SENATOR COLLINS COSPONSORS LEGISLATION TO PROTECT SOCIAL SERVICES FOR MILITARY FAMILIES

Washington, D.C. -- Senator Susan Collins is cosponsoring legislation that will protect military families from losing valuable support from public assistance programs when a family member is deployed overseas. The proposal would exclude deployment-related "special pays and allowances," such as combat pay and family separation allowance, from being considered part of a family's income when calculating the family's eligibility for public assistance programs. This would protect families from losing access to programs like Head Start, school lunch, child care, and heating assistance.

"While they are temporary, these small increases in income can make some military families ineligible for these benefits that can make all the difference for a low income family. Moreover, this happens at the very time that the family needs more support rather than less," said Senator Collins. "Families should not lose access to these essential social services because the husband, wife, mother, or father is getting deployment compensation - it's just not right. While these families are making a sacrifice for the country, we need to ensure they get all the support they need."

The legislation also expresses a "Sense of the Congress" that general assistance programs administered by the states should also not count military pay beyond base pay when determining the eligibility of active duty service members.

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