Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s First District sent a letter to Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval today to request a clarification of the policies of the Nevada Office of Veterans Services and the cemeteries under its jurisdiction to ensure legally married, same-sex couples are eligible to be buried in the Southern and Northern Nevada Veterans Cemeteries. 

“We rightfully elevate our veterans and their families because of their service and sacrifice; yet today some veterans and their families across the country face discrimination by the states and federal government they fought to defend,” said Titus. “I’m proud to stand with all those who have bravely served in our Armed Forces, and will continue to fight to ensure all veterans receive the benefits they have earned and rightfully deserve, including the right to be buried with their legally married, same-sex spouse.”

Today’s letter is Titus’ latest effort to highlight and correct ongoing discrimination against same-sex veteran couples seeking access to the benefits they earned serving in the Armed Forces. Nearly a year after the landmark Supreme Court decision striking down the Defense of Marriage Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs still does not have a clear policy to ensure all veterans and their spouses have access to their earned benefits. In June 2013, Titus introduced the Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act, H.R. 2529, to amend the Department of Veterans Affairs’ definition of the term “spouse”, in Section 101 of title 38, United States Code, as “an individual of the opposite sex” and thereby extend eligibility of VA benefits to same-sex military spouses. 

The full text of the letter can be found here:

May 8, 2014

Dear Governor Sandoval, 

Last week on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, I spoke about a woman from Boise, Idaho, named Madelynn Taylor, a six year veteran of the United States Navy, who is being denied the right to be interred with her spouse, Jean, in the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery because they are lesbians. Madelynn lost her spouse in 2012 and soon after began the task of making arrangements to ensure that the two of them would be together in death, as they were in life. Being a veteran, Madelynn herself has the right to be interred at a state or national veterans cemetery. 

Like in Nevada, the closest national cemetery to Idaho is a considerable distance away, so Madelynn decided to inquire about a joint plot in a memorial wall at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in her hometown of Boise. Her request was denied by the State of Idaho Division of Veterans Services which manages the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, citing the Constitution of the State of Idaho, which does not recognize marriage equality.  

Similarly to Idaho, the Constitution of the State of Nevada states, “Only a marriage between a male and female person shall be recognized and given effect in this state.”  It is because of that discriminatory language that I write today to request a clarification of the policies of the Nevada Office of Veterans Services and the cemeteries under their jurisdiction. Are legally married same sex couples eligible to be buried in the Southern and Northern Nevada Veterans Cemeteries? If not, I respectfully request that you alter this policy to allow same sex couple burials so all veterans can be interred with their legal spouses. 

I thank you for your attention to this issue. 

Sincerely,

Dina Titus

Member of Congress