Supreme Court Gay Marriage Ruling Could Impact Military Benefits

Spouses of gay soldiers are not eligible for the same federal benefits as their heterosexual counterparts

When Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan returned from a year-long deployment to Kuwait with the New Hampshire National Guard in 2010, her doctor didn't have good news. The breast cancer thought to be in remission, the physician said, had returned, and the diagnosis was terminal.

That's when Morgan began a new battle – to make sure her wife and their daughter receive the same survivor benefits that would go to any other married couple with children.

The US Supreme Court's decision to take up the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) could have a considerable impact on the benefits of same-sex spouses of service members, who were largely invisible to the military until the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT).