Military advocates on Capitol Hill again have launched the effort to do away with the policy of reducing Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) payments dollar for dollar by the amount beneficiaries collect in Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., the chairman of the House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee, introduced H.R. 32, which would allow eligible beneficiaries to collect both SPB and DIC without any offset. Under SBP, surviving spouses and certain other dependents of military retirees can receive payments after their military member spouses or relatives die. Under DIC, widows of deceased service-connected veterans receive tax-free payments. Perennial similar proposals to end the offset have died without clearing Congress in recent years. Wilson’s measure does have bipartisan support, with 11 Republican and three Democratic co-sponsors.
