Increased Military Death Benefit Takes Effect

The U.S. military said Friday that it would begin providing increased death benefits to the next of kin of military personnel killed in combat zones or in combat-related training.

In May, President Bush signed into law the increase in the death benefit from $12,000 to $100,000. The military announced implementation of the law Friday.

The increase was part of an $82-billion emergency appropriations bill to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The legislation also increased military life insurance payments from $250,000 to $400,000.

The new benefits are available to the relatives of those killed since Oct. 7, 2001, the day the United States began overt combat operations in Afghanistan.

It will take several months to find everyone who is eligible for the retroactive benefit, the Pentagon said in a statement.

About 1,700 U.S. military personnel have died in Iraq, according to the Defense Department. About 150 have died in Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

Families of troops killed outside the United States in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Afghanistan’s Operation Enduring Freedom qualify for the increased benefit, as do families of troops who died in combat training or while performing hazardous duty, the Pentagon said.

Eligible survivors are to begin receiving retroactive payments “within a few days,” the Pentagon said.