CALGARY -- Their 15 years of marriage was a blissful one filled with love and devotion. Maureen McKee is still grieving the loss of her husband, Thomas Aherne, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2017 - and she is still fighting for his benefits.

Tears fill her eyes and her mouth quivers as she describes the man she calls her best friend.

“He was a wonderful man,” McKee said.

“He was actually an outstanding human being. He was so supportive and loyal, strong and yet humble, kind and genuine.”

Aherne spent 21 years in the Canadian military; a Warrant Officer with the Special Forces who dedicated his early years to serving his country. The 59-year-old was a decorated soldier, highly respected by his peers and a leader, always putting others before himself.

Even on this death bed McKee said her husband, the generous and selfless man he was, assured her that she would be taken care of after he passed.

McKee points to a military document she says Aherne would pull out every time he travelled and especially when he fell ill to cancer. She says he would reference it as the Supplementary Death Benefit, or life insurance, that he had been paying into during his time in the military. In addition to being executor of his estate and a beneficiary in his will, she was told the $90, 750 he was eligible for was solely meant for her as the couple did not have any children.

“When Tom and I got married Tom put everything to me,” said McKee.

“He was so meticulous. This wasn’t a piece of paper I just found. It was always laid out and it gave him dignity and honour to know that this would help take care of me.”

Three months after McKee notified the Canadian military of her husband’s passing, she received a letter from the Government of Canada Pension Centre that stated the Supplementary Death Benefit had gone to someone else. The letter, in part, reads,

“We have determined that Mr. Aherne has designated a named beneficiary under the Supplementary Death Benefit Plan, under Part II of the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act. The Supplementary Death Benefit must be paid to that person in accordance with section 67 (1)”

The Department of National Defence has confirmed to CTV News that the person named on the beneficiary received the benefit December 3, 2019.

At the time when McKee was still trying to come to grips with the death of her husband, she said the news was another devastating blow. While the Department of National Defence hasn’t confirmed it to CTV News, McKee believes the beneficiary named on the form was Aherne’s former wife.

McKee says Aherne divorced his first wife more than two decades ago. She says they did not have any dependents and documents revealed the two released one another of future pensions.

The husband of the ex-wife did not wish to address the matter.

Mckee says she was receiving her husband’s pension and they assumed she would also get the Supplementary Death Benefit.

In an email to CTV News, Public Services and Procurement Canada says,

“When a Canadian Armed Forces member remarries, their new spouse is automatically entitled to a survivor pension, however, with respect to the Supplementary Death Benefit, the member must actively complete a new designation form naming their new beneficiary or their estate.

McKee believes this is an administrative error that the name was not changed when she and Aherne got married.

“Tom can’t come back and set it right,” she said.

“He was sure they had changed everything over.”

Determined to get to the bottom of the issue, McKee hired lawyer John Fletcher, who is also a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces.

“We appealed to the Minister of National Defence,” said Fletcher.

“She and I wrote a lengthy letter and made out her case said it was unfair. It would be very rare that somebody would assign his pension over to his new wife and not assign the death benefit.”

It took the Minister of National Defence, Harjit Sajjan, almost two and a half years to respond to their letter, eventually indicating that he could do nothing to reverse the decision saying,

“I have reconsidered the decision to pay the Supplementary Death Benefit for Warrant Officer Ahern to his designated beneficiary, and I confirm that the legislation in force at the time of Warrant Officer Aherne’s death does not allow for any other outcome. I am sorry but I am not, therefore, legally authorized to make the changes.”

McKee and her lawyer also reached out to the Military Ombudsman and her MP to no avail.

“I was just having hope that there would be a moral high ground here but I’ve been disappointed,” said McKee.

“The will should have a big bearing on this and the relationship to the deceased should be taken to account.”

Fletcher says outside the military, when there is a dispute for insurance, a civilian has an opportunity to present facts before a judge and fight their case.

“We might have gotten better relief if we had been able to go to the Court of Queens bench but unfortunately we are bound by a Statute of Canada,” said Fletcher.

Fletcher believes there should be an amendment to the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act to prevent cases like McKee’s from happening again.

“It should just be one simple piece of paper that the person leaving the army signs so they have full knowledge of whats going on.”

The Deaprtment of National Defence maintains it has a robust system to keep members informed about who they have selected as their beneficiary for the Supplementary Death Benefit. Furthermore it says it rarely encounters cases where the Supplementary Death Benefit beneficiary is disputed and notes that dispute claims don’t confirm the incorrect beneficiary received the payment.

McKee says it’s too late for her to go through civil court to try to reclaim the money as the two-year limit to do so has expired. She wanted to share her story so that others are aware and to bring honour to her husband.

“It’s like showing your fist to a dying man’s face. I feel terrible for Tom that this has happened and that the military let him down. They really let him down after all he gave and he deserved better than that.”