The Gold Star widow of an Air Force service member who died in support of the ongoing U.S. war with Iran said in a statement Thursday that the Defense Department had completed its review of her headline-grabbing benefits case.
The case of Libby Klinner, the wife of Maj. John A. Klinner, who was one of six service members killed when an aircraft crashed in Iraq during a refueling mission on March 12, spread this week after she claimed on Instagram that she was informed she could not receive certain combat-related benefits because Congress had not officially declared the military operations in Iran a war.
But after a review of her case, an Air Force spokesperson told NOTUS in a statement that officials have confirmed all eligible combat-pay-related benefits, including imminent-danger pay, hostile-fire pay and combat-zone tax-exclusion benefits, were “included in the arrears of pay [Klinner] has already received.”
She confirmed the findings in a statement to CNN on Thursday evening.
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“That was the information I shared publicly at the time,” Klinner said. “As the story spread, however, it created the impression that our family’s military benefits had been broadly denied or withheld, which was not the case.”
Klinner said the Pentagon has since reviewed her case and confirmed her family had received all of its benefits, adding she was “grateful to everyone who helped bring clarity and resolution to this deeply personal matter.” Klinner said the experience reflects “how difficult it can be for a grieving family to navigate classifications, terminology and government processes at the very moment we are least equipped to do so.”
“No Gold Star family should have to become an expert in government language to understand what they are entitled to,” she said.
Combat-zone tax-exclusion benefits are based on geographic location and effective dates, according to the pay tables posted to the Pentagon’s Defense Finance and Accounting Service website. Imminent-danger pay is likewise determined by select locations, including various areas throughout the Middle East, and whether the operation was “directed by President of the United States,” the website says.
Vice President JD Vance told reporters during a briefing Thursday that the Trump administration would directly connect with Klinner to ensure she receives all of her benefits.
“My message to her would be: We love you, we’re grateful for the sacrifice and we very much take very seriously our commitment to get you what you need to get,” Vance said.
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