is pregnant with the soldier's baby and is looking after two of his children from a previous relationship.
Ms Till told The Sunday Telegraph her husband's $905-a-week pay packet continued two weeks after his death and was then replaced with a compensation payment of $305 a week.
She raised her concerns during a public hearing of a review of the military compensation system.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
.End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
Veterans Affairs Minister Alan Griffin has ordered his department to examine Ms Till's case.
"I'm really sorry that she feels that way," he told reporters in Melbourne today.
"I have ordered an urgent investigation by my department into the details of Mrs Till's case to ensure that she is getting all of the support that she's entitled to.
"There are certainly some payments which I believe have not been paid and I'm looking at the reasons why."
Mr Griffin said the Government made a commitment at the last election to review military compensation arrangements and he expected to receive recommendations of an inquiry early next year.
He said he looked forward to acting on the review of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act.
''(But) nothing financial is going to replace the loss of a loved partner,'' he said.
"To be honest I don't think I'm in a position to understand the horror that she's going through having lost her life partner. It's a terrible tragedy."
War widows review a lump sum payment of about $122,000. They can then either choose to be paid a further one-off payment of about $507,000 or receive an indexed pension of about $335 a week. The pension is uncapped and not taxed.
Dependants receive approximately $73,000 as a lump sum, an $81-a-week payment while they are dependants, and education support. Widows and dependants also receive a gold card, which entitles the holder to departmental funding for all healthcare services.
Opposition veterans affairs spokeswoman Louise Markus said the case highlighted the need for urgent reform of the compensation system for veterans and their families, and called on the Government to step in and fix the system.
"The process needs improvement so that others do not experience the challenges and struggles outlined (by Ms Till)," she said in a statement.
"We have a responsibility to ensure that the process of providing compensation to veterans and family members is straightforward and user friendly.''
The Opposition also wants to speed up the review of military compensation arrangements, due to report next March.
Sgt Till, a bomb disposal expert, died instantly when the explosive device he was defusing went off.
From: AAP September 27, 2009 4:44PM
THE Federal Government has ordered a review into the case of Breeanna Till, who says she is being unfairly treated after the death of her soldier husband.
Ms Till, whose husband Sergeant Brett Till was killed in Afghanistan on March 19, says what the Government is giving her is the same as a single mother on the dole.
She is pregnant with the soldier's baby and is looking after two of his children from a previous relationship.
Ms Till told The Sunday Telegraph her husband's $905-a-week pay packet continued two weeks after his death and was then replaced with a compensation payment of $305 a week.
She raised her concerns during a public hearing of a review of the military compensation system.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
.End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
Veterans Affairs Minister Alan Griffin has ordered his department to examine Ms Till's case.
"I'm really sorry that she feels that way," he told reporters in Melbourne today.
"I have ordered an urgent investigation by my department into the details of Mrs Till's case to ensure that she is getting all of the support that she's entitled to.
"There are certainly some payments which I believe have not been paid and I'm looking at the reasons why."
Mr Griffin said the Government made a commitment at the last election to review military compensation arrangements and he expected to receive recommendations of an inquiry early next year.
He said he looked forward to acting on the review of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act.
''(But) nothing financial is going to replace the loss of a loved partner,'' he said.
"To be honest I don't think I'm in a position to understand the horror that she's going through having lost her life partner. It's a terrible tragedy."
War widows review a lump sum payment of about $122,000. They can then either choose to be paid a further one-off payment of about $507,000 or receive an indexed pension of about $335 a week. The pension is uncapped and not taxed.
Dependants receive approximately $73,000 as a lump sum, an $81-a-week payment while they are dependants, and education support. Widows and dependants also receive a gold card, which entitles the holder to departmental funding for all healthcare services.
Opposition veterans affairs spokeswoman Louise Markus said the case highlighted the need for urgent reform of the compensation system for veterans and their families, and called on the Government to step in and fix the system.
"The process needs improvement so that others do not experience the challenges and struggles outlined (by Ms Till)," she said in a statement.
"We have a responsibility to ensure that the process of providing compensation to veterans and family members is straightforward and user friendly.''
The Opposition also wants to speed up the review of military compensation arrangements, due to report next March.
Sgt Till, a bomb disposal expert, died instantly when the explosive device he was defusing went off.
Trev h.- Admin
- Posts: 268
Join date: 2008-07-02
Location: Hyde-A-Way, Hatherleigh, South Aust. 
Re: Forgotten war widow broke
Noel Mc Laughlin on Sun Sep 27, 2009 11:42 am
I read the same article and the editorial in the Sunday Tele.
I'd love to know what Legacy is doing about this.
I remember when Happy Kirk, me and Jock Moffat did our level 2 MRCA course in July 2005.
We left the course having learned SFA (no thanks to the NSW RSL instructors) with one notable exception about one important thing we picked up. I well remember Happy saying to the civvy DS from DVA, "At least one good thing has come out of this new legislation and that's the fact that families are going to be looked after." I never forgot that.
As an indication of what the widow and her children are entitled to, below for the info of members, are the relevant payments from DVA Fact Sheet MRC04 (last updated 17/9/2009):
Compensation Payment Rates, continued MRC04 - Last updated: 17 Sep 09 [b]Page 2 of 3[/b]
Wholly dependent partners
Death benefit $303.50 per week (or lump sup equivalent based on age).
Maximum additional death benefit: $122,742.21
Eligible young persons
Death benefit lump sum $73,645.33
Death benefit periodic payment per week $81.01
Lump sum on maximum impairment of member $73,645.33
Other Dependants
Maximum death benefit per person $73,645.33
Education Allowance for eligible young persons
Primary students (per year) $ 223.70
Secondary and tertiary students (fortnightly rate)
Age At Home Living away from Home Homeless
Under 16 $46.00 $348.46 $71.40
16-17 $203.30 $371.40 $371.40
18 & over $244.40 $371.40 $371.40
Funeral Assistance
Maximum $9,930.22
MRCA Supplement
Maximum $12.00 per fortnight
Oral advice
While we make every effort to ensure that you are given accurate information, it is important
that you seek written confirmation of oral information or advice before making any major
decisions based on that information. We continually strive to improve the level of service you receive and make this request as an as an added safeguard for you.[b]
I'd love to know what Legacy is doing about this.
I remember when Happy Kirk, me and Jock Moffat did our level 2 MRCA course in July 2005.
We left the course having learned SFA (no thanks to the NSW RSL instructors) with one notable exception about one important thing we picked up. I well remember Happy saying to the civvy DS from DVA, "At least one good thing has come out of this new legislation and that's the fact that families are going to be looked after." I never forgot that.
As an indication of what the widow and her children are entitled to, below for the info of members, are the relevant payments from DVA Fact Sheet MRC04 (last updated 17/9/2009):
Compensation Payment Rates, continued MRC04 - Last updated: 17 Sep 09 [b]Page 2 of 3[/b]
Wholly dependent partners
Death benefit $303.50 per week (or lump sup equivalent based on age).
Maximum additional death benefit: $122,742.21
Eligible young persons
Death benefit lump sum $73,645.33
Death benefit periodic payment per week $81.01
Lump sum on maximum impairment of member $73,645.33
Other Dependants
Maximum death benefit per person $73,645.33
Education Allowance for eligible young persons
Primary students (per year) $ 223.70
Secondary and tertiary students (fortnightly rate)
Age At Home Living away from Home Homeless
Under 16 $46.00 $348.46 $71.40
16-17 $203.30 $371.40 $371.40
18 & over $244.40 $371.40 $371.40
Funeral Assistance
Maximum $9,930.22
MRCA Supplement
Maximum $12.00 per fortnight
Oral advice
While we make every effort to ensure that you are given accurate information, it is important
that you seek written confirmation of oral information or advice before making any major
decisions based on that information. We continually strive to improve the level of service you receive and make this request as an as an added safeguard for you.[b]
Noel Mc Laughlin- Posts: 33
Join date: 2008-07-05 -
Forgotten war widow broke
Trev h. on Sun Sep 27, 2009 8:14 am
Nick Leys From: Herald Sun September 27, 2009 12:00AM
JUST six months after her husband was killed in Afghanistan, Breeanna Till is broke -- let down by the government which promised solemnly to look after her.
Heavily pregnant with the child Sgt Brett Till will never know, the Sydney widow fears becoming a "single mum on the dole" when she gives birth in a few weeks.
The $905-a-week pay packet her husband earned lasted just two weeks after he died in a roadside bomb explosion.
In its place, the military gave Mrs Till a compensation payment of $305 a week.
Sgt Till, 31, was a highly respected Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician from the Incident Response Regiment stationed at Sydney's Holsworthy Barracks.
On March 19 he was with a group of soldiers conducting "route clearance" work in southern Afghanistan.
An improvised explosive device was located and in the course of disposing of the bomb, it exploded and killed him instantly.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
.End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
Mrs Till, who looks after Sgt Till's two children from a previous marriage, Jacob, 10 and Taleah, 7, has made ends meet with part-time work, but will soon have to give that up because of the baby.
Last Thursday she broke down in tears as she told a Department of Veterans Affairs review panel of her plight at a public meeting in western Sydney.
She said most Australians would be outraged to learn how little financial support was afforded the families of servicemen killed fighting for the country.
In a week which saw politicians and heads of government agencies awarded a pay rise, Mrs Till revealed she was receiving the same amount of financial support as a single mother on welfare payments.
"What the DVA are offering the family of a man who died in the service of his country is the same as if I was on the dole as a single mum. It's disappointing," she said.
"The public opinion is if a guy is killed overseas, his family will be looked after.
"Obviously I have had to deal with Brett's death itself.
"But when he died, we got the rest of the fortnight's pay, one extra fortnight's payment, then it stopped."
The Department of Veterans Affairs had also given her a choice of whether to receive a pension or a lump sum.
"It's like having to choose whether to house the family or feed them," she said.
"The lump sum won't pay for a house, the pension won't pay the rent and bills."
The Rudd Government is reviewing the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act after a series of complaints by former servicemen.
Mrs Till's treatment flies in the face of the solemn public promises and expressions of sympathy made by officials immediately after her husband's death. Chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston described Sgt Till as "highly skilled and very courageous".
Mrs Till spoke of conversations with other serving members of her husband's regiment about their expectations of compensation should they get killed or injured on the frontline.
"The boys say before they go overseas they want to do their service but also set up their families," she said.
"They are under the impression that if something happens to them, their families will be supported.
"But when I've spoken to other guys in Brett's troop, there is a difference to what they think they are entitled to against what happens."
JUST six months after her husband was killed in Afghanistan, Breeanna Till is broke -- let down by the government which promised solemnly to look after her.
Heavily pregnant with the child Sgt Brett Till will never know, the Sydney widow fears becoming a "single mum on the dole" when she gives birth in a few weeks.
The $905-a-week pay packet her husband earned lasted just two weeks after he died in a roadside bomb explosion.
In its place, the military gave Mrs Till a compensation payment of $305 a week.
Sgt Till, 31, was a highly respected Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician from the Incident Response Regiment stationed at Sydney's Holsworthy Barracks.
On March 19 he was with a group of soldiers conducting "route clearance" work in southern Afghanistan.
An improvised explosive device was located and in the course of disposing of the bomb, it exploded and killed him instantly.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
.End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
Mrs Till, who looks after Sgt Till's two children from a previous marriage, Jacob, 10 and Taleah, 7, has made ends meet with part-time work, but will soon have to give that up because of the baby.
Last Thursday she broke down in tears as she told a Department of Veterans Affairs review panel of her plight at a public meeting in western Sydney.
She said most Australians would be outraged to learn how little financial support was afforded the families of servicemen killed fighting for the country.
In a week which saw politicians and heads of government agencies awarded a pay rise, Mrs Till revealed she was receiving the same amount of financial support as a single mother on welfare payments.
"What the DVA are offering the family of a man who died in the service of his country is the same as if I was on the dole as a single mum. It's disappointing," she said.
"The public opinion is if a guy is killed overseas, his family will be looked after.
"Obviously I have had to deal with Brett's death itself.
"But when he died, we got the rest of the fortnight's pay, one extra fortnight's payment, then it stopped."
The Department of Veterans Affairs had also given her a choice of whether to receive a pension or a lump sum.
"It's like having to choose whether to house the family or feed them," she said.
"The lump sum won't pay for a house, the pension won't pay the rent and bills."
The Rudd Government is reviewing the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act after a series of complaints by former servicemen.
Mrs Till's treatment flies in the face of the solemn public promises and expressions of sympathy made by officials immediately after her husband's death. Chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston described Sgt Till as "highly skilled and very courageous".
Mrs Till spoke of conversations with other serving members of her husband's regiment about their expectations of compensation should they get killed or injured on the frontline.
"The boys say before they go overseas they want to do their service but also set up their families," she said.
"They are under the impression that if something happens to them, their families will be supported.
"But when I've spoken to other guys in Brett's troop, there is a difference to what they think they are entitled to against what happens."
Trev h.- Admin
- Posts: 268
Join date: 2008-07-02
Location: Hyde-A-Way, Hatherleigh, South Aust. -
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