Senators Introduce SBP Equity Bill

Survivors of service members who die of service-connected causes are entitled to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Survivors of retired members who paid premiums into the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) normally are entitled to an annuity. But some 53,000 widows and widowers who receive DIC find their SBP annuity reduced by the DIC amount. On the other hand, survivors of civilian retirees who die of military service-connected causes do not incur this offset. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., have introduced the Military Retiree Survivor Equity Act to correct this disparity. The bill also would eliminate SBP premium payments for military retirees age 70 or older who have paid premiums for at least 30 years. Senators Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., Richard Durbin, D-Ill, and Mark Dayton, D-Minn, signed on as original cosponsors.