GREGORY CHANDLER--MILITARY ID CARDS FOR SAME-SEX SPOUSES

GREGORY CHANDLER


The Department of Defense now recognizes same-sex marriages
for Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS)
enrollment, benefits and identification card issuance for family
members.

Now, the same benefits will be available to all military spouses,
regardless of sexual orientation upon validation of these documents:

1.  A valid marriage certificate from a jurisdiction (including a
foreign country) that recognizes same-sex marriages to establish
the relationship.

2.  The spouse's birth certificate to verify date of birth and
citizenship.

3.  Social security card.

4.  Two forms of valid identification documents, but one
must be a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's
license, passport, etc. 

5.  Stepchildren enrollment requires marriage or birth
certificate and Social Security card. 

Entitlement, such as basic allowance for housing, medical
expenses and family separation allowance, are retroactive to
June 26, 2013, the date of a United States Supreme Court
decision relevant to same-sex marriage.  No claims to
entitlements before June 26, 2013 will be granted.  For
service members married after June 26, 2013, entitlements
entitlements begin at the date of marriage. 

Medical benefits are tied to DEERS and will be available to
same-sex spouses.


GREGORY CHANDLER, COL, USAR, Attorney at Law,

GREGORY CHANDLER--BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

February is Black History Month.  To that end,I write about the desegregation of the United States military. 

President Harry S. Truman, as commander-in-chief of the United States military, issued Executive Order number 9981 on July 26, 1948.  Executive Order number 9981 abolished racial discrimination in the United States military and eventually led to the end of racial segregation in the military services. 

Although I write about Black History, the executive order ended segregation for all racial and ethnic groups. 


GREGORY CHANDLER, Colonel, USAR