Navy OKs E-payment of Death Benefit

Week of August 11, 2008

A little more than two months after a grieving father was mistakenly jailed for trying to deposit his Navy death benefit check, the service has begun offering electronic funds transfer to make it easier for families to receive money after losing a Sailor. The new policy was implemented Monday by signing a memo between the command, which handles Navy casualties, and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, which processes military checks and payments. Effective immediately, families who lose a Navy servicemember can receive their $100,000 death gratuity benefits electronically. The Navy joins the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force in offering death gratuity benefits electronically. Families will have a choice between receiving electronic funds or a paper check within 24 hours of the death notification. The Navy recommends the former "so that (they) don't have the confusion that (they've) had in the past." Read the article on Military.com.

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