RIP Sgt. Brett Till (EOD tech, Incident Response Regiment, Holsworthy Army Base).
Posted on 09/26/2009 10:37:42 PM PDT by myknowledge
SIX months after her husband was killed fighting in Afghanistan, Breeanna Till is broke - let down by the government that promised solemnly to look after her.
Heavily pregnant with the child Sergeant Brett Till will never know, the Sydney widow fears becoming like "a single mum on the dole" when she gives birth in a few weeks.
The $905 weekly pay her husband brought home lasted just a fortnight after he died in a roadside bomb explosion. In its place, the military gave Mrs Till a compensation payment of just $305 a week.
Sgt Till, 31, was a much-respected explosive ordnance disposal technician from the Incident Response Regiment, stationed at Holsworthy.
On March 19, he was with a group of soldiers conducting "route clearance" work in southern Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device was found.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailytelegraph.com.au ...
RIP Sgt. Brett Till (EOD tech, Incident Response Regiment, Holsworthy Army Base).
This is a terrible injustice.
I didn’t read anything about insurance. Does the military offer some sort of insurance. For example, if a husband would die in the military, the family receives 400,000 dollars from the insurance company and then the family receives 40 percent of the paycheck for the wife. It seems like England gives about 33 percent after the spouse dies and no mention of insurance.
Indeed, at the same time, the pollies in Oz voted for themselves another pay rise.
While illegals boat their way toward Oz through the back door, illegally, war widows and some retired servicemen are treated like dirt.
the US Army offers term life under SGLI.
I carried 100K when I was in but 250K is real cheap too. I’d be surprised if Sergeant Till didn’t have SGLI.
I thought the Aussies were better than that. How VERY disappointing.
tis Oz mate, Sydney being Down Under and all.
FOr Social Security, Oz style, here is the 411
http://www.facsia.gov.au/Guides_Acts/ssg/ssguide-4/ssguide-4.13/ssguide-4.13.1/pc_13632.html
Much different than the US, dependant (kids) recieve no consideration, for example.
FOr war widows see
http://www.facsia.gov.au/Guides_Acts/ssg/ssguide-4/ssguide-4.3/ssguide-4.3.5/ssguide-4.3.5.40.html
With Kriminal Rudd in PM office right now, things have been going disappointing for us.
With BO calling the shots it won't long before our Military are begging for bread!
Can we do something, set up a fund?
This is basically the media creating a story out of nothing. Mrs Till and her children are entitled to quite a lot of support.
She, and her children, are entitled to a compensation payment under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004.
She has a choice as to how she wishes to be paid. Let’s assume for the moment she chooses to take it as a weekly pension.
She is entitled to $303.50 a week herself - tax free.
She is also entitled to $81.01 a week for each of her children (two at the moment, with a third on the way).
Already, even with two kids, that $24,206 a year. Tax free. When the third child is born, it will be $28,418. Tax free.
In addition she is entitled to a tax free lump sum payment of about $100,000 and the children are each entitled to about $60,000 (I can’t give exact amounts as it depends on her husbands age at the time he died, but these are in the ballpark).
I’m not saying she’s necessarily got these payments yet - maybe some mistake has been made. But it’s what she’s entitled to.
And this is without taking into account that she’s entitled to access superannuation payments and any insurance.
"It's like having to choose whether to house the family or feed them. The lump sum won't pay for a house, the pension won't pay the rent and bills."
In the article she says she had to choose between the lump sum or a reoccurring weekly payment, not both. But you did provide additional details which the article did not provide, additional money because of the children, and the fact that it is tax-free. Still not a lot, but not bad. I believe the pension stays with her the rest of her life and the extra money for the children are paid until they they are grown. My sister has something like this arrangement.
There's two separate lump sums.
One (which would probably be over $300,000 in her case - it starts off at $507,000 for the widow of a 17 year old soldier but reduces as the soldier gets older) is the one she has to make a choice about - she can have the $300,000 lump sum or the weekly payment.
The second (which should be about $100,000) she gets either way.
But you did provide additional details which the article did not provide, additional money because of the children, and the fact that it is tax-free. Still not a lot, but not bad. I believe the pension stays with her the rest of her life and the extra money for the children are paid until they they are grown. My sister has something like this arrangement.
There's also additional allowances, and access to Commonwealth Superannuation, but I can't give numbers on those as there's variables that apply. All up, I would expect her to be on about the equivalent of an normal taxable income of around $40-$50,000 a year - which is more than the average Australian wage. Plus both she and the children get what is referred to as the Gold card, which gives a wide range of concessions on household bills, travel, etc, as well as access to a very high level of health care.
Thank you for lancing this boil of a story.
lol
“I carried 100K when I was in but 250K is real cheap too. I’d be surprised if Sergeant Till didn’t have SGLI.”
Sergeant Till was not in the US Army.
It’s shameful. It enrages me.
Sure!
Not to be unsympathetic, but rather realistic, judging from the wedding picture, she’s extremely not guilty. She shouldn’t have much problem finding another husband, even with three children.
Not that I am cross with you, I am sure that was a statement based upon the “surface” side of this issue...But it does not bode well to an outside opinion of a person they have never met, to their character (widow) and future plans...
The story in and of itself seems to insult the memory and sacrifice of this foriegn soldier for his country and the overall mission...To imply that she will be destitute without help from their government reeks of expectations of everyone else but the widow...Or at least it overshadows he true opinion and needs at a critical time in hers and her kids lives...
There is no way her immediate family is not in total support mode right now...If they are not there I would be shocked and surprised...But I do not believe it is that way...
She is a mess, and looking for someone else to “replace” her husband will not be a thought (if ever again) for a very long time...Even in this predicament...
And I am sure ALL of those guys in her husbands unit will be there for her in the right way...
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