Many Augusta-area “Cold War Veterans” who served their country as employees of the SRS plant, unfortunately, have/are currently suffering from a myriad of physical ailments –the majority causation being some of the many forms of nuclear exposure.
In response to this horrible (and unfortunately rampant) phenomenon, the federal gov’t (via the Dept. of Labor) has vowed to compensate these people by providing both considerable monetary awards and no-cost healthcare (which includes up to 24/7/365 home health care so as to avoid institutionalization), among other benefits, for those who qualify. For comprehensive information on qualification requirements, explore our EEOICP section.
These rewards can be significant, and rightfully so. Consequently, a good number of reward recipients can quickly go from a modest bank account to having hefty coffers. And new provisions must be made in the way of investments, controlled spending and yes, inheritance, which spurs an interesting topic that I’d like to briefly cover – and to do so above-and-beyond the usual financial speak.
Fair to say, much of what comes with that inheritance may not be quite so valuable. As scions of the Great Depression, the parents of baby boomers often were loath to throw away anything of potential or perceived worth. Thus, when they die, they often leave behind scores of items, which may be valued heirlooms and artifacts or, sadly, garbage.
Heirs might want to avail themselves of their parents’ possessions if they have any monetary value (which often leads to familial infighting, but that’s another story for another day), but not every generation regards mementoes with the same feeling. In fact, baby boomers themselves may be in the lifelong process of amassing their own “heirlooms”. But discarding a parents’ legacy, i.e., their memories, directly to the dumpster may be a little short-sighted.
Understand not everything is going to survive a household purge, but if you make sure your heirs know what’s really important to you, they may share your sentiments. It’s even possible that if your wishes are made clear, some of your most cherished possessions will survive for several generations to come.