Washington (CNN) -- The news was devastating for Shannon and Jeremiah Collins: Their 19-year-old son, Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremiah Collins Jr., died in Afghanistan's Helmand province. Then it got worse. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin, couple learned the survivor benefit paid to the families of fallen troops for burial and other expenses had been suspended because of the government shutdown. Her sadness, Shannon Collins says, was compounded by worry and questions about how to pay off the debt. It's a question that embarrassed and outraged government officials, who scrambled to find a way to provide the survivor benefits to the families of 26 troops who have died since the shutdown began on October 1.
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White House officials were warned about the benefit issue, an official says
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Defense Department makes a deal with Fisher House Foundation to pay benefits
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The government will reimburse the foundation when the government reopens
"I am offended, outraged, and embarrassed that the government shutdown had prevented the @placeholder from fulfilling this most sacred responsibility in a timely manner," Hagel said.