“Our troops should be taken care of when they are serving our country overseas, and they should also be taken care of when we bring them home,” said Ross. “But today, thousands of military spouses are currently paying the Survivor Benefit Penalty. We must put an end to this tax that will eventually impact 1.2 million military retirees enrolled in the Survivor Benefit Plan.” 

The Survivor Benefit Penalty penalizes over 225,000 aging survivors, most of whom are widows of our country’s veterans. Over one million military retirees pay premiums for years and anticipate upon their death, their spouse will receive 55 percent of their benefit. But when their spouse reaches the age of 62, the benefit drops to a mere 35 percent – forcing these widows to give up more than one-third of their retirement benefit when they are eligible for Social Security benefits. This reduction takes place even if the amount of their new Social Security benefit and the reduced military retirement benefit combined is less than the total survivor benefit they were promised. 

A bipartisan bill to end the Survivor Benefit Penalty – the Military Survivor Benefits Improvement Act of 2003 (HR 548) – was introduced over a year ago. But so far, the bill has not received the support it needs to bring it to the floor for a vote. If 218 Members sign the discharge petition, the House will be forced to vote on the bill. 

“Working to end the Survivors Benefit Tax is another example of my commitment to fighting for our veterans and their families,” said Ross. “It is simply not right to penalize these men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country.”