{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases/golden-luttrell-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-eliminate-statute-of-limitations-for-gold-star-survivor-benefits", "Golden, Luttrell introduce bipartisan bill to eliminate statute of limitations for Gold Star survivor benefits", "2025-05-21", "2025", "2025-05", "Democrat", "House", "ME", "Jared F. Golden", "G000592", "golden.house.gov", "golden", "https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 Congressmen Jared Golden (ME-02) and Morgan Luttrell (TX-08) today introduced the Supporting our Surviving Spouses Act, which would eliminate the six-year statute of limitations on survivor benefits for Gold Star spouses.\n\nGolden began work on the bill following outreach from a constituent whose husband passed away while on active duty in 2012, who said she was not informed of her eligibility for a portion of survivor benefits until more than a decade later. The constituent applied for the benefits owed, but was denied by the Department of Defense, which said her eligibility window had expired.\n\n\u201cGold Star families should never lose out on survivor benefits because of arbitrary red tape,\u201d Golden said. \u201cThis is a serious problem that\u2019s hurting people who\u2019ve already lost so much. Getting them the resources they\u2019re entitled to is a basic responsibility of our government, and I\u2019m glad to work across the aisle to remove barriers that prevent it from happening.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur commitment to Gold Star families shouldn\u2019t expire on a timeline, especially when some families don\u2019t even know they\u2019re eligible until it\u2019s too late,\u201d Luttrell said. \u201cI\u2019m proud to co-lead the Supporting our Surviving Spouses Act to ensure surviving spouses of those killed after 9/11 can claim the benefits they\u2019re owed no matter when they apply.\u201d\n\nUnder the current Barring Act, any claims against the federal government \u2014 including those by military spouses to receive survivor benefits \u2014 must be made within six years. If that statute of limitations passes without a claim being completed, agencies no longer have jurisdiction to process it. While a waiver system for extenuating circumstances does exist, veterans service organizations have told Golden that successful waivers are extremely rare \u2014 a reality which has denied Gold Star families of the benefits they\u2019d otherwise receive.\n\nThe bill has been endorsed by the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, and Disabled American Veterans.\n\nFull text of the legislation can be found here.\n\nWHAT THEY\u2019RE SAYING:\n\n\u201cThe Department of Maine Veterans of Foreign Wars is proud to support this bill which will remove the six year statute on these claims,\u201d Steven SanPedro, state commander of the Department of Maine Veterans of Foreign Wars said. \u201cWe feel that a surviving spouse deserves all benefits to include monetary for the sacrifice their loved ones gave to their country. By passing this, the country will be \u201cHonoring Their Contract\u201d to our veterans, our military, and their families.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere shouldn\u2019t be a time limit for families to access the survivor benefits they\u2019re entitled to after the loss of a loved one. But the current law prevents many spouses from ever being able to do so,\u201d Maine Legionnaire Matthew Jabaut said. \u201cMaking survivor benefits payable, no matter when claims are made, is the right thing to do \u2014 plain and simple. I\u2019m appreciative to Congressman Golden for leading the charge on fixing this real problem.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) greatly appreciates Congressman Jared Golden and Morgan Luttrell, Chairman of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee for introducing the Supporting our Surviving Spouses Act,\u201d Bonnie Carroll, president and founder of TAPS said. \u201cThis important legislation will allow military surviving families more time to file a claim for survivor benefits, by removing the six-year statute of limitations on line of duty deaths. Ensuring our surviving families the support and benefits they deserve is our nation\u2019s sacred obligation and we urge swift passage of this critical legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cFamilies of fallen service members should never be burdened with unnecessary legal obstacles and arbitrary timeframes to receive the benefits they rightfully deserve,\u201d Joy J. Ilem, national legislative director of Disabled American Veterans said. \u201cBy eliminating restrictive statutes of limitations, the Supporting our Surviving Spouses Act acknowledges the lasting impact of service and sacrifice, reinforcing our nation\u2019s unwavering commitment to those who bear the ultimate burden. DAV applauds Rep. Golden for introducing and championing this critical legislation.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T00:49:36Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases/golden-luttrell-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-eliminate-statute-of-limitations-for-gold-star-survivor-benefits"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4369459822773933, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}