Government Shutdown Leaves Arkansas Widow Struggling to Bury Her Veteran Husband

As the federal government shutdown stretches into its ninth day and counting, its ripple effect is being felt across the nation. 

And it’s starting to hit veterans and their families. 

After her husband died, Brenda Stuart of Hot Springs, Arkansas, tried to access his DD214 information through the National Archives website. DD214 filings are extremely valuable for veterans as they legally document military service careers in the eyes of the government. The documents can help veterans claim many benefits, including health care coverage from the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

But with many government services on pause due to the shutdown, Stuart was a bit shocked to find out that she couldn’t access her late husband’s paperwork. The DD214 would have allowed Stuart to be reimbursed for her husband’s burial service. Instead, the widow had to dip into her own pocket to cover the expenses. 

“When I had to bury him,” Stuart told THV11 in Little Rock. “I had to take my check to bury him.”

On a fixed income, Stuart’s paychecks are typically used to cover necessities like utilities and rent. 

National Archives On Pause 

Since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, the National Archives site has posted a banner message at the top of its homepage notifying users that they might not be able to access certain information and services. 

“Due to the shutdown of the federal government, National Archives facilities are closed, websites and social media are not being updated or monitored, and activities are canceled,” part of the statement reads. 

With National Archives activities frozen for the time being, personnel there didn’t see Stuart’s request. 

Scars and Stripes Steps Up 

The organization Scars and Stripes has connected with Stuart to help ease some of her financial burden. Jared Eakin, who serves as the organization’s executive director, said Scars and Stripes is a veteran service nonprofit that tries to “address the life stressors that veterans are going through.” 

Being a veteran, Eakin feels a kinship to his fellow comrades and their families.

“We're going to try other routes to be able to get this done, and we're going to assist with utilities and things to help take the strain off,” Eakin said. “But it definitely makes it extremely hard.”

Stuart will likely be reimbursed following the shutdown, when she can get access to her husband’s DD214 files, but it doesn’t mitigate the immediate financial strain of having to provide him with a proper burial. Funding from Scars and Stripes will help but can only be stretched so far. 

Stuart is worried about the not-so-distant future. 

“I know they can't continue to do that just for me,” Stuart said, referring to Scars and Stripes. “So, after this month, I don't know. I'll probably be homeless.”

Veterans Affairs Response 

TVH11 said it asked the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs how people like Stuart can get assistance but was told the department couldn’t comment because of the shutdown. They did receive a message from VA Press Secretary Pete Kasperowicz that read in part: “Thank you for your inquiry regarding how the Democrats’ government shutdown impacts the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA employees who would normally process these requests are currently furloughed and unable to respond. Across the department, more than 30,000 VA employees are not getting paid during the Democrats’ government shutdown.”

Along with the presidency, Republicans control the majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. 

In the last 50 years, the federal government has endured 21 shutdowns, the first coming under President Gerald Ford in 1976 that lasted 11 days. Five under President Carter, and eight under President Reagan. There were three shutdowns during President Trump’s first term in office, including a 35-day pause from December 2018-January 2019 that cost the U.S. economy $3 billion, based on statistics from the Congressional Budget Office.