News on VA benefits

I went to Sen. Mark Dayton's office over lunch yesterday and his staff did a little research for me on VA benefits for National Guardsmen in combat. I got to work with a voice mail from the office manager, and if a National Guardsmember becomes disabled in combat they do qualify for VA benefits. This is something kind of new, we're all guessing, because there's been 30 wives from the same unit calling with the same question and mis-information.

I got the information I have been talking about from a Gulf War I vet.

Which leads to quick topic number 2:
I called my insurance agent last week to see about a private disability insurance policy without an act of war clause. My insurance company doesn't have them. But, they're willing to sell me more life insurance without an act of war clause (which I bought when Josh and I first got married).

There's probably a couple of reasons why there isn't an act of war clause in life but there is in disability. One guess is that someone is far less likely to die in an act of war then get injured these days. The other guess is that there is an assumption that VA benefits and Social Security will be enough and also around. Or this could be a market issue, and since we're not in a military town, there's not a lot of demand for something like this...

In the next few weeks, when I get a chance, I'll call Josh's mom's insurance agent. Perhaps he has something as they're by Ellsworth AFB in Rapid City.

Thanks to Dr. Banaian for helping with research.