The House Armed Services Committee may soon have to vote on a bill that would end the offset of Department of Veterans Affairs benefits from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities. The measure, H.R. 775, has been sitting in the committee since its sponsor, Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, introduced it in January 2009. On March 15, Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., introduced a discharge petition, which could force the House finally to vote on the measure. The push to repeal the dollar-for-dollar offset of VA benefits from SBP has good support on Capitol Hill. According to the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), H.R. 775 has more than 320 co-sponsors. But adaptation of Jones’ petition would require support from more than half of the House. The move could encounter resistance because lawmakers would then have to determine how to pay for the offset.
