Filed by KOSU News in US News.
February 11, 2013

Commissary privileges, family center programs, dependent I.D. cards, joint duty assignments and space-available travel on military aircraft are among the military benefits the Pentagon will now extend to same-sex partners, outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Monday.

His announcement follows the word that broke last week about the Defense Department’s plans to extend many benefits to same-sex partners and their dependents since the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy has been discontinued.

Some benefits cannot, because of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, be extended to same-sex partners. But Panetta’s announcement says that these benefits will be extended to such partners:

– Dependent I.D. cards

– Commissary privileges

– Exchange privileges

– Morale, welfare and recreation programs

– Surveys of military familes

– Quadrennial quality of life review

– Emergency leave

– Emergency leave of absence

– Youth sponsorship program

– Youth programs

– Family center programs

– Sexual assault counseling program

– Joint duty assignments

– Exemption from hostile-fire areas

– Transportation to and from certain places of employment and on military installations

– Transportation to and from primary and secondary school for minor dependents

– Authority of service secretary to transport remains of a dependent

– Disability and death compensation: dependents of members held as captives

– Payments to missing persons

– Space-available travel on DoD aircraft

– Child care

– Legal assistance [Copyright 2013 NPR]