Veterans' Benefits: Joining The Merchant Marines
Despite the fact that dealer sailors have upheld the Armed Forces in each war battled by the United States, they for the most part are not viewed as veterans with the end goal of qualification for government benefits. Compliant with enactment authorized in 1977 (P.L. 95-202) and 1988 (P.L. 105-368) and to choices made by the Secretary of the Air Force in 1985 and 1988, the accompanying gatherings of World War II-period Merchant Marine are the main vendor sailors qualified for veterans' advantages.
Qualified for every one of veterans' Benefits:
US merchant marine who served on blockships on the side of Operation Mulberry.
American dealer marine in oceangoing assistance during the time of furnished struggle, December 7, 1941, to August 15, 1945, and who meet the accompanying capabilities:
utilized by the War Shipping Administration or Office of Defense Transportation (or their representatives) as a dealer sailor recorded by the U.S. Coast Guard or the Department of Commerce (Merchant Mariner's Document/Certificate of Service) or as a government worker utilized by the U.S. Armed force Transport Service (later redesignated U.S. Armed force Transportation Corps, Water Division) or the Naval Transportation Service; and
served sufficiently as a group part during the time of equipped clash, December 7, 1941, to August 15, 1945, onboard vendor vessels in oceangoing—that is, unfamiliar, intercoastal, or coastwise—administration (per 46 U.S.C. §§10301 and 10501) and further to incorporate close to unfamiliar journeys between the United States and Canada, Mexico, or the West Indies by means of sea courses, or public vessels in oceangoing assistance or unfamiliar waters.
Qualified for entombment advantage and public graveyard interment as it were:
Served between August 16, 1945, and December 31, 1946, as an individual from the United States vendor marine (counting the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service), filling in as a crew member of a vessel that was worked by the War Shipping Administration or the Office of Defense Transportation (or a specialist of all things considered); worked in waters other than inland waters, the Great Lakes, and different lakes, coves, and harbours of the United States; under the agreement or contract to, or property of, the public authority of the United States; and
serving the Armed Forces; and while so serving, was authorized or in any case, reported for administration as a crewmember of such a vessel by an official or representative of the United States approved to permit or record the individual for such help.
H.R. 154, the Honoring Our WWII Merchant Mariners Act 2017, would give one-time remuneration of $25,000 to World War II dealer sailors to represent benefits they couldn't access prior to being conceded veterans' advantage qualification.
Veterans' Benefits: Eligibility of Merchant Mariners
January 27, 2017 (R44162)
- Early Efforts to Secure Benefits for Merchant Mariners
- The GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977, P.L. 95-202
- Well-trained Status Determinations of Merchant Mariners
- Schumacher v. Aldridge: Litigation Contesting the Denials of Active Duty Status
- Reexamination of Denials of Active Duty Status
- The Veterans Programs Enhancement Act of 1988, P.L. 105-368
- Current Eligibility Rules for Merchant Mariners
- Thought about Active Duty and Eligible for All Veterans' Benefits
- Qualified for Burial Benefits and National Cemetery Interment Only
- Recent concerns and Legislation
- H.R. 154, Honoring Our WWII Merchant Mariners Act of 2017
Synopsis
In spite of the fact that shipper sailors have upheld the Armed Forces in each war battled by the United States, they for the most part are not viewed as veterans with the end goal of qualification for government benefits. According to enactment instituted in 1977 (P.L. 95-202) and 1988 (P.L. 105-368) and to choices made by the Secretary of the Air Force in 1985 and 1988, the accompanying gatherings of World War II-time dealer sailors are the main vendor sailors qualified for veterans' benefits.
Eligible for all veterans' benefits:
US merchant marine who served on blockships on the side of Operation Mulberry.
American merchant marine in oceangoing help during the time of outfitted clash, December 7, 1941, to August 15, 1945, and who meet the accompanying capabilities:
utilized by the War Shipping Administration or Office of Defense Transportation (or their representatives) as a shipper sailor reported by the U.S. Coast Guard or the Department of Commerce (Merchant Mariner's Document/Certificate of Service) or as a government employee utilized by the U.S. Armed force Transport Service (later redesignated U.S. Armed force Transportation Corps, Water Division) or the Naval Transportation Service; and
served acceptably as a group part during the time of outfitted clash, December 7, 1941, to August 15, 1945, onboard shipper vessels in oceangoing—that is, unfamiliar, intercoastal, or coastwise—administration (per 46 U.S.C. §§10301 and 10501) and further to incorporate close to unfamiliar journeys between the United States and Canada, Mexico, or the West Indies by means of sea courses, or public vessels in oceangoing assistance or unfamiliar waters.
Qualified for internment advantage and public burial ground interment as it were:
Served between August 16, 1945, and December 31, 1946, as an individual from the United States dealer marine (counting the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service), filling in as a crew member of a vessel that was worked by the War Shipping Administration or the Office of Defense Transportation (or a specialist of all things considered); worked in waters other than inland waters, the Great Lakes, and different lakes, coves, and harbours of the United States; under agreement or sanction to, or property of, the public authority of the United States; and serving the Armed Forces; and while so serving, was authorized or in any case recorded for administration as a crewmember of such a vessel by an official or worker of the United States approved to permit or report the individual for such help.
H.R. 154, the Honoring Our WWII Merchant Mariners Act of 2017, would give one-time remuneration of $25,000 to World War II trader sailors to represent benefits they couldn't access prior to being conceded veterans' advantage qualification.
Veterans' Benefits: Eligibility of Merchant Mariners
In each war battled by the United States, regular citizenships have upheld military tasks by shipping supplies and faculty. The regular people that have served on these vessels generally have worked in fluctuating limits either for private delivery organizations under agreement with the central government or for the public authority itself. These regular citizens are aggregately alluded to as dealer sailors. In World War II, an expected 8,500 trader sailors were killed and 11,000 were wounded.1 During Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), it is assessed that 63% of the tactical freight sent to the Middle East and Afghanistan was conveyed by the U.S.- hailed business vessels manned by dealer sailors and an extra 35% of military freight was shipped by government-possessed vessels ran by regular citizen bureaucratic workers and administrative contractors.2
Despite the fact that trader sailors have consistently assumed a significant part on the side of U.S. war endeavours, they by and large have not been viewed as veterans for the motivations behind government benefits. Presently, just restricted gatherings of World War II-period dealer sailors are qualified for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).3
Early Efforts to Secure Benefits for Merchant Mariners
After World War II, trader sailors looked for through enactment to acquire acknowledgement as veterans. The enactment was acquainted either with giving advantages to trader sailors equivalent to those given under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (P.L. 78-346), generally known as the GI Bill or extending the representative advantages vendor sailors were getting around then.
During hearings in late 1945, the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries heard a declaration on four bills that would have given a few advantages to vendor seamen.4 One of these bills, H.R. 2346, would have given advantages to trader sailors similar to those of other World War II veterans. Declaration for H.R. 2346 was heard from various previous trader sailors and the Merchant Marine Veterans Association.
Declaration contrary to H.R. 2346 came from different offices, including the War Department, the Veterans Administration, and the American Legion. Adversaries to giving veteran status to dealer sailors by and large centred around the opportunity of a vendor sailor to settle on choices concerning whether to take a specific journey or leave administration. They additionally centred around the higher profit of shipper sailors comparative with the formally dressed Navy workforce.
H.R. 476, presented in 1947, would have extended the current advantages for trader sailors identified with medical care and incapacity and presented a training advantage.
At last, no enactment was instituted in the prompt outcome of World War II to allow veteran status to dealer sailors or to give extra advantages to shipper sailors identified with medical services, inability, or training.