Stephanie Kozacka: Equality for military families

In 2010, the Department of Defense repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” giving troops the ability to serve openly as gay in the military. There are an estimated 1 million veterans in a same-sex relationship, making this a large-scale issue.

In 2013, same-sex military families were able to receive full benefits – including health care, family services and others – as long as the couple was married in a state that legalized same-sex marriage.

What was not said was that, although the Department of Defense views the marriage as legal, the Department of Veterans Affairs does not if the couple resides in a state that does not recognize same-sex marriage.

There are only a handful of states that have not legalized same-sex marriage. One of those is Texas, home to over 1.3 million veterans, along with many active-duty military installations.

Current Senate legislation called the Charlie Morgan Military Spouses Equal Treatment Act of 2015 would allow a veteran in a same-sex marriage to live in any state and receive full Department of Veterans Affairs benefits.

As a military spouse, I believe that whether a veteran is in a same-sex or opposite-sex marriage, we are all created equal and should be treated as such.

This story was originally published April 20, 2015 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Stephanie Kozacka: Equality for military families."