Duckworth And Rigell Introduce ACES Act To Address Inequality In Surviving Spouse Benefits

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) and Congressman Scott Rigell (VA-2) introduced the The Military Spouses' Achieving College Education for Survivors (ACES) Act. This bipartisan legislation would provide surviving spouses whose husband or wife died in the line of duty after 9/11/2001, the time necessary to use the full 36 month benefit from the Fry Scholarship without fear of it being cut short halfway through their educational pursuits.

The Fry Scholarship is an educational benefit given to children of our fallen troops. In August of 2014, Congress voted to extend this benefit to surviving spouses as well. Currently, public law cuts off Fry Scholarship Eligibility 15 years from the date of a Servicemember's death. Unfortunately, this means that spouses who lost their loved one shortly after 9/11 only have a possible 12 or 24 months of eligibility to use an educational benefit that is good for 36 months of enrollment and is normally used over the course of 4 years. The ACES act will allow surviving spouses whose eligibility will end before they can fully use their benefit to complete their education.

"Memorial Day is a day to honor our loved ones who served our country and did not make it home," said Duckworth. "We can never fully repay the debt owed to the brave men and women who laid down their lives for our country, but we can honor their courage by upholding our duty to support our Veterans, members of the military and their families. The ACES act is a common sense fix to make sure that these spouses receive the benefits they earned and deserve."

"I do not know why Providence calls upon some to give their last breath in defense of our freedoms, but I do know with certainty that we owe these brave men and women our complete commitment to care for their families," said Representative Scott Rigell (VA-2), who represents the congressional district with the highest concentration of men and women in uniform in the country. "Our Gold Star families deserve not only our deep respect and gratitude, but action to ensure their earned benefits are protected. This common-sense bill honors that commitment."

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