WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration says it has worked out a solution to allow the families of fallen military members to receive death benefits during the government shutdown.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says the Fisher House Foundation has agreed to make the payments from its own funds. At the end of the shutdown, the Defense Department will reimburse the foundation for the costs it has incurred.
The White House said earlier Wednesday that President Barack Obama was "disturbed" to learn that families of fallen soldiers were not receiving death benefits. The Defense Department typically pays families about $100,000 within three days of a soldier's death, but officials say the shutdown was preventing those benefits from being paid.
The Fisher House Foundation is a charity organization that works with veterans and military families.
