quote:

---

The Department of Veterans Affairs said Monday that same-sex couples in states across the country will now have access to a raft of denied benefits following the Supreme Court's landmark marriage equality decision.

The couples will no longer be denied VA disability pay, home loan guarantees, death pensions and burial rights based on the laws of the states where they have lived and worked, the department announced.

A spokeswoman said the VA will send out new guidance to all staff and will temporarily halt any benefit applications that would have been denied under previous guidelines.

The VA had been issuing benefits only to same-sex partners who lived in a state that permitted gay marriage at the time of their union or who lived in one of those states during their service. But the

Supreme Court effectively struck down state bans on same-sex marriage though some have vowed challenges and removed the basis for the department's rules.

---