News

We are honored to announce Katie Fellure (Vasquez) has joined our Board of Directors.

Katie’s husband, LTC Michael Fellure, died on active duty in 2019 at age 47 from esophageal cancer linked to burn-pit exposure during his service in Iraq. We honor his life, service, and sacrifice, and the strength Katie carries forward in his memory.

Through her work, Katie has become a tireless advocate, raising awareness and fighting for benefits for families like hers. She brings both lived experience and a powerful voice to our mission, and we are grateful for her leadership and commitment to ensuring surviving families are supported and heard.

Please join us in welcoming Katie to the Gold Star Spouses of America Inc. team.

Are you a Service-Connected Surviving Military Spouse who had a Burial Transportation Benefit Claim processed at the Veterans Administration between Jan 2023 and Mar 2024? Please reach out to us at info@goldstarspouses.org.

Recent report from VA OIG estimated that 83 percent of Veteran Death benefit claims from this time period contained an error, of which 2,000 claims (16 percent) resulted in about $1.9 million in underpayments. You may have been underpaid! Please contact us if you believe you may be in this group.

Please read the following VA report for more information:

The Military Coalition released this statement,

" We are proud to welcome Gold Star Spouses of America, Inc. as a Supporting Member of The Military Coalition (TMC).

The Gold Star Spouses of America's mission is rooted in advocacy, connection, education and remembrance, ensuring the legacy of our fallen heroes live on through meaningful action.

We look forward to working together with them to advance advocacy efforts that strengthen support for service members, veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors."

The Military Coalition (TMC) is comprised of 35 Veteran and Military Service Organizations. Their philosophy is that, by working together on issues of mutual agreement, the participating organizations can harness grassroots support of more than 5.5 million members, plus their families and accomplish far more, than by working on these initiatives separately.

When one or more of the coalition organizations is invited to testify before congress, they frequently coordinate the testimony with the other coalition associations and present it on behalf of the entire coalition. This lends greater weight and unanimity to the testimony than if it were presented by any individual association.

Gold Star Spouses Of America National Vice President, Kimberly Hazelgrove, attends the VFW National Convention Memorial Services. Kimberly is a veteran in her own right and an active member of the VFW

Gold Star Spouses of America Vice President, Kimberly Hazelgrove, delivers a moving speech as Guest Speaker at the 2025 VFW National Convention Memorial Service. An excerpt, "While loss can break you, Remembrance can help build you back up". Remembrance is at the heart of Gold Star Spouses of America's mission. Wonderful Speech and Great Job Kimberly!

“Gold Star Spouses of America strongly supports the Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act to end the unjust TRICARE premium requirement for military families with young adult children,” said Gold Star Spouses of America National President Tamra Sipes. “Our military kids already shoulder the weight of sacrifice, and they should never pay extra for the same health care access their civilian peers receive without added cost. This bipartisan fix is long overdue.”

https://patryan.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-pat-ryan-re-introduces-bipartisan-health-care-fairness-military 

"With her head held high, she continues this mission of honoring fallen service members by ensuring the families left behind are never forgotten. “Having faith through tragedy empowers us to serve one another humbly in love,” Briley said. “Supporting and serving others, especially families of the fallen, has given me a purpose. For more than 20 years, I have been very active on a local, state and national level advocating for legislative issues that pertain to survivor benefits. Our loved ones are a part of us. They shape us. We talk about them because we love them still and always will.”

Read More:  https://501lifemag.com/person-of-the-month-sharri-lanee-briley/

Radio Interview

Tamra Sipes, National President of Gold Star Spouses Of America, discusses how two pieces of federal legislation are important for surviving spouses of military members. Click here to read the Love Lives On Act and Click here to read the Caring For Survivors Act.